SEND Provision and Reform
Debate between Charlotte Cane and Manuela Perteghella(1 week, 6 days ago)
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Charlotte Cane (Ely and East Cambridgeshire) (LD)
One of the things that shocked me most when I was elected was how much we are failing children with special educational needs. We all get those emails in our inbox, and they are heartrending. When we meet those parents, we can see the stress and the strain etched in their faces, and we can only imagine what it is like for the child to be in a school where they feel that they are not understood and they are not supported. How we are treating these people at the moment is shocking.
I really welcome the fact that the Government are trying to do something to change that situation and to make it better. I worry, though, that we need to make sure that there are the resources to deliver what those families deserve. Obviously that means money, but it also means the educational psychologists and the other expertise that we need, and proper training for all school staff so they know how to deal with the various needs of the children in their school. I also worry that parents cannot and must not lose the ability to take action to fight for their children’s rights.
Manuela Perteghella (Stratford-on-Avon) (LD)
Does my hon. Friend agree that strengthening inclusion in mainstream schools and maintaining legally enforceable protections for children and young people should not be competing games?
Charlotte Cane
I agree; we must not set things up in competition.
I would like to ask the Minister three questions. First, what is she going to do to make sure that every school in every area has the specialist resources it needs to deliver for its children? How is she going to make sure that rural areas such as mine in Ely and East Cambridgeshire have access to those resources for all schools and all children? It takes longer and therefore it costs more to get those across the area. What is she going to put in place to make sure that parents retain the right to fight for and enforce their children’s rights?
Neurodivergent People: Employment
Debate between Charlotte Cane and Manuela Perteghella(7 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Charlotte Cane
I thank the hon. Member for those points; I agree entirely. We need to help employers to help these people into work and help them to thrive in work. Will the Minister set out the Government’s position on a wide roll-out of specialist apprenticeships and planned actions to encourage it? The Buckland review recommended that, in order to get some flexibility on the apprenticeship rules, the requirement for an education, health and care plan should be removed, given the difficulties families face in obtaining EHCPs. That recommendation has not yet been accepted by the Government. Will they do so today?
Manuela Perteghella (Stratford-on-Avon) (LD)
It is deeply concerning for my Stratford-on-Avon constituency that young adults over the age of 25 can no longer access NHS-funded ADHD assessments. Does my hon. Friend agree that, at a time when we should be removing barriers to employment, taking away access to such a vital first step is doing exactly the opposite?
Charlotte Cane
We have heard there is a problem with young people being assessed in school; we cannot then cut off the backstop of being assessed in adulthood. Can the Minister update us on the Buckland review’s recommendations and when they intend to publish the conclusions of their expert panel on employment prospects for neurodivergent people? Local businesses have told me that neurodivergent employees find the jobcentre system difficult to navigate, stressful and triggering. What will the Department do to adequately train jobcentre staff in appropriately supporting them?
Finally, many people do not disclose their neurodivergence or learning disability for fear of discrimination. Will the Government commit to reviewing the guidelines on disclosure and whether they adequately consider neurodivergent conditions? Neurodivergent people have so much to offer our businesses, our communities and our economy. We just need to do what my local businesses do: go above and beyond to make this the gold standard. If the Government support businesses to do that, we could unlock a sizeable community full of untapped potential and enthusiasm, which can only be a benefit to our country.