Three out of four parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities forced to give up work or cut hours, Sky News learns
Three out of four parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been forced to give up work, or cut their hours, Sky News has learned.
In a survey of more than 500 people, two out of five (40%) had to leave their jobs, and more than one in three (33%) reduced their hours.
Most said it was because there was a lack of local authority help, and a large proportion blamed not enough school support.
Some also said it was down to a lack of flexibility from their employer.
The survey, specially commissioned by Sky News with the charity Support Send Kids, found that mostly women were affected.
Abigail Bates had to give up her job when she found that the nursery her daughter Harriet was in “couldn’t meet her needs”.
Harriet, who is two years old, has autism, global development delay, and sensory processing disorder.
Abigail said leaving her job has affected her family financially but “…with nurseries not having the knowledge or training in special educational needs I can’t work”.
“That leaves me with no choice but to meet her needs myself.”
Harriet has autism, global development delay, and sensory processing disorder
She adds that it would be “lovely” to go to work which would be “a break in itself” but without the support available children are being “failed by the system”.
The number of special schools in England does not meet the rising demand of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
It means often children have to attend mainstream schools on reduced timetables, while others are waiting months, sometimes years, for special school places.
Harriet has been offered a special school place but it is only for three hours a day.
“Where can I get a job that’s going to take me for less than three hours because I have to go pick her up again?” she asks.
‘Withholding more places from children’
Caroline Withers, trustee of charity Support Send Kids, says access to special educational needs provision is being “gate kept” by local authorities.
“Budgets have been cut,” she says, “and then local authorities have entered into agreements with central government about the funding deficit they hold, and as part of those funding packages they’ve agreed to withhold more places from children”.
She adds that “the adversarial nature and withholding of support” in the system is “at the core of any reform”.
Caroline Withers says access to special educational needs provision is being ‘gate kept’ by local authorities
‘Huge social and economic effects’
Hannah Peaker, director of policy and advocacy for the New Economics Foundation, says the number of parents leaving work, because of a lack of specialist provision, is detrimental to the economy.
“We’ve been in a period of economic stagnation”, she says “…so to not take advantage of one of the highest returning investments you can make [in early years education] where all the evidence suggests you would get that back and more for an investment that would have huge social and economic effects, including for the families involved, it just seems odd not to pursue that.”
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She also states that not investing in early years education, considering the benefits to future job prospects and the economy, would be an act of “self-harm”.
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A Department for Education spokesperson described a “system unable to cope with the level of need” following “years of increasing pressure”.
In a statement, they said: “We want every child to have the best start in life and to give flexibility to parents, which is why we’re rolling out more government-funded early years places, breakfast clubs in every primary school and wraparound childcare before and after primary school.
“We are also committed to putting inclusion and early intervention for children with SEND at the heart of the education system, and have already started that work by providing new online training to early educators to help them identify and support children with SEND.”
A teenage girl who was killed after getting out of a police car on the M5 in Somerset has been named.
Tamzin Hall, 17 and from Wellington, was hit by a vehicle that was travelling southbound between junction 24 for Bridgwater and junction 25 for Taunton shortly after 11pm on Monday.
She had exited a police vehicle that had stopped on the northbound side of the motorway while transporting her.
A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is now carrying out its own investigation into what happened.
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Avon and Somerset Police said: “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Tamzin’s family for their devastating loss.
“A specially-trained family liaison officer remains in contact with them to keep them updated and to provide support.
“The family have asked for privacy at this difficult time.”
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The police watchdog, the IOPC, has been asked to investigate.
In a statement, director David Ford, said: “This was a truly tragic incident and my thoughts are with Tamzin’s family and friends and everyone affected by the events of that evening.
“We are contacting her family to express our sympathies, explain our role, and set out how our investigation will progress. We will keep them fully updated as our investigation continues.”
Paramedics attended the motorway within minutes of the girl being hit but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The motorway was closed in both directions while investigations took place. It was fully reopened shortly after 11am on Tuesday, Nationals Highways said.
A survivors group advocating for women allegedly assaulted by Mohamed al Fayed has said it is “grateful another abuser has been unmasked”, after allegations his brother Salah also participated in the abuse.
Justice for Harrods Survivors says it has “credible evidence” suggesting the sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated at Harrods and the billionaire’s properties “was not limited to Mr al Fayed himself”.
The group’s statement comes after three women told BBC News they were sexually assaulted by al Fayed’s brother, Salah.
One woman said she was raped by Mohamed al Fayed while working at Harrods.
Helen, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she then took a job working for his brother as an escape. She alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted while working at Salah’s home on Park Lane, London.
Two other women have told the BBC they were taken to Monaco and the South of France, where Salah sexually abused them.
Mohamed al Fayed. Pic: AP
The Justice for Harrod Survivors representatives said: “We are proud to support the survivors of Salah Fayed’s abuse and are committed to achieving justice for them, no matter what it takes.”
The group added it “looks forward to the others on whom we have credible evidence – whether abusers themselves or enablers facilitating that abuse – being exposed in due course”.
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Salah was one of the three Fayed brothers who co-owned Harrods.
The business, which was sold to Qatar Holdings when Mohamed al Fayed retired in 2010, has said it “supports the bravery of these women in coming forward”.
A statement issued by the famous store on Thursday evening continued: “We encourage these survivors to come forward and make their claims to the Harrods scheme, where they can apply for compensation, as well as support from a counselling perspective and through an independent survivor advocate.
“We also hope that they are looking at every appropriate avenue to them in their pursuit of justice, whether that be Harrods, the police or the Fayed family and estate.”
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Bianca Gascoigne speaks about Al Fayed abuse
The Justice for Harrods Survivors group previously said more than 400 people had contacted them regarding accusations about Mohamed al Fayed, who died last year.
One of those alleged to have been abused is Bianca Gascoigne, the daughter of former England player Paul.
Speaking to Sky News in October, Gascoigne said she was groomed and sexually assaulted by al Fayed when she worked at Harrods as a teenager.
UK
Wes Streeting ‘crossed the line’ by opposing assisted dying in public, says Labour peer Harriet Harman
Wes Streeting “crossed the line” by opposing assisted dying in public and the argument shouldn’t “come down to resources”, a Labour peer has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harriet Harman criticised the health secretary for revealing how he is going to vote on the matter when it comes before parliament later this month.
MPs are being given a free vote, meaning they can side with their conscience and not party lines, so the government is supposed to be staying neutral.
But Mr Streeting has made clear he will vote against legalising assisted dying, citing concerns end-of-life care is not good enough for people to make an informed choice, and that some could feel pressured into the decision to save the NHS money.
He has also ordered a review into the potential costs of changing the law, warning it could come at the expense of other NHS services if implemented.
Baroness Harman said Mr Streeting has “crossed the line in two ways”.
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“He should not have said how he was going to vote, because that breaches neutrality and sends a signal,” she said.
“And secondly… he’s said the problem is that it will cost money to bring in an assisted dying measure, and therefore he will have to cut other services.
“But paradoxically, he also said it would be a slippery slope because people will be forced to bring about their own death in order to save the NHS money. Well, it can’t be doing both things.
“It can’t be both costing the NHS money and saving the NHS money.”
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Review into assisted dying costs
Baroness Harman said the argument “should not come down to resources” as it is a “huge moral issue” affecting “only a tiny number of people”.
She added that people should not mistake Mr Streeting for being “a kind of proxy for Keir Starmer”.
“The government is genuinely neutral and all of those backbenchers, they can vote whichever way they want,” she added.
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‘Fix care before assisted dying legislation’
Why assisted dying is controversial – and where it’s already legal
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed support for assisted dying, but it is not clear how he intends to vote on the issue or if he will make his decision public ahead of time.
The cabinet has varying views on the topic, with the likes of Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood siding with Mr Streeting in her opposition but Energy Secretary Ed Miliband being for it.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is said to support the bill. Pic: Reuters
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has concerns. Pic: Reuters
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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being championed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, who wants to give people with six months left to live the choice to end their lives.
Under her proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.
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Labour MP Kim Leadbeater discusses End of Life Bill
The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.
MPs will debate and vote on the legislation on 29 November, in what will be the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015, when the proposal was defeated.
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