07 July 2006
Families with disabled children, professional carers and MPs have joined forces to influence the Treasury's policy review on children and young people.
More detail on the review, announced in this year's Budget, emerged this week when ministers confirmed that it would inform decisions taken in next year's Comprehensive Spending Review.
A consortium of charities, including Contact a Family, Mencap and the Disabled Children's Council, has linked with a cross-party panel of MPs for a series of dialogues with Treasury and education ministers.
The first discussion, focusing on early years issues, took place at the House of Commons on July 5 and was attended by Economic Secretary Ed Balls and children's minister Beverley Hughes.
Speaking to Public Finance ahead of the meeting, Francine Bates, chief executive of Contact A Family, said it was important to make the most of ministerial interest. 'We see it as a great opportunity to influence the Treasury review at a very early stage,' she said.
Bates said that, although there was a lot of good policy relating to disabled children, it was often not having an impact at grassroots level. The national service framework for children's services, published in September 2004, had not produced any significant change.
'Because of a tightening up of budgets in health and social care, families are reporting that things are deteriorating,' Bates said, adding: 'There is going to be a need for additional resources to implement the framework.'
Launching the review, Balls said too many families with disabled children had to struggle to get adequate respite care and other services. 'This review will look hard at how we provide services for disabled children, high-risk families, and to deliver a step change in youth services.'
Brian Lamb, chair of the Special Education Consortium, said lack of specialist support services for disabled children in schools continued to be a major problem.
'These hearings offer a major opportunity to ensure a more co-ordinated and joint approach.'
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