Dec 31, 2019, Buckinghamshire Shopper: Local and national rise in families seeking council help for children with special needs https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18130357.local-national-rise-families-seeking-help-children-special-needs/ The number of families seeking help from their local council for children with special needs has surged nationwide and locally in the last year, but thousands are being denied assistance, an investigation has found. Figures obtained by the PA news agency show that the number of initial requests for a child to be assessed for an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has increased by more than 10% in the past year, leading to council leaders to warn that local authorities are in danger of failing to meet their statutory duties. Whilst councils are agreeing the majority of these assessments, the number of refusals has also shot up, a trend also found across councils in south London. The data, obtained via freedom of information requests to England's councils, show a 10.6% increase in initial requests for help between 2017/18 and 2018/19. Locally, Bromley saw a 30% increase in the number of initial requests, Merton had a 27% increase, and nearly all boroughs with data available saw the number of requests denied go up. …
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
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