Striving for an ordinary life: making disabled children a new priority

Area of Science:

• Child Health
• Social Policy
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Increasing survival rates of disabled infants present challenges to health, education, and social care services.
• Families with disabled children often face difficulties leading ordinary lives and report inadequate service provision.
• The Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaign was established in 2006 to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for rights and justice for every disabled child in the UK.
• To influence government policy and prioritize services for children with disabilities.
• To improve the lives of disabled children and their families by enhancing service provision.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a consortium campaign with four lead member organizations.
• Mobilization of public support with 28,000 supporters and over 300 parliamentary signatories.
• Lobbying and advocacy to influence government policy and resource allocation.

Main Results:

• EDCM successfully influenced government policy, making children with disabilities a political priority.
• The UK Government launched the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme, allocating over £430 million.
• A national target and a new legal duty on local authorities for disabled children's services were established.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress has been made in prioritizing and funding services for disabled children.
• Continued efforts are needed from local health, education, and social care services to support families.
• Further action is required to enable families with disabled children to lead ordinary lives.