More funding needed for disabled children's services - Brooke

6.20.27pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 26th Oct 2006

Local MP, Annette Brooke, has joined a cross-party group of MPs to call for more funding to improve services for disabled children.

As Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, Annette took part in an enquiry on disabled children's services, the results of which are being published in a report today.

The MPs found serious inequalities in service provision and an urgent need to increase funding levels to keep pace with the changing population of disabled children. Their report argues strongly for additional resources to be invested in services, with 9 in 10 submissions to the panel of MPs describing current funding levels as poor.

Annette Brooke said:

"Too often, disabled children and their families are not given the support they need. Extra funding from the Government is clearly needed if we are to ensure that the rights of young people with disabilities across the UK are being upheld."

Evidence submitted to the MPs told of many families with disabled children battling to access even basic levels of support. Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, Children's Commissioner for England, described the situation of families with disabled children as a 'national scandal'.

The report found widespread dissatisfaction with existing levels of provision:

• 8 in 10 parents (81%) rated social care services as poor

• 5 in 10 parents rated education services (52%) and health services (48%) as poor

Rt Hon Tom Clarke MP, speaking as chair of the cross-party panel, comments:

"Our enquiry has found a significant gap between the services that families with disabled children should receive and what is currently available to many families. Our evidence suggested that the Government has the right policy in relation to disabled children, but delivery on the ground has been patchy and the needs of many disabled children are falling between the gaps in current provision. The government's Comprehensive Spending Review must take full account of the high levels of unmet need we have uncovered. Further funding must be forthcoming to ensure that all disabled children get the support they need and deserve."

Vice-Chair of the panel, Joan Humble MP, added:

"Having highlighted areas where families are being failed by the system, it is now vital that extra money is made available and, above all, that the extra money goes directly to services for disabled children. Families should no longer have to fight for appropriate services, the support mechanisms should be there and available to help them."

The report from the enquiry presents evidence of some excellent support and services, for disabled children, particularly in the early years. Particular praise is reserved for the Government's Early Support programme, which has done much to co-ordinate services around the needs of the youngest disabled children. Ministers are urged to extend the principles of Early Support up the age range so that all disabled children benefit from innovative initiatives such as key working.

Priority recommendations from the report include:

Significant additional resources targeted at disabled children and their families need to be made available to planners and commissioners of universal and specialist services

Additional funding should be linked to the development of minimum standards, or a 'core offer' for disabled children and families which would create a universal entitlement to a minimum level of service.

Ministers should ensure that services for disabled children are part of every Local Area Agreement, and national Public Service Agreement targets should be developed for disabled children

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For more information contact: Georgie Webb, 020 7696 5524, georgina.webb@mencap.org.uk

The parliamentary hearings on services for disabled children were set up at the invitation of Economic Secretary Ed Balls MP and DfES Minister Lord Adonis. The hearings were an innovative opportunity for parliamentarians and the public to feed into the joint HM Treasury / DfES review of children's services, which has a priority theme on disabled children. The report from the parliamentary hearings will be presented to Economic Secretary Ed Balls MP at a launch event in Parliament on Thursday 26th October. Government will respond to the report through the ongoing HM Treasury / DfES review.

Rt Hon Tom Clarke MP chaired the hearings panel, supported by Joan Humble MP as vice-chair. The panel was comprised of 22 MPs from all three main parties, including Jeremy Hunt MP, Conservative disability spokesperson, and Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat children's spokesperson. The hearings process was supported by a consortium of charities working with disabled children and their families - Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Mencap and the Special Education Consortium - and by Children Now magazine.

The hearings took place in July 2006 with three oral hearings across the themes of Early Years, Family Support and Children's Services and Transition to Adulthood. During the hearings, evidence was received from 8 government Ministers across 5 departments. Oral submissions were also made to the hearings from parents and representatives from local government. 308 written submissions were received by the hearings review team, sent by disabled young people, parents, professionals and organisations.

The following MPs formed the hearings panel:

Anne Begg MP; John Bercow MP; Annette Brooke MP; Paul Burstow MP; Martin Caton MP;Rt Hon Tom Clarke MP (Chair); Michael Connarty MP; Janet Dean MP; Jim Dobbin MP; Clive Efford MP; Ian Gibson MP; Helen Goodman MP; Sylvia Heal MP; Jeremy Hunt MP; Joan Humble MP (Vice-Chair); Sally Keeble MP; Tim Loughton MP; Anne Milton MP; Brooks Newmark MP; Dan Norris MP; Helen Southworth MP; Betty Williams MP

The following Ministers gave evidence to the hearings:

Lord Adonis (Department for Education and Skills (DfES)); Ed Balls MP (HM Treasury); Beverley Hughes MP (DfES); Ivan Lewis MP (Department of Health); Anne McGuire MP (Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)); Jim Murphy MP (DWP); Dawn Primarolo MP (HM Treasury; Phil Woolas MP (Department for Communities and Local Government)