We have joined more than a 110 charities and parent groups in coming together to campaign for better support for disabled children and their families. The Disabled Children's Partnership (DCP) Manifesto has already been shown informally to MPs and policy developers in meetings since party conference season, but today is its official launch, calling for all political parties to prioritise disabled children and their families in their own manifestos.
The DCP Manifesto is made up of three asks for all of the major political parties, which we would like to see reflected in their plans for the next government. They are:
We want the major political parties to make disabled children a priority. Those at the heart of politics need to prioritise the needs of disabled children and their families and to acknowledge disabled children and their families as equal, valued members of society. We want all parties to commit to the appointment of a Minister for Disabled Children and to producing a cross-party disabled children’s strategy.
Secondly, we want the parties to clarify and enforce rights, and review the law. The next Government must commit to stronger accountability within the SEND system; to making the education system inclusive; and to ensuring that disabled children and young people receive the support they need across the education, health and social care systems.
We welcome the current Law Commission review of the law on disabled children’s social care. It is imperative that the next Government takes forward this work and, more generally, that reforms to children’s social care recognise and prioritise disabled children and their families.
Finally, there is an urgent need to address funding shortfalls and create a dedicated fund for disabled children. Making disabled children the priority and having a system that is fit for purpose with effective accountability will help make this happen; but the right level of funding is also vital. Analysis commissioned by Scope and the DCP in 2021 found a £573 million funding gap in disabled children’s social care, and a £1.5 billion gap in disabled children’s NHS spending. This gap is growing, as failure to intervene early leads to higher costs in the longer term, as well as increased costs in other areas of public expenditure.