News 2011

December 2011

Preparing for Adulthood programme launches website (19 Jan 2012)
Preparing for Adulthood is a new two year programme funded by the Department for Education as part of the delivery support for the SEND green paper.

Positive for Youth (20 December 2011)
The Government have published their statement on Positive for Youth: A new approach to cross-government policy for young people aged 13 to 19.

Government publishes new Strategy to Maximise the Participation of 16-24 Year Olds in Education, Training and Work (20 December 2011)
Building Engagement, Building Futures sets out how reforms to schools, vocational education, skills and...

New report: learning from the Transition Support Programme (9 December 2011)
The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) has published a report to summarise and reflect on...

Preparing for Adulthood good practice workshop (8 December 2011)
On Tuesday 7 December the Preparing for Adulthood programme held a good practice workshop to...

Fulfilling potential: Working together to empower disabled people (2 December 2011)
On 1 December 2011, the government announced a discussion with disabled people to...

November 2011

£1billion package to tackle youth unemployment (28 November 2011)
The Department for Work and Pensions has released a statement on a new £1billion package to tackle youth unemployment...

TIN Seminar - Disabled Young People & Employment (25 November 2011)
On Thursday 24 November we hosted a seminar entitled 'Disabled Young People and Employment'...

Take action on health reform! Email your MP (17 November 2011)
The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign wants you to join them in calling on the Government...

National Audit Office report on special education for young people aged 16-25 (16 November 2011)
A report published by the National Audit Office finds that course outcomes for young people aged 16-25...

New Transition Programme announced (9 November 2011)
The Department for Education has commissioned a two year programme called...

New look Council for Disabled Children website (9 November 2011)
Last week the Council for Disabled Children launched a new look website...

October 2011

SEND green paper pathfinders (27 October 2011)
The Department for Education has announced the appointment of 20 pathfinders...

Using the MCA Guide (21 October 2011)
Hft has created a written guide to using the Mental Capacity Act...

Finished at School campaign (19 October 2011)
Ambitious about Autism has launched a new campaign called Finished at School...

Specialist disability employment programmes – public consultation (10 October 2011)
The Department for Work and Pensions is holding a consultation on the recommendations...

September 2011

Research into proposed reforms for young people with SEN and disabilities (28 September 2011)
The National Foundation for Educational Research conducted 3 pieces of research on provision for...

Disabled children and young people missing out on vital advocacy services (27 September 2011)
Advocacy for disabled children and young people can lead to considerable improvements...

SEN and disabilities pathfinders programme (23 September 2011)
The SEN and disabilities pathfinder programme has been launched.

Caring for our future: shared ambitions for care and support (20 September 2011)
The Department of Health wants to hear your views on the future of care and support.

Scope Cymru access to work experience and internships survey (15 September 2011)
Scope Cymru has launched a survey of disabled people in Wales to research the barriers to work experience.

Work Capability Assessment – Year 2 call for evidence (13 September 2011)
As part of his second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment Professor Harrington has...

The 16-19 bursary scheme (13 September 2011)
The Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) has notified schools and colleges of the...

Invitation to join the SEC policy network (12 September 2011)
This is your opportunity to join SEC’s policy network and help shape Government policy on...

Westminster Hall Debate on Support for disabled young people (7 September 2011)
On Wednesday 7th September there was a Westminster Hall Debate on Support for disabled young people.

Lord Low review calling for evidence on personal mobility funding (5 September 2011)
The independent review looking at the personal mobility needs of people living in residential care...

August 2011

Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (23 August 2011)
Ofsted has released a survey evaluating the arrangements for transition from school and the provision in post-16 settings...

Disabled Children’s Access to Childcare (DCATCH): a qualitative evaluation (19 August 2011)
The Disabled Children’s Access to Childcare (DCATCH) pilot was a specific element of the...

Young Games Maker teams (19 August 2011)
There are more than 2,000 opportunities for 16-18 year olds to volunteer at the London 2012 Olympic...

July 2011

Hughes Report (27 July 2011)
The Hughes report, published last week, makes recommendations on how more young people can...

All things being equal? Equality and diversity in careers education, information, advice and guidance (19 July 2011)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a new report on careers education and guidance...

Action for Children Short break survey (13 July 2011)
Action for Children has developed a survey to better understand how children, young people and parents are...

Open Public Services White Paper (12 July 2011)
A new White Paper setting out how the Government will improve public services has been published...

Skill for disabled students (12 July 2011)
From today, Monday 11 July 2011, the Disability Alliance will be delivering some of the services previously...

June 2011

SEND Green Paper pathfinders
Following the publication of the Green Paper Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability, the Department for Education and the Department of Health are now seeking bids from prospective Green Paper pathfinders. At the same time the Departments are tendering separately for organisations to support the pathfinders and evaluate the programme.

The Council for Disabled Children (CDC), which hosts TIN, is particularly encouraged by the emphasis on the role of parents and the voluntary and community sector throughout the bid. CDC urges people to get involved locally and nationally.

More information about the pathfinders is available from the Department for Education website.
(30 June 2011)

One week left to respond to SEN D Green Paper proposals
On Thursday 30 June 2011 the consultation period on the SEN D Green Paper closes. This means there is only one week left to make sure our voices are heard. The Council for Disabled Children has published their response to the Green Paper and you can read it on the Council for Disabled Children's website. To download the Green Paper and to participate in the consultation visit the Department for Education website. TIN’s response will be available shortly from our SEN and Disability Green Paper page.
(23 June 2011)

16-19 Bursary Fund
In March the Government announced the new £180 million Bursary Fund to help 16- to 19-year-olds continue in full-time education, where they might otherwise struggle for financial reasons. This is made up of:

A £1200 bursary to help the most vulnerable young people including children in care, care leavers, those on income support and those in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance.
A discretionary fund, administered by schools and colleges, to help students facing financial difficulties stay on their course.

Schools and colleges are now being notified of their allocations and will then formulate plans for how they will administer it and also how they will let their students know about it. The Department for Education has produced a factsheet, leaflet and poster (to be available shortly) to help publicise the Bursary Fund. You can download these materials from the Department for Education website. Further information, including information on the transition arrangements for those who were on EMA, can also be found on the Directgov website.
(23 June 2011)

Travel Training - Good Practice Guide
The Department for Transport has published a new guide on Travel Training. The purpose of the guide is to provide guidance and to promote best practice to interested stakeholders and organisations in establishing or developing a travel training scheme, and to exchange information. Chapters include:

Setting up a Travel Training scheme
Managing a Travel Training scheme
Delivering a Travel Training scheme
Monitoring and evaluation
Benefits and costs of Travel Training schemes
Funding
Further information

To download a copy of the guide visit the Department for Transport website.
(20 June 2011)

New guidance on transition planning for disabled young people from BME communities
A new guide to help local areas provide the best support in transition planning for disabled young people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities has been published. The guide, entitled ARC guide for services – Supporting disabled young people from black and minority ethnic communities through the transition to adulthood, aims to provide information, highlight the differences (and often similarities) in planning for disabled young people from BME communities and share examples of good practice from across the country.

Download the ARC guide for services.
For other resources on transition visit the TIN resource library.
To see an example of good practice visit the Disability Equality website.
(10 June 2011)

Specialist disability employment support
The Department for Work and Pensions has published a new independent review of the Government’s specialist disability employment programmes. The review, entitled Getting in, staying in and getting on: Disability employment support fit for the future, was conducted by Liz Sayce, the Chief Executive of RADAR. To access the review visit the Department for Work and Pensions website.
(9 June 2011)

NHS Reforms - director of Council for Disabled Children on Guardian live blog
On Wednesday 1st June 2011 Christine Lenehan, director of the Council for Disabled Children, which hosts the Transition Information Network, took part in a live blog about the NHS reforms. To read the blog vist the Guardian website.
(6 June 2011)

Minister quizzed by young disabled people
The Minister for Disable People Maria Miller has been quizzed about the educational rights of young disabled people. As part of a campaign to ‘demystify the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People’ a group of young disabled people made a video explaining their own experiences of school and posed several questions to Maria Miller.

Group member Lucy, 19, from Leicester, described being excluded because of her disability. "I wanted to take French lessons at school but because the class was upstairs and the teacher refused to bring it downstairs, I was told to drop the subject," she said. "The school should have met my needs; I had a right to take French lessons."

Maria Miller said it was a privilege to speak to the young people and added: "We discussed a wide range of issues and I hope the interview will help stimulate further debate of these important issues." Visit the Whizz-Kidz website to watch the young people’s interview with Maria Miller.
(3 June 2011)

The higher education student finance package for 2012/12 onwards
Student finance for higher education is changing from September 2012. Of key importance is that students will not have to pay fees up front and there will be more generous living cost support available.

To help pupils, parents and the organisations advising them understand all the facts BIS have launched the ‘Future Students’ campaign. The resources available include:

• The campaign website www.direct.gov.uk/yourfuture, which hosts a wealth of information specifically designed for prospective students and their parents. There is also a campaign resources page which contains extra downloadable resources.
• www.bis.gov.uk/studentfinance with flyers outlining the new finance system in simple ways, as well as a regularly updated FAQs document.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the information available or if there are resources you would find useful please email stakeholder@bis.gsi.gov.uk.
(2 June 2011)

May 2011

SEN and Disability Green Paper news
TIN has created a news and information page on the SEN and Disability Green Paper. The page contains links to a number of briefings, surveys and organisations' web pages about the Green Paper. Visit the TIN SEN and Disability Green Paper page.
(24 May 2011)

The Way to Work: Young People Speak Out on Transitions to Employment
New research on young people and employment has been published by The Young Foundation. The Way to Work is a new report that draws on the voices of young people and the lessons learnt from innovative practice in educational settings around the UK.

The report looks at shifts in the labour market, the workplace and transitions to employment. It highlights the need for education and careers information, and advice and guidance that responds to the changing needs of young people and the economy.

The report includes a case study of The Markfield Project; a community centre promoting rights, independence, inclusion and choice for disabled people and their families. Several interesting points made in the report include:

Research conducted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that stereotyping relating to careers advice, subject choice and work experience impacts more significantly on distinct groups, including girls, the disabled, the working class and some ethnic minorities, and serves to limit young people’s options and aspirations at a young age.
Our consultations with young people with disabilities, and practitioners working with this group, revealed a similar pattern of lowered expectations and narrow horizons.
Our consultations also suggested that careers IAG should be more sensitive to, or better cater for, the specific needs of particular groups, such as unemployed graduates, young people with disabilities, or young people seeking asylum.

Download The Way to Work.
(23 May 2011)

‘You’re Welcome’ quality criteria will help health services become more young-people friendly
The Department for Health has published quality criteria to support all health services to be more young people friendly. Building on the Royal College of General Practitioners’ initiative Getting it Right for Teenagers in Your Practice the You’re Welcome quality criteria lay out principles that will help health services, both in the community and in hospitals, to ‘get it right’ and become young- people friendly. The criteria cover ten topic areas:

accessibility
publicity
confidentiality and consent
environment
staff training, skills, attitudes and values
joined-up working
young people’s involvement in monitoring and evaluation of patient experience
health issues for young people
sexual and reproductive health services
specialist and targeted child and adolescent mental health services
(23 May 2011)

Local authorities challenged to renew commitment to disabled children
The Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaign has today (17th May) called on local authorities to show they are committed to services for disabled children, despite budget cuts, by signing up to a new Disabled Children’s Charter. Following on from the success of EDCM’s Local Authority Charter, which nearly 100 councils signed up to, the new Charter reflects new policies and duties that affect local authority services for disabled children.

To read more about the new Charter visit the EDCM website.
(17 May 2011)

Government response to The Wolf Report
The Secretary of State for Education commissioned Professor Alison Wolf of King’s College London to carry out an independent review of vocational education. She was asked to consider how vocational education for 14- to 19-year-olds can be improved in order to promote successful progression into the labour market and into higher level education and training routes. She was also asked to provide practical recommendations to help inform future policy direction, taking into account current financial constraints.

The review has been informed by over 400 pieces of evidence from the public, a number of visits to colleges, academies and training providers, and interviews and discussion sessions with key partners in the sector.

The Government published its formal response to the Wolf Review on 12 May 2011.
Download Wolf Review of Vocational Education Government Response.
(16 May 2011)

Easy read version of the 'Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability' (SEND) Green Paper released
Easy read versions of the SEND Green Paper and response form are now available on the Department for Education website.
(11 May 2011)

April 2011

Department for Education publishes Green Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disability
In March 2011 The Department for Education published 'Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability' Green Paper. TIN welcomes this consultation on a new approach to special educational needs and disability. We are encouraged by the consolidation of the policy of planning for individual support up to the age of 25 and the proposed increased focus on the longer term aspirations of disabled young people including employment.

The four month consultation period (ending 30 June) will offer a range of organisations and individuals an opportunity to express their views and ensure that the detail of reforms can be well informed. We would encourage all TIN members to take this opportunity to explore ideas about how proposed reforms can give young people more choice and control and how the proposed education, health and care plans can help disabled young people and their families secure appropriate provision and attain better outcomes.

TIN is currently drafting a response to the Green Paper and has created a Green Paper information page. As soon as our response is complete it will go on our website. Also the TIN Spring Policy Briefing includes an overview of the key issues in the Green Paper for transition. TIN welcomes any thoughts and evidence you have that could be included in our response. Email to: TIN@ncb.org.uk.

The Green Paper is available from the Department for Education website.

The Special Educational Consortium and Every Disabled Child Matters have also published articles on the Green Paper.
(26 April 2011)

Consultation on School Funding Reform: Rationale and Principles
The Department for Education have launched a consultation on the rationale and principles for reforming school funding. The Government wants to move from the current funding system, based on an assessment of pupil needs, to a national funding formula. It is consulting on the right time to begin this transition and arrangements necessary to ensure the transition runs smoothly. They ask questions about how the different funding arrangements for specialist provision for young people pre-16 and post-16 can be aligned more effectively to provide a more consistent approach to support for children and young people with SEN or who are disabled from birth to 25. You can give your views on the Department for Education website. This consultation ends on Wednesday 25 May 2011.
(26 April 2011)

Contact a Family survey - How involved is your GP in your child’s healthcare?
Under new proposals to change the NHS, GPs in England will be given greater power and budgets to buy in health services for their local area. Contact a Family wants to find out how involved GPs are in the healthcare of disabled children and their families. We want to know if families with disabled children see specialists rather than their GP in the management of their child’s general health and the management of their condition. Or do GPs play an instrumental part in children’s healthcare as well as the care of the wider family? We are opening this survey to all families with disabled children in the UK, whose children are aged 0-19. We know that you lead very busy lives, but do please take the time to fill out this short survey – it will take no longer than 10 minutes, we promise! We will use the results of the survey for campaigning purposes to ensure families with disabled children are at the forefront of decision making in changes to healthcare. Here's a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5LYS99F The closing date for responses is: Wednesday 4th May.
(26 April 2011)

Radar's MP Disability Dialogue
After a break of one year, Radar will be running the MP Disability Dialogue once again. Radar believes that it is vital that MPs hear directly from disabled people about the issues that affect them. That is why from 12 May until the end of June Radar will be encouraging disabled people to meet with their MP and find out how their MP can help them.

The Dialogue provides an extra opportunity for disabled people to meet with their MP. The aim of this scheme is to:
encourage disabled constituents and local disability organisations to engage in the democratic process and feel more confident about meeting their MPs;
give MPs of all parties increased confidence to communicate with, and effectively represent, their constituents living with a disability or health condition.
(21 April 2011)

Shout About It! Case study: You Need to Know
As part of it's 'You Need To Know' campaign, to improve mental health services for children with autism, the National Autistic Society (NAS) has worked with a group of young people aged 13 - 19 to produce their own charter setting out what they think CAMHS should deliver for children and young people with autism. The group have also made a film - "Open your mind" - about their lives, and how they came together to write the charter.

The NAS is now asking commissioners in local authorities and health services to make the You Need To Know pledge to review their own local services in light of the charter and ensure that they are working for children with autism. Find out more and watch the young campaigners' film.

If you're involving disabled children and young people in decisions and issues that affect them, why not shout about it and feature as a case study in a future bulletin!
(21 April 2011)

New survey on the 'Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability' Green Paper
Support Mencap’s response to the Government consultation on the 'Support and Aspirations: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability' Green Paper. If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person with a learning disability, Mencap wants to hear about your experiences of SEN support and how the proposed changes may affect your lives. Your answers will help Mencap tell the Government how to improve support for children and young people with a learning disability and shape their future work.
(21 April 2011)

Employment prospects for young people with learning disabilities
An article on employment prospects for young people with learning difficulties has been published on guardian.co.uk. The article discusses the argument that young people with learning difficulties are often discouraged from seeking employment. It is noted just 6.4% of young people with learning disabilities are in paid employment. Issues identified as contributing to this low figure include the absence of adequate work experience placements at school among others. In addition to government statistics the article also draws on opinions gathered from a recent roundtable discussion which saw academics, family members and charity leaders share their ideas on how to solve these issues.
(13 April 2011)

March 2011

New Online Transition Resource - Transition Information Network Transition Resources Online
TINTRO is a source of information and resources for local areas working to improve their provision for disabled young people in transition to adulthood.
This resource has been created to 'house' the resources that were originally produced by the National Transition Support Team and partners, Child Health and Maternity Partnership (CHaMP) and National Strategies (NS), for the Transition Support Programme (TSP). The TSP (part of Aiming High for Disabled Children) is a 3-year government programme that aimed to raise the standards of provision for disabled young people in all local areas in England. The Transition Support Programme comes to an end on 31 March 2011. A wide range of tools, case studies and resources were produced to support local areas.The purpose of TINTRO is to continue to provide local areas access to these TSP resources, as well as ongoing access to new TIN resources.
(30 March 2011)

Participation of disabled children and young people in the development of services
NCB’s Research Centre, in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, Alliance for Inclusive Education and the Children’s Society is in the first year of a major 3-year project focusing on increasing and improving the participation of disabled children and young people in the development of services. As part of this work we are undertaking a consultation which will enable us to find out how young disabled people are currently involved in the planning and development of services in England, in both generic services for children and young people and specialist services for disabled children and young people.
The consultation is now open and we are inviting staff and managers working in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to take part in this consultation by completing a confidential online questionnaire about the participation of disabled children and young people in the development and delivery of their organisations, services or projects.

Responses from this consultation will also be used to identify potential ‘good practice’ case study sites for the next stage of our research, so if you have some exciting and innovative practice to share, be sure to let us know about it!

More information on the project and the online questionnaire can be found on the project website: http://www.ncb.org.uk/cdc/other_work/participation_research.aspx.
(11 March 2011)

Department for Education publishes Green Paper on Special Eductional Needs and Disability
In March 2011 The Department for Education published 'Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability' Green Paper. TIN welcomes this consultation on a new approach to special educational needs and disability. We are encouraged by the consolidation of the policy of planning for individual support up to the age of 25 and the proposed increased focus on the longer term aspirations of disabled young people including employment.

The four month consultation period (ending 30 June) will offer a range of organisations and individuals an opportunity to express their views and ensure that the detail of reforms can be well informed. We encourage all TIN members to take this opportunity to explore ideas about how proposed reforms can give young people more choice and control and how the proposed education, health and care plans can help disabled young people and their families secure appropriate provision and attain better outcomes.

The Green Paper is available from here.

The Special Educational Consortium and Every Disabled Child Matters have also published articles on the Green Paper.
(09 March 2011)

New guides - CAMHS to Adult Mental Health Services
Young Minds has published a set of guides on transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health services to Adult Mental Health services. There is a Young People's Guide to Transition, a Parent's Guide to Transition, as well as a range of resources for professionals, published by the National Mental Health Development Unit.
(3 March 2011)

February 2011

New All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Young Disabled People is launched
The new APPG was launched on 16 February and is being spearheaded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Trailblazers group of young campaigners, which is dedicated to tackling inequality and exclusion of disabled young people. The APPG will meet regularly to investigate issues ranging from transport to education, employment to leisure, and is Chaired by Paul Maynard MP.
(18 February 2011)

Inquiry into the implementation of the right of disabled people to independent living
The Joint Committee of Human Rights, chaired by Dr Hywel Francis MP, is conducting an inquiry into the implementation of the right to independent living for disabled people, as guaranteed by Article 19, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee invites interested persons and groups to submit evidence on this issue and would welcome written submissions by Friday 29th April 2011.
(17 February 2011)

New funding will help disabled people become MPs
Disabled people who want to become councillors or MPs will have access to a fund to help them overcome the barriers they face, under proposals published by the Government today. The fund is just one part of a planned £1 million package aimed at improving access to elected office for disabled people. Proposals also include the creation of new training and development opportunities and the introduction of a mentoring programme that will allow aspiring disabled politicians to learn from people who have already made it to the top.
(16 February 2011)

EDCM action on Disability Living Allowance
The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign is concerned about the Government's proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance. At the moment the Government is unclear how the changes will impact on disabled children but it may mean:

More frequent assessments
Changes so disabled children may have to wait six months to get DLA rather than three months
A proposal that may mean reduced DLA if you have a wheelchair or other aid or adaptation
A proposal that may reduce children's DLA if they get help at school or through another public institution
A proposal to remove mobility element of DLA from children living in residential schools and homes for more than 84 days a year
Reducing the care component of DLA to two rates from the current three - meaning those on low rate DLA may lose their support.

Take Action! Email your MP and the team collecting views on the Government's consultation highlighting your concerns.
(7 February 2011)

Mental Health Strategy published
No health without mental health: a cross-Government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages was published by the Department of Health on 2 February.

"This strategy sets out our ambition to mainstream mental health, and establish parity of esteem between services for people with mental and physical health problems. It shows how Government is working to improve the mental health and well being of the population, and get better outcomes for people with mental health problems."

Young people in transition to adulthood are included in the strategy:

3.38: "Services can improve transitions, including from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) into adult mental health services, or back to primary care, by:

planning for transition early, listening to young people and improving their self-efficacy;
providing appropriate and accessible information and advice so that young people can exercise choice effectively and participate in decisions about which adult and other services they receive; and
focusing on outcomes and improving joint commissioning, to promote flexible services based on developmental needs."
(3 February 2011)

January 2011

Education Bill published
The government's Education Bill has been published. A Bill to Make provision about education, childcare, apprenticeships and training; to make provision about schools and the school workforce, institutions within the further education sector and Academies; to abolish the General Teaching Council for England, the Training and Development Agency for Schools, the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, the Qualifications and Curriculum evelopment Agency and the Young People’s Learning Agency for England; to make provision about the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and the Chief Executive of Skills Funding; to make provision about student loans and fees; and for connected purposes. Click here to follow the progress of the Education Bill.
(27 January 2011)

Every Disabled Child Matters launch new campaign action on funding for disabled children's services
Following successful campaigning by EDCM supporters, the Government announced that they will be giving local authorities £800million over four years to fund short breaks for disabled children. However, this money is not ‘ring fenced’ – which means that it is just a guideline and local authorities don’t have to spend the full amount on short breaks. In reality, local authorities will only spend their allocation of this money on short breaks if they believe that there is a local need.

EDCM is calling on supporters to let their local authority know how important it is to invest in disabled children’s services in their area.

Click here to email your Local Authority to ask how much money they're allocating for disabled children's services in 2011/12.
(26 January 2011)

Funding Arrangements for 16-19 Education and Training
This document (published December 2010) has been prepared by the Young People’s Learning Agency as statutory guidance under the ASCL Act 2009 to describe how a simplified allocations and funding system for 16-19 (following the withdrawal of the National Commissioning Framework last summer) education and training will be put into practice for the 2011/12 academic year. It sets out the leadership role of local authorities, including their key statutory duty to secure suitable education and training for young people; and the role of autonomous schools, colleges and other providers of education and training working in partnership with each other and with local authorities to meet the needs of all young people. Click here to download the guidance.
(19 January 2011)

Ceop launches resources to help disabled children to stay safe online
Children with learning difficulties and deaf young people are being encouraged to stay safe online with a set of resources launched by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop). The organisation said it believes that children with additional needs can be particularly vulnerable to abuse, citing evidence that claims children with any type of disability are 3.4 times more likely to suffer some type of abuse compared to children without disabilities. To address the issue, Ceop, along with organisations including the NSPCC and the National Deaf Children’s Society, has developed two films and resources for teachers to help children with additional needs stay safe when using the internet.
(13 January 2011)

Charities launch 'Don't limit mobility' report
Twenty-seven organisations, including Mencap, Mind, RNIB and Leonard Cheshire have written to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, and Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, urging them to reverse the government's decision to cut a transport allowance for people with disabilities living in residential homes. The charities claim that without a mobility payment worth up to £50 a week for severely disabled people, children and adults will be virtually trapped in care homes for 24 hours a day. The payment also includes transport for young people in education and its withdrawal could stop parents sending their children to special needs residential schools and colleges. The mobility payment is part of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
The 27 organisations have launched a report called Don't Limit Mobility that looks at the impact of the removal of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance from adults and children living in state-funded residential care.
(12 January 2011)

New statutory guidance on autism: Implementing “Fulfilling and rewarding lives”
Statutory guidance for local authorities and NHS organisations to support implementation of the autism strategy. Includes a chapter on young people with autism in transition to adulthood. Published by the Department of Health, 17 December 2010. Download from the DH website.
(5 January 2011)

Ofsted Annual Report
The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2009/10 was published on 23 November 2010 and is available to download from the Ofsted website.
(5 January 2011)