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A General Election is fast approaching and as Britain waits in anticipation to cast their votes on Thursday 4th July, charities across the UK are making their pleas to the government.
With the election in mind, we want to make our own plea to the government and align our support with other charities that share the same vision and values as Caudwell Children, to change the world so all disabled and autistic children have the choice, opportunity, dignity and the understanding they deserve.
Caudwell Children is proud to partner with newlife Charity, Children’s Alliance and Disabled Children’s partnership, united by our shared commitment to advocating for the needs of disabled and autistic children. We also show our unwavering support to the Buckland review. Our collaboration underlines a mutual dedication to ensuring that every child receives the support and resources they deserve. By aligning our values and joining our voices, we strengthen our collective government pleas for enhanced services and funding, striving together to create a brighter future for neurodivergent and disabled children across the UK.
Putting Children First
We believe that all children, young people and families should be represented by a Department at Cabinet Level.
In support of Children’s Alliances’ Campaign, a new Government Department for Children, Young People and Families is vital and policy that focuses on these areas, will have a long-term benefit in other aspects of life, by investing in communities and creating societies to help them thrive.
The department would be responsible for generating their own legislation and agenda, but would also carry out an audit role similar to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, ensuring Secretaries of State in other Departments have ensured their own policy proposals are sensitive to the needs of children, young people and families. You can read more about Children’s Alliance and their campaign by clicking here.
Often when talking to families who Caudwell Children have supported, they have voiced their stories of feeling alone and not being listened to, leading them to think society doesn’t care about their child’s welfare, but we care and we will continue to fight for better rights for disabled children.
In support of Disabled Children’s Partnership, we call upon the government to prioritise the needs of disabled and autistic children and their families, and to acknowledge that their welfare is just as important and that they are valued members of society. We want all parties to invest in early intervention and support so that all members of the family can enjoy their family life with access to education, leisure, work and building a career. We want the government to commit to making the system of support work better and to improve accountability. To read more about Disabled Children’s Partnership’s manifesto, please click here.
Reduce Waiting Times for Equipment and Autism Assessments
Children and young people living with a disability or autism face numerous barriers that can prevent them from reaching their full potential and Caudwell Children is committed to remove as many of those barriers as possible, but we can’t do this alone. The sad reality is 1.6 million disabled children in the UK are still being let down by the lack of access to essential mobility and specialist equipment, including wheelchairs, buggies, car seats and sensory items, and charities like us can only do so much without the necessary support we desperately need.
According to newlife’s report, only 2 in 5 families feel their disabled child has all the specialist equipment they need, waiting lists for assessments have grown over 60% in the last year and nearly half of local services cut their equipment spend in the last year.
In support of newlife and their plea, we call on the government to act now to accelerate equipment provision for disabled children and establish maximum wait time for assessments. For more information about newlife’s plea or to sign their petition, please click here.
Since 2007, Caudwell Children has witnessed a significant rise in the demand for autism assessments and support for children, which has now reached critical levels. To address this, Caudwell Children created an innovative autism pathway offering efficient, comprehensive multidisciplinary assessments, diagnosis, and immediate post-diagnostic support.
Launched in 2020, this pathway is currently provided at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre in Staffordshire. Our goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this unique model, offering alternative solutions to the NHS and other providers.
We are already collaborating with several NHS trusts to reduce waiting lists and expand services. We believe this alternative service model could alleviate the overwhelming demand on CAMHS and Autism Assessment services, leading to improved outcomes for millions of neurodivergent individuals.
Our plea to the government is to invest in solutions to reduce autism assessment waiting times by following the below actions:
1. Increased Funding and Resources: Allocate additional funding to expand our innovative autism pathway model, enabling us to reach more children and reduce waiting times across the country.
2. Public-Private Partnerships: Further partnerships between government agencies, the NHS, and private organisations like Caudwell Children to leverage existing resources and expertise in addressing the backlog.
3. Streamlined Processes: Implement streamlined referral and assessment processes to reduce delays and ensure that children receive timely evaluations and support.
4. Training and Development: Invest in training healthcare professionals to recognise and diagnose autism early, ensuring that assessments are conducted efficiently and accurately.
5. Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of early autism assessments and the availability of support services, encouraging families and health and education professionals to seek help promptly.
By implementing these measures, we believe that we can significantly reduce waiting times for autism assessments and provide better outcomes for thousands of neurodivergent children and their families.
Create Equal Employment opportunities
Caudwell Children are dedicated to help autistic young people into work they enjoy, with this in mind we developed our Shaping Futures programme for neurodivergent young people aged 16-25, which aims to improve their employability and life skills.
Currently in the UK only 3 in 10 autistic people of working age are in employment which means many employers are missing out on a variety of skillsets and different ways of thinking that autistic people have to offer.
Unfortunately, there are a wide range of potential barriers that autistic people have to face, from poor preparation by employers to unfair hiring practices, and career advisors are often poorly equipped to support them. Often when applying for jobs, many will mask their autistic traits as they feel being autistic will hinder their chances to succeed in securing a job role.
Even when securing work, many autistic people find maintaining long-term employment a challenge as they aren’t given the necessary support or reasonable adjustments they require. Only 35% of autistic employees are fully open about being autistic.
Caudwell Children supports the Buckland review of Autism Employment: Report and Recommendations because the report aligns with our mission and core values. The review looked for views from autistic people, employers, employer organisations, and specialist support groups, exploring how employers recruit, retain and help to develop autistic people in the workplace. To read more about the Buckland review, please click here.
We urge the government to address our plea, and call on them to put children first, as outlined above. By implementing our proposed measures – such as increased funding, streamlining processes and enhancing partnerships – we can drastically reduce autism assessment waiting times and provide comprehensive support for disabled and neurodivergent children. We are ready to work with the government to build a more effective and compassionate system so all disabled and autistic children have the means to unlock their true potential and the opportunity to thrive.