Help To Care for Disabled Children - Burstow

12.00.00am GMT Tue 21st Feb 2006

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow last week gave his support to a private member's Bill to ensure disabled children get an assessment of their needs and their carers get the help they require and are entitled to.

The Disabled Children's Assessment and Services Bill is designed to encourage parents and carers to ask for the assistance they need in caring for their children with health assessments, respite care, and additional services.

The Bill will also encourage Local Authorities to have more consideration on the best way to meet the needs of all their citizens.

Currently there are 770,000 children throughout the UK (7% of children) suffering from a physical or mental disability, and the number continues to rise.

Disabled children however, are not guaranteed the same services as their peers are under the National Health Service and Community Care Act of 1990.

Most children are currently cared for at home at very high costs to their family. On average it costs three times as much to raise a disabled child and thus 55% of disabled children and their families live in poverty.

Paul Burstow MP commented:

"Disabled children and young people face a multitude of barriers which make it difficult to achieve their full potential. Adequate healthcare should not be another one of these barriers. The government must right its previous wrongs and close the gap between the entitlements of services for our disabled citizens and their peers."

"The Disabled Children's Assessment and Services Bill is a necessary response to the growing number of disabled children and their families throughout the UK who struggle with physical and financial burdens everyday. I commend their courage and hard work and I promise to work with my colleagues in all parties to ease their burdens."

ENDS