The Government has today (Tuesday 29 March) unveiled their plan to level up opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
During a statement in the House of Commons, the Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, unveiled the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Green Paper.’
The MP for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford spoke during the debate, following a recent speech in a Westminster Hall debate on CAMHS, in where he gave an impassioned account of parents’ experiences with children’s mental health services.
Steve Brine said; “Not surprisingly there are some really excellent proposals here of real sustenance and I think they give people hope.”
“The Government recently announced and I’m pleased there are health Ministers on the bench, ‘my planned care’ site to keep patients up to date on their wait for NHS treatment.”
“Now, given many parents tell me they’re often told not to even ask about the wait that they face. Shouldn’t parity of esteem between physical and other conditions demand that the wait for CAMHS services is brought into that same place, not so that they can just see the national standard, so they can see exactly where their child stands and how long they’re going to have to wait.”
Steve Brine, had previously raised the issue of CAMHS during a prior debate on the Schools White Paper
Mr Zahawi, responding on behalf of the Government, said; “The commitment that the Secretary of State for Health has made in this green paper, towards the local inclusion dashboards and that transparency so parents can see locally, it’s all well and good having a sort of national view of this, but how does it affect me and my family and my child.
He continued; “I think the transparency will mean that reform of the system and CAMHS actually delivering to what parents and children need and that early identification is really important, while that long wait where actually, in many ways you’re adding cost to the system and actually disadvantaging that child in doing so.”
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