Woking SEND child left without schooling for a year, MP says
The government has agreed to discuss the case of a child with special educational needs who has not been to school for a year.The case of the unnamed child with complex needs and severe mental health issues was raised in Commons by Woking MP Will Forster on Monday.The Liberal Democrat MP asked education minister Stephen Morgan: "The child's deteriorating mental health needs are not being met because they've not being given a school that fits their CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) assessment."Has the minister made an assessment of how their department might best avoid situations like these that leave children without the service they need?"
Morgan said the government would deliver on its commitment on mental health to make sure help reaches every child."I am very happy to meet with him [Forster] to discuss this specific case that he raises," Morgan added.In October 2024, figures showed more than 1,800 children in Surrey with additional educational needs were out of school for about a third of the last academic year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Blue Badge warning for temporary health condition
Anyone with a temporary health condition could be entitled to a Blue Badge, according to the Department for Transport People with a physical disability, long-term health condition affecting their ability to walk safely, or hidden illnesses such as dementia, autism or Parkinson's, may be eligible for a Blue Badge. This badge allows them to park closer to their destinations and offers free parking in disabled bays, along with other possible exemptions from parking restrictions. However, those suffering from temporary health conditions could also be entitled to parking concessions. This follows an appeal by Liberal Democrat MP, Will Forster, to the Department for Transport to assess the "potential merits of introducing a temporary Blue Badge scheme". In a written response on Thursday, Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood, said: 'The Blue Badge scheme is primarily about helping people with a long-term disability that affects their capacity to access the goods and services they need to use. Anyone may be entitled to a badge if they meet the eligibility criteria.' She further added: "The Department for Transport has previously issued local authorities with advice on how they could use existing powers to provide locally determined parking concessions within their areas. For example, some local authorities grant parking concessions to assist their elderly residents. The same powers could be used to help those with temporary disabilities.", reports the Daily Record. The full guide on 'people with severe temporary impairments: advice to local authorities' can be viewed on here. Currently, there are over 3.2 million Blue Badge holders in the UK, including 271,966 residing in Scotland. In many cases, individuals automatically qualify for the £20 parking permit. This includes those receiving the higher level of the mobility rate for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Child Disability Payment (CDP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Applications for a Blue Badge can be submitted online, but the guidance suggests that individuals with a mental condition should contact their local council directly. The guidance specifies: "If you have a mental condition that means you lack awareness about the danger of traffic, you cannot apply online. You should phone your local council's Blue Badge team for a paper application form." It also offers the advice that individuals who don't immediately qualify may need to undergo a mobility assessment and meet with a health professional. And whilst there's no fixed timescale for processing new or renewed Blue Badge applications, it typically takes about 12 weeks. Upon processing, delivery generally occurs within 10 working days. Local councils manage the Blue Badge application procedure and determine the fee; they can also inform you about how long processing might take. Do I qualify for a Blue Badge? You automatically qualify for a Blue Badge if you are aged 3 or over and at least one of the following applies: you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) you receive a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) because you can't walk more than 50 metres (a score of 8 points or more under the 'moving around' activity of the mobility component) you are registered blind (severely sight impaired) you receive a War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement you have received a lump sum benefit within tariff levels 1 to 8 of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation) Scheme and have been certified as having a permanent and substantial disability that causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking you receive the mobility component of PIP and have obtained 10 points specifically for descriptor E under the 'planning and following journeys' activity, on the grounds that you are unable to undertake any journey because it would cause you overwhelming psychological distress What you need to apply for a Blue Badge You will need to provide: proof of identity proof of address a recent head and shoulders digital photo your national insurance number (if you have one) contact details (phone number, email and postal address) To prove your identity, you can provide a copy of either: birth or adoption certificate passport driving licence marriage or civil partnership certificate divorce or dissolution certificate To prove your address, you can provide a copy of either: a recent council tax bill a recent letter from a government department such as Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) driving licence a recent letter from a school (if you are under 16) Where can I utilise my Blue Badge? Your Blue Badge permits you to park for free in certain restricted areas, including: At on-street parking meters In pay and display bays In disabled parking spaces On single and double yellow lines, provided there are no loading restrictions Using your badge outside the UK You can use your UK Blue Badge when travelling in some EU countries, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. This guidance provides a list of countries with links to pages that contain: information about parking for disabled people in the country disabled parking notices that you can print off and display with your Blue Badge Article continues below You do not have to do display a local parking notice, but it may help. You should note that: local parking rules may apply in different parts of a country some countries may have changed their rules since the pages we link to were published What happens if my blue badge is rejected? Your local council should inform you why you're not eligible. You can request them to reconsider their decision if you believe they haven't considered some crucial information.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Minister makes Stirling visit as improved CAMHS waiting times hailed
The health board had come under scrutiny for the amount of time children and young people were waiting for mental health support - but data shows an improvement in the last 18 months. Recent steps taken in Forth Valley to cut down on waiting times for children and young people seeking vital mental health support have been praised on a visit by a Scottish Government minister. Waiting times for the region's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services had been a previous area of crisis for local health chiefs, with ministers placing it into direct oversight over a number of concerns, including the state of the CAMHS offering. At that point in November 2022, more than 40 per cent of those still waiting for assessment by CAMHS had been doing so for more than a year. But following concerted efforts and a new plan to tackle the service's waiting times, the most recent figures for the first quarter of 2025 have revealed a major turnaround, with no patients now waiting more than the national standard of 18 weeks for support. The local data for the period between January and March this year also outlined that a whopping 99.1 per cent of those starting treatment in the last three months had only been waiting a maximum of 18 weeks to do so. On a visit to the Stirling Health and Care Village on Tuesday, the Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd met with families making use of the service, as well as staff and NHS Forth Valley's Allan Rennie and Helena Marshall. During the visit, Ms Todd said: 'We want all children and young people to be able to access appropriate mental health treatment as and when they need to, and this continued progress on waiting times is testament to the hard-working staff who care for those referred to these services. 'We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026 and this will no doubt have contributed to the improvements we are seeing but I am well aware there is still much to be done if this is to be sustained and consistent across Scotland. 'However, we are on the right path and the £123.5 million we have allocated to NHS Boards this year will mean the quality and delivery of all mental health services – including CAMHS - will continue to improve.' The turnaround in CAMHS provision has been linked to a 'radical new approach' made in Forth Valley - including the introduction of a Choice and Partnership (CAPA) approach aimed at increasing the range of treatment options available, maximising capacity and improve the management and monitoring of demand and capacity. Lesley Dunabie, Department Manager and Head of Nursing for NHS Forth Valley CAMHS, said: 'We are delighted that the changes introduced by local staff over the last 18 months have made such a positive impact to our waiting times and significantly improved the services and support available for children and young people with serious mental illness. 'We are committed to building on this by continuing to develop and improve local services for children and young people and working with a wide range of partners to help increase access to support in local schools and communities at an earlier stage.'
Spectator
4 days ago
- Spectator
Assisted suicide could destroy the hospice movement
The hospice movement is one of the great achievements of post-war Britain. Inspired by the doctor Cicely Saunders, who in effect founded the field of palliative care, it has united cutting-edge research with a profound understanding of suffering and how to relieve it. Britain's hundreds of hospices are Saunders's legacy. But can that legacy survive an assisted suicide law? 'It has the potential to destroy the sector in its entirety,' says Amy Proffitt, former president of the Association for Palliative Medicine (APM). If assisted suicide is integrated into palliative care, and hospices legally must facilitate it, then 'many of the medical profession would leave the sector entirely', Proffitt adds. Dr Dominic Whitehouse, a consultant at a Sussex hospice speaking in a personal capacity, tells me the bill would be 'the death knell' for hospices. Under Kim Leadbeater's bill, which faces a decisive Commons vote this month, doctors can decline involvement. But hospices and care homes cannot opt out. That has major implications. 'Hospices are generally quite small places,' says a consultant at one London hospice. 'It's not something you can just have in a corner.' A doctor at a Yorkshire hospice adds: 'If you are the only consultant in the hospice for a week, you will be present and you have a duty of care.' 'This could be the end of hospice care as we know it,' a consultant at a Welsh hospice says. 'I would resign before being involved. Many others feel similarly.' A consultant at a different hospice in Wales told me: 'I can think of multiple staff who would leave… Senior medics wouldn't want to be involved.' Speaking to staff across 17 adult hospices – one-tenth of the total in England and Wales – I repeatedly heard similar sentiments.
