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c/o Council for Disabled Children
National Children's Bureau
8 Wakley Street
London EC1V 7QE
tel +44 (0)20 7843 6448
fax +44 (0)20 7843 6313
[email protected]
Every Disabled Child Matters launches
Media Release - For immediate release
New campaign challenges politicians - ‘show us that every disabled child matters’
15 September 2006
A new campaign aimed at getting rights and justice for every disabled child is launching at this year’s party conferences. Every Disabled Child Matters is needed because initiatives designed to benefit all children have had little or no impact on the lives of disabled children and their families. The campaign aims to make sure that families with disabled children have the right to the services and support they need to lead ordinary lives.
Jo Williams, Chief Executive of Mencap, comments:
‘Disabled children have been left out for too long. Mencap’s research has shown that 8 out of 10 families with disabled children are at breaking point’. The time has come for us to challenge politicians to show us that every disabled child matters as much as all other children.’
The campaign launches across the party conference season, with events at all three conferences:
- Liberal Democrat - Annette Brooke MP speaking (18th September)
- Labour - Ed Balls MP speaking (26th September)
- Conservative - Jeremy Hunt MP speaking (2nd October)
The campaign website - www.edcm.org.uk - goes live on 26th September. The aim is for 10,000 individuals to register their support for the campaign by Christmas 2006. The campaign has been boosted by the news that Ed Balls MP, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, will speak for the Government at the launch event at Labour conference.
On 26th September, when the campaign goes live, Every Disabled Child Matters will publish Between a rock and a hard place, a campaign briefing highlighting that the government’s ten-year childcare strategy is failing disabled children.
Francine Bates, Chief Executive, Contact a Family, comments:
‘Parents and families caring for disabled children have a very tough time. Parents face a huge struggle getting the support they need to lead an ordinary family life. Many families face poverty and hardship. Parents are often unable to work because employers are inflexible or they cannot find suitable childcare. We must urgently address this deep injustice and really ensure that every disabled child matters.’
Following the launch, Every Disabled Child Matters will bring forward a Private Member’s Bill to create a minimum entitlement to short breaks for families with disabled children. The campaign is already supporting both the current government review of services for disabled children, and the parliamentary hearings that have run alongside this review.
Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children, comments:
‘The population of disabled children is changing and their needs are becoming more complex. Yet too many disabled children and their families are still missing out on essential services and support. Disabled children must no longer be seen as “tragic little victims”, but as children with the same rights as anyone else.’
For further information on Every Disabled Child Matters, for copies of Between a rock and a hard place or to arrange interviews and/or case studies, please contact:
Steve Broach, Campaign Manager, Every Disabled Child Matters
020 7843 6082 / 07879 638 102
[email protected]
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ENDS
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Notes to editors:
Every Disabled Child Matters is a campaign by four organisations working with disabled children and their families: Contact a Family, Council for Disabled Children, Mencap and the Special Educational Consortium. It is a three-year campaign funded by a grant from the True Colours Trust, a Sainsbury’s family trust.
There is significant research and policy evidence to show that disabled children and their families experience multiple disadvantages compared to other children and their families. For example, disabled children are 13 times more likely to be excluded from school than other children.
A report by the Audit Commission in 2003 stated that ‘the time for a major turnaround in disabled children’s services is long overdue. The urgency of the situation is growing. Not only are some services provided at unacceptably low standards, but the prevalence of certain needs is increasing. Without change, the situation can only get worse.’
