Bexley Signs Up To Every Disabled Child Matters
The London Borough of Bexley has pledged its support to the national Every
Disabled Child Matters campaign.
The campaign, led by Mencap, Special Educational Consortium (SEC), Contact
a Family and the Council for Disabled Children (CDC), aims to challenge elected
representatives and policy-makers to make sure that disabled children and their
families get the services and support they need.
Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Chairman
of Bexley's Children's and Young People's Trust, Cllr
Teresa O'Neill, signed
up to the campaign at a meeting of the Trust's Board earlier this week (13
February).
"Together with our health and voluntary sector partners we are committed
to improving the life chances of all disabled children and young people in
Bexley," says Cllr O'Neill. "We are 100% behind the Every Disabled
Child Matters Campaign."
Chief Executive of Bexley SNAP, Carol McCall says; "EDCM is a national
campaign supported at the highest Government level, to ensure that disabled
children and their families are fully included in society and have the right
to the services and support they need.
"Both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department
of Health have recently identified disabled children as a key priority when
planning services. Bexley SNAP have been working in partnership with other
voluntary organisations to encourage Bexley Council to show their commitment
to improving services for disabled children by joining the 58 other local authorities
around the UK that have signed the EDCM charter.
"We are delighted that Bexley have signed the charter and look forward
to working closely with them to develop an action plan that will enable targets
contained within the charter to be met."
The campaign asks all local authorities and their partners to show that disabled
children and their families matter by addressing the needs of disabled children
in their strategic planning as well as providing a range of services.
For more information on services in Bexley for disabled children visit www.bexley.gov.uk/children
To find out more about Every Disabled Child Matters visit www.edcm.org.uk.
