Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the recommendations made by the Disabled Children Partnership in their report, The Longest Lockdown, published February 2021, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing additional short breaks for families with disabled children who are currently experiencing high levels of family exhaustion.

The COVID-19 outbreak has been extremely challenging for many families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Supporting them is a priority for this government, and their wellbeing remains central to our response to COVID-19.

We have published ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children's social care services’, making clear that parents or carers of disabled children and young people may continue to access respite care. This guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care. We have communicated best practice to Directors of Children's Services and encouraged local authorities to ensure that as many disabled children and young people as possible can continue to access these respite services during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have encouraged local authorities to prioritise respite support for disabled children, and to consider flexible and pragmatic options to deliver that support, including using direct payments and carrying out activities virtually.

We are providing £40.8 million for the Family Fund in the 2020-21 financial year to support over 80,000 families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses. This includes £13.5 million to specifically respond to needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak.