Contact a Family e-Newsletter - September 2008

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Contact a Family e-Newsletter - September 2008

++ Contents

+01: Families with disabled children struggling to afford food and

heating.

+02: Win a laptop. Tell your story. Raise public awareness.

+03: Contact a Family urges 'Keep the Promise' to end child poverty.

+04: New and updated guides for families with disabled children.

+05: New benefits podcast from Contact a Family.

+06: Report recognising value of parent carers welcomed.

+07: SEN Tribunals shake-up.

+08: GBP1 billion Home Energy Saving Programme Announced.

+09: Free childcare scheme launched.

+10: Promise of equal access to quality early years education.

+11: Cash pledged for children with support needs in Scotland.

+12: Campaign calls for reform of carers benefits.

+13: Disability charity campaigning for improved concessions on bus travel

+14: Young Minds recruiting children for advisory panel.

+15: Call to take part in 'Anxiety, appraisal and coping in social

situations in children with Asperger Syndrome' study.

+16: New journals to help families and professionals track child

progress.

+17: New website for parents of teenagers.

+18: Register for new service from Family Fund.

+19: Online relationship help launched.

+20: Order the Contact a Family Directory and get a free copy of the

Disability Right's Handbook.

+21: Short breaks guidance published.

+22: Children's Commissioner for Wales publishes report on play.

+23: Regional events in England to focus on key working.

+24: National conference looks at including disabled children in

extended schools and children's centres.

+25: Experienced wheelchair skills trainers sought.

[Contents ends]

++ Contact a Family news.

+01: Families with disabled children struggling to afford food and

heating.

Contact a Family surveyed almost 800 parent carers in the UK about their

financial situation in the current economic crisis. The survey found

that families with disabled children are struggling with soaring cost of

living and some families are going without basic food and heating.

Key findings include:

- One in six disabled children lives in a household struggling to afford

food and heating

- Almost half of families have borrowed money from friends and family,

with one in five using the cash to pay their heating bills

- One in 14 children with a disability or medical condition is living

under threat of losing their home.

Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Contact a Family, said: " This is a

crisis situation for many, but disabled children and their families are

at greater risk of poverty and less equipped to cope with soaring living

costs.

The government needs to act now to ensure disability benefits meet the

true cost of raising a disabled child and ensure these families don't

face homelessness. "

For families concerned about their finances telephone Contact a Family's

freephone helpline 0.

To read the full report visit Web:

http://www.cafamily.org.uk/pdfs/counting_the_costs_survey.pdf

+02: Win a laptop. Tell your story. Raise public awareness.

Contact a Family is calling on parents to tell their story of raising a

disabled child in a national competition which aims to highlight the

many issues they face.

On the theme of 'Me and my disabled child', we want you to make a short

video about the joys and challenges of caring for a disabled child.

If you don't have a video camera, or have other creative impulses, you

could tell your story in an essay. Alternatively, you could make an

audio recording or take a picture.

All entries will be considered in a category alongside those other

entries using the same media, with a chance to win a digital camera -

and for the over all winner, a laptop.

The best clips, pics and stories will be featured on our website and

other online channels such as Youtube, and in our magazine Connected.

And we're sure with your story, in your words - or images - we'll raise

public awareness of the challenges all families with disabled children

face every day. The competition has been launched in the run up to

Contact a Family's 30th anniversary and entries are invited from any

family member or friend involved in caring for a disabled child since

the charity was set up in 1979.

The deadline for entries is 30th November 2008.

To find out more about how to submit your entry and details visit

Web: http://tinyurl.co.uk/pecs

+03: Contact a Family urges 'Keep the Promise' to end child poverty.

Contact a Family has announced its support of the biggest event to end

child poverty in the UK. The campaign charity End Child Poverty is

organising the 'Keep the Promise' event - to be held in Trafalgar Square

on Saturday 4th October 2008. The event is intended to mobilise public

support while putting pressure on government to keep its promise to end

child poverty by 2020.

The event will begin with a short march from Millbank to Trafalgar

Square where there will be children's activities, family fun, film and

speeches. This will be followed by everyone being asked to make as much

noise as possible to show their support to end child poverty.

If you want to attend the event in Trafalgar Square or would like to

find out how else to support the campaign visit Web:

http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/keepthepromiseevent

+04: New and updated guides for families with disabled children.

Contact a Family has updated its guide, 'Dealing with debt - England and

Wales' and has brought out a new guide, 'The NHS and caring for a

disabled child.'

Ring the helpline on Tel: 0 for a free copy.

+05: New benefits podcast from Contact a Family.

Contact a Family has produced a new podcast on the subject of benefits,

tax credits and other financial assistance.

The podcast gives an overview of all the main benefits and tax credits

available. It's part of a new series, which includes a podcast looking

at claiming Disability Living Allowance for a child, also available to

download and listen to.

Listen to the podcast, Web:

http://www.cafamily.org.uk/audio/benefitsgeneraloverview.mp3

[Contact a Family news ends]

++ News stories.

+06: Report recognising value of parent carers welcomed.

Contact a Family has welcomed calls by a group of MPs for the government

to significantly increase its support of carers.

The Work and Pensions Select Committee has published its report Valuing

and supporting carers, which calls for an overhaul of the " outdated "

carers benefits system.

The report recommends a two-tiered system of financial support for

carers which takes into account individual circumstances - offering

income replacement support for carers unable to work or only working

part-time and compensation for the additional costs of caring for those

in intensive caring roles.

Valuing and supporting carers' can be downloaded from the Work and

Pensions Select Committee website.

Web: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmworpen.htm

+07: SEN Tribunals shake-up.

On 3rd November 2008, SENDIST (Special Educational Needs and Disability

Tribunal) will become part of a new unified tribunal system.

Subject to expected Parliamentary approval, there will be two tiers of

tribunal:

The 'First Tier Tribunal', which will hear all SENDIST appeals against

LEAs in England and will be part of a unified system including the Care

Standards Tribunal (CST) and the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT).

The 'Upper Tribunal' will hear appeals from first tier tribunals. For

more information visit Web: http://www.sendist.gov.uk/importantInfo.htm

+08: GBP1 billion Home Energy Saving Programme Announced.

The government has announced a new GBP1 billion package of measures to

help people save money whilst saving energy as well.

Every home in Britain will now be able to get at least 50 per cent off a

range of energy efficiency devices like loft and cavity wall insulation

- saving the average household up to GBP300 a year on their energy

bills. And 11 million lower income and pensioner households will qualify

for this help completely free of charge.

They will also work with the energy companies to increase the number of

people who pay their bills by direct debit - saving the average

household between GDP100 and GDP150 a year. And will ensure that people

using pre-payment meters do not face tariffs that are unjustifiably

higher than customers using other payment methods.

To help protect the old and vulnerable from the effects of severe

weather conditions, cold weather payments for this winter will be

increased from GDP8.50 to GDP25 a week.

Ministers want as many people as possible to benefit, and have set up a

helpline Tel: 0800 512 012 to provide advice on what support is available.

For further information see Number 10's website.

Web: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16807

+09: Free childcare scheme launched.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched a GBP75m

three-year free childcare scheme which will help 50,000 low-income

families in England. As part of the scheme, childcare costs of up to

GBP175 per week per child (or up to GBP205 per week per child in London)

will be paid directly to the childcare provider. This is to enable

parents, where only one partner is working or in some cases workless

families, to be offered free childcare so that they reassess their skills.

The programme, to be delivered through the Learning and Skills Council,

will start in 67 local authority areas with the highest number of

eligible families in January 2009, and will then be rolled out to all

local authorities the following September.

Web: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0189

+10: Promise of equal access to quality early years education.

>From 1st September a new early years foundation stage has been introduced, with

the Children, Schools and Families Secretary promising 'a level playing field so

all children start school with an equal chance of doing well'.

The EYFS means all children in England will have an 'equal right to the

best quality care and learning to prepare them for school'.

It is part of a package of measures to target help at families most at

risk of disadvantage to prevent their children falling behind at an

early age. The package also includes extra cash to deliver 15 hours of

free childcare and early learning for the 25 per cent most disadvantaged

three and four year olds - a year before their peers receive the same

entitlement.

Web: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0183

+11: Cash pledged for children with support needs in Scotland.

The ish government has pledged more than GBP100,000 to help parents

of children with additional support needs.

Children's minister Adam Ingram said the money would be used to pay for

advocacy services for parents. Funding will be given to voluntary

organisations 'Independent Special Education Advice Scotland' and 'Govan

Law Centre' to fund advocacy support and representation for parents at

tribunals.

Web: http://tinyurl.com/5thm7h

[News stories ends]

++ Campaign news.

+12: Campaign calls for reform of carers benefits.

Carers UK's 'Real change not short change' campaign is calling on the

government to radically reform the tax and benefit system so that it is:

- based on the contribution carers make, rather than on the work/income

they have to give up

- transparent and fair to all carers

- easy to access and less bureaucratic.

They are co-ordinating a lobby of MPs in Westminster on 4th December 2008.

If you are interested in taking part either in London or in your own

constituency register your interest at Web: http://tinyurl.com/56flc6

+13: Disability charity campaigning for improved concessions on bus travel

The Concessionary Bus Travel Act was introduced to give older and

disabled people greater freedom to travel on buses. National charity

Sense is calling on the Department of Transport to extend this national

concession on bus travel to any time of day. It also wants the national

concession on bus travel to allow disabled people who cannot travel

alone to take a companion with them free of charge.

As part of this campaign, an event will take place on Wednesday 29th

October 2008, 2pm-4.30pm in Westminster, London. The event will include

a series of speeches about why change is needed and an opportunity to

meet with your local MP to tell them about your experiences.

For more information Tel: 020 7014 9372, mailto:liz.ball@... or

visit Web: http://www.sense.org.uk/buspass

[Campaign news ends]

++ Consultations and surveys

+14: Young Minds recruiting children for advisory panel.

Children's mental health charity, Young Minds, is searching for young

people aged five to 25 to join Very Important Kids (VIK), its national

advisory panel.

The panel meets in London once every six weeks and gives expert opinions

on the issues affecting children and young people with mental health

problems. These discussions inform and influence YoungMinds national

campaigns and are used to strengthen children's mental health services.

For more information mailto:healthyheads@...

+15: Call to take part in 'Anxiety, appraisal and coping in social

situations in children with Asperger Syndrome' study.

Shilpi Gupta, at the Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde

is looking to recruit children with Asperger syndrome aged between 8-12

years to take part in her PhD study.

You will be asked to interview your child about his past emotional

experiences and fill in few simple questionnaires. The whole study will

be conducted online; the questionnaires can be filled from your home and

should not take more than one hour.

The findings will provide greater insights into the dynamics of the

emotional experiences negative emotions and will help parents and

caregivers to support their children to adjust to the challenges of

daily life.

For more information please contact: Shilpi Gupta,

mailto:shilpi.gupta@... Tel: 0 at the

Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde, 40 Street,

Glasgow, G1 1QE. The work is being supervised by Dr. Woolfson,

Reader in Psychology.

[Consultations and surveys ends]

++ New resources for families.

+16: New journals to help families and professionals track child

progress.

Early Support (a programme which provides information and aims to

co-ordinate support for families with young disabled following

diagnosis) has developed specific journals to help families track,

record and celebrate their child's progress through the early years.

The aim of the journals is to enable joint working, by improving

everyone's understanding of early childhood development and sharing

information about how a young child is progressing. Where many different

people are in contact with a child, they provide a shared framework of

reference.

A new early support developmental journal is available that can be used

by families in many different situations.

Developmental journals are also available for use by families with deaf

children, children with Down syndrome and children with visual impairments.

Web: http://tinyurl.com/5vyb77

+17: New website for parents of teenagers.

National parenting charity, Parentline Plus, has launched a social

networking website for parents of teenagers.

It aims to bringing together parents to share experiences, swap tips,

let off steam and support one another through the challenges and

successes of parenting teenagers.

Web: http://www.gotateenager.org.uk

+18: Register for new service from Family Fund.

A reminder that the Family Fund is launching 'Family Fund Extra' during

October and is calling on families with disabled children to register

their interest. Family Fund Extra is a separate scheme from their grant

making programme and aims to help families make their money go further.

It will offer a variety of discounted goods and services like electrical

products and holidays.

It will also allow supporters of Family Fund to make a difference to

disabled children through donations and 'donate as you shop' opportunities.

If you care for a child or young person up to the age of 25 years old

and would like to benefit from the discounts and services Family Fund

Extra will offer, register now at Web: http://www.familyfundextra.co.uk

The Family Fund Comet gift card is a first step towards the

fully-fledged Family Fund Extra and is already up and running. Web:

http://tinyurl.com/667tbv

+19: Online relationship help launched.

One Plus One, the UK's leading relationship research organisation has

launched a new online service for parents.

thecoupleconnection.net is targeted at all parents, but includes

specific information for fathers and parents of children with

disabilities.

The site provides a developing range of articles, self-assessment tools,

activities and exercises to help you to improve your couple

relationship. Much of the site is interactive, with a forum which is

visited regularly by trained relationship supporters.

Web: http://thecoupleconnection.net/

[New resources for families ends]

++: New resources for professionals.

+20: Order the Contact a Family Directory and get a free copy of the

Disability Right's Handbook.

The 'Contact a Family Directory - The essential guide to medical

conditions, disabilities and support' contains patient friendly

information for children and adults with disabilities, serious health

conditions and rare disorders. The Contact a Family Directory is

available in two different formats - paperback and online.

Buy the paperback version of the Directory now for GBP40 (inc p & p) and

receive a free copy of the Disability Rights Handbook. The Disability

Rights Handbook (rrp GBP21), published by Disability Alliance, is a

comprehensive guide to benefits, tax credits and services for people

with a disability or health condition.

Web: http://www.cafamily.org.uk/medicalinformation/subscribe.html

+21: Short breaks guidance published.

Guidance around providing short breaks has been published. It is

intended to support other resources for the Aiming High for Disabled

Children (AHDC) programme.

Primary Care Trusts are expected to consider this guidance in shaping

their response to the 2008-2009 NHS Operating Framework priorities.

Web: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/socialcare/ahdc/shortbreaks

+22: Children's Commissioner for Wales publishes report on play.

The Children's Commissioner has published a new report looking at

disabled children and young people's opportunity to play in Wales.

'A Happy Talent' looks at the play strategies of each local authority in

Wales to see how they have considered the needs of disabled children.

The report, along with a children and young people's version, can be

downloaded from the Children's Commissioner's website.

Web: http://www.childcom.org.uk/index.php?lang=en

+23: Regional events in England to focus on key working.

Care Co-ordination Network UK (CCNUK) is a networking organisation

promoting and supporting care co-ordination or key working for disabled

children and their families in the UK. They will be holding a series of

regional meetings in partnership with ph Rowntree Foundation in

England in the coming months.

The day will include a training model on housing issues for disabled

children and their families, and an opportunity to hear and share good

practice from other keyworker services.

CCNUK members, parents and carers come free, non members GBP20.

Confirmed dates and locations are as follows

- 18th September 2008; Holiday Inn South, Reading

- 16th October 2008; Round Foundry Media Centre, Leeds

- 4th December 2008; Derby Conference Centre, Derby

For further details contact Cath Walder, England Development

Coordinator, Tel: 01904 567 314 mailto:england@... Web:

http://www.ccnuk.org.uk

+24: National conference looks at including disabled children in

extended schools and children's centres.

The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) have undertaken a project to

identify effective practice in including disabled children and young

people in extended schools and children's centres.

The project has been commissioned by Sure Start and the Department for

Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

As part of that project they will be holding a national conference on

21st October 2008, to explore issues and solutions for inclusion. This

is a free conference, held at Regent's College, London.

To register your interest, Tel: 020 7843 6442, mailto: esmith@...

or visit Web: http://tinyurl.com/6mn96v

+25: Experienced wheelchair skills trainers sought.

Children's wheelchair charity, Whizz Kidz, is looking for experienced

trainers/co-ordinators to deliver an innovative and growing national

programme for young wheelchair users.

Successful candidates will have a good understanding of challenges

facing young disabled people and their families and the ability to

motivate them in a fun and interactive way. You should also have proven

training or teaching experience and a willingness to travel within the UK.

There are six part-time and three full-time vacancies.

Web: http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/aboutus/jobs1/childrensservices

[New resources for professionals ends]

++ Subscription details.