Support for disabled children must be easy and accessible

John Barrett speaks at debate on Children With Disabilities

Speaking in his first debate since being appointed Liberal Democrat Disability Spokesperson, John Barrett stated that the issue is one that crosses party lines and outlined the problems faced by families with disabled children and how these could be remedied.

Mr Barrett said: "This should not be a party political issue, as the welfare and provision of services for children with disabilities is something that no party would not wish to improve. Much good work is being done by many excellent organisations throughout the country. However, when the services for disabled children and their families are described as a national scandal, as they were by the Children's Commissioner for England, something is clearly wrong, and no stone should be left unturned in the search for ways to improve those services."

"The scale of the problem is huge, and the numbers of children requiring support services is growing. In the United Kingdom, there are more than half a million disabled children under the age of 16; 98 per cent. of disabled children live at home and are supported by their families; and 55 per cent. of disabled children grow up in, or at the margins of, poverty. Disabled children are 13 times more likely to be excluded from school. More recently, we have become much more aware of those who are bullied at school, and the support they need to cope - and to stop it happening in the first place."

"The support offered should say that we are all equal, even if moving towards that will be a real struggle for many. Sometimes that struggle will be physical, at others emotional, and it can also be a financial struggle. The facts are stark. The income of families with disabled children is 23 per cent. below the UK average, yet it costs up to three times as much to raise a disabled child as it does to raise a child without disabilities. Families with disabled children spend approximately 10 times as much on loan repayments a week compared with the UK average. Caring for a disabled child can cause many other problems; stress, depression and lack of sleep are commonly experienced by parents and carers."

"Accessing the support available from Departments - the benefits, the local authority services and negotiating the maze of paperwork and bureaucracy involved - is hard enough for most people, but for those with a disabled child the problems multiply. Half of the appeals against disability living allowance awards are upheld, which shows how many mistakes are made. That is why some time ago I produced a special needs pack for those of my constituents who are parents of children with disabilities. It was intended to make it as simple as possible to access everything to which they were entitled to in my constituency."

"I therefore urge the Minister and the Minister with responsibility for disabled people to develop such a pack, making it available to all mothers who have the experience of giving birth to a disabled child. From day one, they should have the support to which they are entitled rather than finding out, sometimes years after the child is born, that they have been unaware of help that could have changed their lives."

"The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families described the aiming high commitments as a down payment on change. Today's debate has highlighted some of the changes that I and others would like to see, and I look forward to hearing from the Minister how we can work together to deliver them."