Projects

Opening Doors
BAAF's disability project

Our election manifesto

In comparison with non-disabled children, disabled children are more likely to:

• come from families living in poverty;
• to be marginalized by agencies and omitted from research;
• to become 'looked after';
• to be placed in residential care rather than foster care;
• to be abused (in the community and in care);

Disabled children in residential educational establishments are not afforded the protection of the 'looked after' reviewing system:

• they can become chronically isolated from their families
• there is often no proper scrutiny of the situation
• permanence outside the birth family is not explored
• they can remain in limbo with multiple carers and no real sense of family life

We need an incoming government to ensure:

• a commitment from all children's agencies to adopt an inclusive approach which views the care and protection of disabled children in the community and in educational and social services 'care' as the responsibility of all staff and not only specially designated 'children's disability' teams;
• the establishment of a review mechanism for disabled children in special residential schools as rigorous as the 'looked after' children's review system;
• that disabled children and their families (many of whom have more than one disabled child) are lifted out of poverty at an early date.

We need you to quiz your candidates on these issues - why not fax your MP?

Contact

Jennifer Cousins, Consultant
jennifer.cousins@baaf.org.uk

Margaret Richardson, Administrator margaret.richardson@baaf.org.uk
(Tuesday 9.00 - 4.00; Wednesday 9.00 - 1.00)

‘Opening Doors’ Disability Project,
BAAF Midlands
Dolphin House, 54 Coventry Road,
Birmingham B10 0RX
Tel: 0121 753 7791 / Fax: 0121 753 7799