Help for Harlow Children with Special Needs

This morning in Parliament, I spoke on behalf of Harlow PACT and other local parents, who are fighting to get a good education for their children.

The video is above, but my full speech was:

Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con): I am pleased to speak in this debate under your chairmanship, Mr Brady. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Alun Cairns). He is a passionate Conservative, and he has demonstrated that today. I was astonished at the level of expertise he displayed, and I learned a lot from his speech.

As a candidate and now as a Member of Parliament, I have been very pleased to speak to Harlow parents whose children have special needs. I am a supporter of the Harlow Parents of Autistic Children Together, or PACT, and I have often met its chair, Sam Fancett, and vice-chair, Wendy Merry, and others. They are very IT friendly, and we usually speak via Blackberry messenger. I want to raise on their behalf some problems that are sometimes thought to be little things, but actually make a big difference.

First, parents believe that it would be helpful if more special schools could specialise-for example, in autism therapy-instead of being just an alternative to mainstream schools when children can no longer cope. If that is impossible, more mainstream schools could develop a specialised autism unit on site, or a unit could be shared between several schools. At present, I understand that, if a parent chooses a school that is more suited to their child's needs, but is outside their catchment area, they must provide their own transport, and sign a disclaimer saying that they will never request transport in future. We all know that funds are limited, but there should not be a postcode lottery in such cases. As the free school reforms come through, I urge the Government to look at home-to-school transport and access to expert special education.

Secondly, why are parents of children on the autistic spectrum, especially those with severe difficulties, unable to get a blue badge to park their car? Parents of those children struggle daily, sometimes in extremely difficult situations. They have told me that parking a car when a child is having a meltdown can be highly dangerous. The Government are cracking down on people who abuse blue badges, but will the Minister do what she can to nudge local authorities to make blue badges more available to those with autistic children or children with significant special needs? It is worth taking much stronger action against those who wrongly park in bays for disabled drivers, because that causes incredible difficulties for those with severe disabilities.

Thirdly, on special educational needs, there is a question about arbitrary limits. A constituent of mine, Jackie Stedman, has suffered a constant battle to get a good education for her two children. Again and again, she has run up against problems due to random limits on financial support, which are tied to age rather than to need, or to children's potential to learn. I accept, of course, the overall need to cut the deficit, and to be careful with our finances, but the sums involved are not significant in the context of the overall budget-in this case, that of Essex county council.

The context is that the council pays for home-to-school transport for Jackie's two children, who both travel in the same car to the same school, but the council is now saying that, according to the rules, it can pay for one child, and not the other, even though the car will have to make the journey anyway. The absurdity is extraordinary. That is unaffordable for the family, and it feels like a "Little Britain" sketch, when "the computer says no", just because one of her children is now 16.

I understand the need for local government to set criteria, but the rules sometimes seem arbitrary, and hurt decent families who simply want a good education for their children. A similar problem is seen with therapies offered by local primary care trusts. Sam Fancett gives the example that not all children are offered sensory integration therapy or auditory integration therapy. It depends on their PCT, but those therapies can transform children's lives, and drastically improve behaviour at an early age. She also queries why speech therapy seems to finish at the end of year 7. Again, that seems to be an arbitrary limit, which does not relate to children's needs or potential.

A potential casualty of the difficult economy was going to be a Thursday evening session of respite care in a Harlow community centre called Sam's Place. Thankfully, the council worked hard to rescue it, and I congratulate the leader of Harlow council, Andrew Johnson, Councillor Joel Charles and council officers on their hard work in achieving a solution. One of the lessons that came out of that was that most parents are happy to take on the responsibility of running services for their children, but we cannot ask them to take on legal liabilities, compliance duties and other red tape. Parents with children with special needs have enough to worry about without having to do all that. I know that the Government are looking at such matters in the context of the big society reviews, and I would be grateful if the issue could be specifically considered.

As I have suggested, the solution must involve the big society. At the moment, if someone with an autistic child wants to talk to the local education authority or PCT, it is like trying to get through to a mobile phone company with instructions to press 1, press 2 and so on. Parents need a much more personal service. That may cost a lot of money, but a reduction in the number of appeals and complaints might save money in the long run. Essex county council has been moving towards that, but the results are patchy, and I urge it to use its back-office savings to hire more, dedicated, proper relationship managers-human beings-who would understand the issues and liaise directly with families such as those in the Harlow PACT.

Another problem is that the computer always seems to say no. Why should it say no to parents who are struggling against the odds? Decisions are arbitrary or tied to arbitrary age limits and catchment areas, which are largely random or created for bureaucratic convenience.

Alun Cairns: My hon. Friend is making some extremely important points about the arbitrary limits. My understanding is that the legislation does not provide for such arbitrary limits. We need to provide for the child, but local authorities use the system to prevent a child from gaining access. If a parent battles through the maze of the statementing process, they may win, but bearing in mind the delays to which I referred, very few, sadly, have the resources or the capacity to do that.

Robert Halfon: My hon. Friend is exactly right. My point is that given what parents must face, and their difficulties with special needs children, why should they have to battle? Mrs Jackie Stedman has spent years battling with the courts and relevant authorities to try to obtain proper treatment for her children. She has often been successful, but why should she have to go through that in the first place? To borrow a phrase, our public services need to speak "human", and that means looking at each individual case on its merits, and talking to the parents and children involved.

Mr Mark Williams: Perhaps I should have declared an interest earlier, Mr Brady, as a former teacher and still a member of the NASUWT. Does my hon. Friend agree that schools find themselves in the middle of a conundrum? Teachers may see the problem of children on the autistic spectrum or with dyslexia and make a diagnosis, but they are frustrated because the resources and support that parents rightly demand are also lacking for teachers. They want to get on with the job. They may have identified the problem and know the direction of travel, but LEAs are often lacking resources.

Robert Halfon: My hon. Friend is right. If the teacher is well placed to understand and diagnose the problem, the matter should be sorted out from there. However, they often have to wade through relentless bureaucracy. It does not matter which local authority is involved, it is always "rule this, regulation that." That is what makes lives difficult.

Parents are used to fighting to get a fair deal for their children, but we must not burden them with tons of forms, legal liabilities and compliance. We have to make it easier. I know that the Minister is looking into the matter, and I would be grateful if she reassured my constituents about the direction of Government policy.


by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Sunday Update

Well, you have seen what I have been up to in Parliament this week, so I thought I would give you a brief update as to my Harlow activities over the past few days.

Overseas Aid: Following my speech in the House of Commons on World Poverty, it was good to meet with local representatives from RESULTS (the overseas development charity group), to discuss supporting the disabled in the developing world.

Harlow College: I visited a catering course for special needs pupils. It was great to be in the kitchen, chatting to all the students. My only regret was not being able to be able to be there at lunchtime, when I could have tasted all the delicious burgers that everyone was making. I also gave out a second round of award certificates to students who had completed the B.A. Hons with journalism.

Essex Police: In Chelmsford I had an important meeting with the Chief Constable of Essex. I wanted to discuss a range of issues including police resources, high crime rates in Harlow, Special Constables and Government plans for elected police commissioners. It was a productive conversation.

Patient-line: An interview with Heart FM, also in Chelmsford to discuss and push forward my campaign against the high cost of patient lines.

PACT: Travelling back to Harlow, I was really pleased to meet with PACT, to talk about their plans to increase educational provision in Harlow. I hope to work with the parents to help on their ideas of setting up a local school for autistic children.

Berecroft: A meeting with the Berecroft Steering Group, to discuss implementation of the new roofs - to be built by Circle Anglia. There are some difficult issues here, although there is some progress. I will be contacting residents over the next few days to set out details.

Essex Council Transport Team: In my campaign for an extra junction on the M11, I met with a senior officer from Essex Council and Councillor Norman Hume - in advance of my Adjournment Debate on this subject later.

Michael Roberts Charitable Trust: Attended this remarkable charity's AGM and gave a speech. It was good to be at Harefield Church for the event, with so many of the charity's supporters, clients and volunteers.

Harlow Civic Service: This was the third year of a very special service, based on the theme of thanksgiving. I was pleased to have the chance to give an Address, alongside Council Leader Andrew Johnson, Chief Executive Malcolm Morley and Industrial Chaplain, Reverend Robert Findlay. I will post my address on a later blog.

Harlowbury School: This was really great fun. Vanda and I were invited to open their music festival in the school grounds. Surrounded by parents, children, picnics, barbecues, a beer tent, tea stands, and superb bands (all performing free of charge) , it was a superb way to spend an afternoon. I was so touched as I received a wonderful picture from some of the children, which will go proudly on my office wall in the House of Commons.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

General Election Day Twenty Eight: Schools and P.A.C.T.

In the recent election hustings debate (last Thursday), a main disagreement between myself and the Labour Candidate came over discussion over Conservative Education Policy.

As well as focusing on parental choice, improving standards and giving teachers greater discipline rights, a central plank is to allow parents and charities to set up their own schools. Money would follow parents and pupils, with more cash allocated to deprived areas. My opponents response to this was that no parent in Harlow would want to set up their own schools.

I disagreed heartily, arguing that this view was somewhat patronising. Harlow parents were different to no other parents around the country, and if given the chance would want to establish their own schools. My view was confirmed today by chance, when I met some parents of autistic children in Harlow.

These parents have set up a group called P.A.C.T (Parents of Autistic Children Together). They told me - without prompting - that they would be very keen to set up a school in Harlow for Autistic Children. It was good to meet these parents, and I would welcome the opportunity to assist them in their objectives. If a Conservative Government comes to pass on Thursday, their task will be made that much easier.

P.S. The New Schools Network is already helping parents and charitable organisations set up new schools. You can read more about them HERE.

P.P.S. The picture shows me at Downs School in the New Library at an earlier visit.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com