Disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs have the same rights and needs as other children and young people in our society. Equalities and children’s rights issues therefore play an important role in the lives of disabled children and children with special educational needs and need to be address in order to improve their lives and access to services.

Disabilities and special educational needs are also particular risk factors which increase a child’s vulnerability. As such this page aims to highlight the particular risks and issues faced by families with children who are disabled or have special needs. The page also aims to provide parents and carers with advice regarding safety and welfare issues for disabled and special needs children and identify where parents and carers can access information and support which can help.

According to national research, children who are disabled or have special needs are:

• 3.5 times more likely to be abused
• 7 times more likely to be excluded from school and 13 times more likely to be permanently excluded.
• Research also shows that 55% of families with disabled or special needs children live on or near the poverty line. This is largely due to the additional costs they have for caring and looking after their children.

Other issues, which have been identified by leading disabled charities, that are of concern to families with disabled or special needs children include:

• Residential settings: For example, a combination of factors for children in residential settings, such as being looked after by multiple carers, living away from home, parents and family and may have difficulties in communicating, all contribute to an increase risk of child abuse.
• Bullying & harassment: such as name calling, objects thrown at them, intimating behaviour and looks etc.
• Disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs are less likely to go to parks, the beach and public places due to poor access and fear of bullying or victimisation by other children, young people or adults etc.
• Disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs are also less likely to attend activities, clubs and groups due to limited access and fear of bullying or victimisation.
• Unsuitable housing.
• Accidents and injuries.
• Services not identifying a child complex needs.
• A lack of awareness and knowledge in society about disabilities and special needs issues.
• Communication between disabled and special needs children and professionals/services. For example, some disabled children are non verbal and rely upon professionals to interpret their needs through other communication systems, i.e. sign language, brail etc.

What parents can abd carers do

The following list of organisations and services can provide parents and carers with advice and information regarding disability and special needs and help direct parents to specific and specialist support services available.

Services in Brighton & Hove

Amaze

Amaze works with parents and carers of children and young people with any special need, aged 0 - 19 years. They offer one point of access to information, advice and support about issues to do with education, social services, leisure, money matters, safety and health care etc.

Amaze Telephone Helpline (01273) 772289
The helpline is open Monday to Thursday mornings from 9.30am - 12 noon and Thursday evenings from 6pm - 8pm. The helpline offers advice and support to parents and professionals about any issue to do with children with special needs.  

Amongst their many information resources, Amaze have worked with parents and the author Jenny Morris to draft a handbook about screening carers and assessing residential settings for children and young people. Published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ‘The Right Place’ (2003) includes safety advice and provides useful tips and ideas for parents and carers thinking about making care arrangements with their children.

Amaze

Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG

email: info@amazebrighton.org.uk
web:  www.amazebrighton.org.uk/
fax:    (01273) 234019

Brighton & Hove Children & Young People’s Trust Children’s Disability Team

A range of services are available for children with severe disabilities in Brighton & Hove. These include family support services, residential services and child health services. The Children’s Disability Team can help parents and carers and provide a range of options and links to other services.

Children’s Disability Team

Harmsworth Crescent, Hangleton,

Tel: (01273) 295151/2
Fax: (01273) 295777

For further information visit the Brighton & Hove City Council website at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

Alternatively you can contact the Brighton & Hove City Council Information Line for more information about local health and social services in your area.

Tel: (01273) 295555 Textphone: (01273) 296333.

National Organisations

There are many national and local disability organisations and it is impossible to list them all here. However, Amaze update their parent handbook, ‘Through the Maze’, every year and it includes contact details of the range of specialist organisations which exist in the UK. Contact Amaze or visit their website for more information. You can also find out about national and local organisations and parent support groups for specific disabilities from ‘Contact a Family’ Tel: 0808 8083555 or email: info@cafamily.org.uk

Council for Disabled Children

The National Council for Disabled Children provides a national forum for the discussion and development of a wide range of policy and practice issues relating to service provision and support for disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs.

Tel: 0207 8431900

Email: cdc@ncb.org.uk

Website: www.dfes.gov.uk/

Department for Education & Skills

Tel: 0807 0002288

Website: www.dfes.gov.uk/

Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)

ACE is an independent national advice centre for parents, providing independent expert advice and to promote fairness and opportunity in education for disabled children and children with special educational needs.

Tel: 0808 8005793

Email: enquires@ace.dialnet.com

Website: www.ace-ed.org.uk/

Disability Alliance

Disability Alliance is a national charity working to break the link between poverty and disability and can provide advice and support to parents and carers.

Tel: 0207 2478776

Email: office.da@dial.pipex.com

Website: www.disabilityalliance.org/

Dial UK

Is a national organisation for a network of 140 local disability information and advice services run by and for disabled people.

Tel: 01302 310123

Email: enquires@dialuk.otg.uk

Website: www.dialuk.info/

Disability Law Service

The Disability Law Service is a national registered charity that provides confidential and free legal advice for disabled adults, their families and carers. DLS also provides disabled people with a casework service.

Tel: 0207 7919800

Email: advice@dls.org.uk

Website: www.dls.org.uk/

SKILL

Is a national charity promoting opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of impairment in post-16 education, training and employment.

Tel: 0800 3285050

Website: www.skill.org.uk/

Links

www.kids-online.org.uk/

Kids is a national charity which aims to work with families and children with disabilities and special needs. The can offer a range of advice, information and support to families.

www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/

To promote the welfare and interest of disabled children and improve family support they receive, the teachernet.gov.uk website aims to provide a wide range of special education needs and disability advice and materials for teachers, parents and others working with children with SEN in

www.ability.org.uk/child_health_special_needs.html

Ability.org offer links to several other websites which can offer advice, information and support regarding disabilities and special needs. These include: email system that connects young people with disabilities or chronic illness to disabled and non-disabled peers and mentors; Special Child Magazine an online magazine featuring family issues, health disorders, tips and success stories; and many more.

www.cafamily.org.uk/

The Contact a Family charity website provides advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children - no matter what their health condition. They also enable parents to get in contact with other families of special needs children, both on a local and national basis. Contact a Family also produces a range of factsheets, covering a variety of issues that can affect families, regardless of their child's special need.

www.bhfederation.org.uk/

Brighton & Hove Federation of Disabled People is an umbrella organisation of 35 organisations in the city who work to improve the rights and services for disabled people. They work to work to promote independence and dignity for all people with disabilities and to identify gaps when services are being planned and developed. As such the BHFDP can offer families advice and information about a range of issues which can affect disabled children.

www.parentscentre.gov.uk/educationandlearning/specialneeds/

The Parents Centre is a dirct.gov website which provides a range of information and advice to parents and carers of disabled and special needs children, from schools, transport and support groups etc.

www.parentlineplus.org.uk/

Parentline Plus can also offer advice and information to parents, carers and families of disabled and special needs children and young people.

www.direct.gov.uk/

The Direct.gov website offers a range of information for parents of disabled and special needs children such as transport, education, childcare etc.

www.dwp.gov.uk/

The Department for Work and Pensions website provides families with disabled or special needs children with information and advice about Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Child Tax Credit and much more.

www.driveforrebecca.org/SpecialNeeds/

The Drive for Rebecca website offer some practical information and advice for families with disabled children.

www.special-needs-kids.co.uk/

Special Needs Kids is an Information Directory and shopping site to help parents and carers of children with special needs. They provide information on products and services for special needs kids, events and campaigns, disability issues, support groups, respite care, clothing, equipment, toys, leisure activities and days out, holidays, where to go for help and advice, and much more.

www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/3247/

Parenting a special needs child website has information and resources for a range of special needs and deals with as many aspects of parenting a special needs child as possible.