Page 13 - SEN113 SEN Magazine July-August 2021-V3

Petition watch Petition watch Our readers are passionate about a wide range of issues. Here we will provide you with opportunities to support initiatives which are of importance to you. Petition Watch comprises a list of petitions relating to SEN which are currently active on the UK Parliament website with more than 100 signatures at the time of compilation. To add your name to any of these, go to the relevant page on the UK Parliament website (petition. parliament.uk). The petitions are not just symbolic. Any which reach 10,000 names will receive a response from HM Government. At 100,000 names, there is a chance that it will receive a debate in Parliament. We will continue to monitor and update this list in future issues, and of course report in more detail on any which meet either threshold. Continued on page 33 Increase funding to provide support and research into Tourettes Syndrome Tourettes affect 1 in 100 children, yet the support provided is minimal and very patchy across the UK, some areas have NO support. There’s only a handful of specialist Tourettes centres in the whole of the UK - we need more of these to provide care for EVERYONE! More research leads to more help! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/575370 More Funding For SEN Children To Access Appropriate School Provisions Changes need to be made so more funding is available for schools and local authorities to offer better provisions for SEN children, especially those who do not fit the criteria for special needs EMS/mainstream schools. So no other child falls through the system. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/584129 Increase funding for local authorities to assess and support Autistic children Government to increase funding for local authorities to provide improved assessment and support for autistic children. What is needed are social workers specialised in Children with disabilities and not safeguarding social workers. Two different assessments and this needs to be recognised. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585737 Ban Applied Behavioural Analysis for autistic people The Government should ban Applied Behavioural Analysis (sometimes referred to as “conversion therapy” for autistic people), and accept that being autistic is ok and autistic children shouldn’t be subject to “therapy” like this. Many autistic adults can attest to the horrors of ABA. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/578616 Fund improved neurodiversity diagnosis, identification and support in schools Currently few schools have specialist provision for neurodivergent students in public education. Diagnosis for the different types of neurodivergence is not an option for those who cannot afford to pay privately. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/565300 Introduce a statutory Mental Health Policy to all schools in England Introduce a specific policy for schools which follows the Mental Health Act 2017. This policy should promote inclusion and reasonable adjustments, with the aim to ensure pupils with significant mental health needs can access education regardless of their limitations. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/584017 Make it easier to become a deputy for a person with severe learning disabilities The Government should make it easier for people to become a deputy for a person with severe learning disabilities. This should include removing all fees for becoming and acting as a deputy, and making it possible to be appointed as a deputy without needing a court order or solicitor. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/563685 13 senmagazine.co.uk SEN113