Email your MP to ask the Government not to scrap rights for disabled children an

[Guest guest]

EDCM Supporter Newsletter

March 2011

Dear Mandy

Thank you to everyone who took our last supporter action and emailed your local authority asking about their budget for disabled children's services. We had an amazing response with over 1900 of you taking action - our highest ever yet! We're still collating responses from local authorities, but hope to let you know our findings soon.

Take Action!

The Communities and Local Government department are carrying out a review on statutory duties placed on local authorities. We are concerned that some of the duties they are planning to remove will impact families with disabled children and children with special educational needs.

Duties are passed in Parliament and require the local authority to do something to ensure people's rights are being met. For example, there is a duty that states disabled children have the right to be assessed. Other duties they are proposing to withdraw include the right for disabled children to:

receive social care support such as short breaks (respite) and childcare; positive activities in the community; equal access to education; and school transport.

We have created a template letter for you to send to your local MP, copying in Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and the consultation team. It answers the consultation question 'what duties are vital to keep?' and asks Pickles to reassure disabled children and their families that no action will be taken to withdraw duties that affect disabled children and children with special educational needs without full impact assessments and formal public consultation