My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to debate the important issue raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley. I recognise the tremendous job that parent carers of disabled children do and the challenges that it can bring. It is right that children’s legislation is the place to address this. I am pleased that the Minister for Children and Families will be meeting Paul Burstow to discuss this further.
We are confident that there is a strong framework of support in place to support parent carers of disabled children. Parent carers’ needs can be assessed as part of assessing the needs of children in need under the Children Act 1989. Local authorities can provide services to the family members of a child in need with a view to safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare.
As parents, and as adults caring for children, parent carers are in a very different position from adults caring for adults or young carers. We should be wary of simply replicating arrangements that are in place for those other carers without understanding the interrelationship with other legislation and the potential for unintended consequences. Unlike for young carers, where we have responded to specific concerns and substantial evidence, there is a lack of evidence for the need to change the type of support or the way in which it is provided for parent carers of disabled children. That is not to say that everything is perfect,
nor to underplay the challenges that parents of disabled children face, nor to claim that all parent carers receive the support that they need. However, it is not clear that specific changes to legislation are the answer.
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We are clear that any change to the Children Act 1989 to assess the needs of parent carers separately would change fundamentally the principles of the Act and risk the needs of the children becoming second to those of their parent. Recent serious case reviews for Daniel Pelka and Keanu Williams have shown starkly what can happen when the needs of parents are put ahead of those of the child. Our approach to legislation and statutory guidance is that the needs of the individual child are paramount. That support for parents is important to improve outcomes for the child. The Government have invested significantly in support for parent carers of disabled children. That includes committing over £800 million for local authorities to invest in short breaks for disabled children between April 2011 and March 2015 through un-ring-fenced grants backed by new duties introduced in 2011.
The reforms outlined in Part 3 of the Bill, along with wider reforms in education and health, will strengthen the current system further for children and young people with SEN, including those who are disabled, and will give much greater and more joined-up support to parent carers. We should also review the draft SEN code of practice to ensure that the existing legislation is clarified to make very clear the support that is available to parent carers. I have listened to noble Lords’ comments today and I will pass them on to my honourable friend the Minister for Children and Families prior to his meeting, so I urge the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, to withdraw her amendment.