- The number of children who have a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
who are accessing
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
has fallen by 1,117 over the past three years. - 87% of children with a learning disability have no social care support at all.
Dan Scorer, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the learning disability charity Mencap, said:
“We welcome the Department for Education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university. ’s report and review into the educational outcomes of children who are accessing social care. Worryingly, the report fails to address the number of children with a learning disability who are still not accessing social care despite the fact that ALL disabled children are children in need. We know from the latest government figures that the number of children who have a learning disability who are accessing social care has fallen by 1,117 over the past three years. This means that 87% of children with a learning disability have no social care support at all.
“The system is in crisis. Families are being left on their own to cope. Local Authorities can only afford to step in when family are in real crisis. This is putting children with a learning disability at risk and pushing families to breaking point. Despite the publication of this report falling at the start of national Learning Disability Week (17-23 June), the needs of too many children with a learning disability and their families are still being ignored. Mencap and the Disabled Children’s Partnership are urging the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work. to give back the £434 million of support owed to disabled children and their families and ensure that every child with a learning disability with eligible social care needs can get the support they have a right to.”
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange interviews, contact Mencap’s media team:
- email media@mencap.org.uk
- phone 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are 1.4 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk .
What is a learning disability?
A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life;
Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’;
People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.