Image courtesy of Bessan Gower Gallagher
Image Caption, Bessan Gower Gallagher’s twins Brielle and Bowan need one-on-one care Article Information Author, Amy Thomas Role, BBC News
7 hours ago
Many children with disabilities or special learning needs are denied their right to an education, the report finds.
The Senedd’s Children, Young People and Education Committee found that the education system in Wales is not adequately supporting their needs.
One parent told BBC News they are facing a never-ending battle in childcare services and other areas to get help for their seven-year-old twins who have autism.
The Welsh Government said it was committed to breaking down barriers to enable all learners to achieve their full potential.
Image courtesy of Bessan Gower Gallagher
Image caption: Betzan says she feels discriminated against for having a child with special needs
Betzan Gower Gallagher’s seven-year-old twins, Brielle and Bowan, are both autistic and non-verbal and require one-on-one care tailored to their needs.
Gower Gallagher, from Trebanos in the Swansea Valley, said it was a “huge challenge” to ensure girls had access to education at an early age.
“For parents of children with disabilities, everything is a battle and everything about education is exhausting,” she said.
“We’re not on the same playing field as everyone else.
“Our girls needed one-on-one care and we really had to fight for that.
“We had to prove our kids had disabilities, which is ridiculous,” she added.
With the summer holidays approaching, Bessan said it’s difficult to get child care while she and her husband are both working.
She said: “I am from England. [where] There are clubs we can send children with special needs to, but there are none in the area.
“At the moment our childcare fees are £1,000 a week in the summer – we both work but it’s still astronomical.”
“Others can send their children to summer clubs which cost around £100 a week, which I think is a reasonable amount.
“Or even if it’s £50 a day, £1,000 a week is crazy.”
“I feel discriminated against,” Gower Gallagher added.
“Education and childcare are basic human rights, yet the needs of children with disabilities are constantly ignored and overlooked.”
The report said access to education for children with special needs was “uneven” across Wales and often dependent on hard-working families and individual teaching staff.
The charity is calling on the Welsh Government to act on the 31 recommendations made in the year-long investigation.
Recommendations include strengthening training for childcare workers and basing financial support decisions on children’s individual needs.
The committee also calls for changes in areas such as school funding, training for all school staff, new school building designs and changes to transportation to schools.
Image courtesy of Bessan Gower Gallagher
Image caption: Brielle and Bowan are both autistic and non-verbal
The committee’s chair, Senator Buffy Williams, said parents were “desperate for help.”
“Through this research we’ve been able to hear from parents who desperately wanted someone to listen to them, and many of those stories will stay with me forever,” she said.
“Given that, we are not doing our job if we don’t make the case as strongly as possible to the Welsh Government about what needs to change. That’s what we’ve set out in this report.”
“It is the structure that is letting them down, not the individual teachers and childcare staff who are doing their best despite it all.
“We cannot let our young people down. They only get one chance to get an education, and it should be the best chance they can get.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Children and young people with disabilities have a fundamental right to an education and we are committed to breaking down barriers to enable all learners to achieve their full potential.”
“We will be working across government and with the Disability Rights Taskforce to consider this work alongside the Senedd committee’s report and recommendations to ensure we are listening to families, disabled children and young people and ensuring their voices are heard.”