Making rights a reality for children with additional support needs

This project will work with children with Additional Support Needs (ASN), their parents and professionals to identify what needs to change in order to boost children’s rights as intended by recent legislation.

New legislation guarantees that children with ASN have almost identical rights to their parents and young people.  These include the right: to request an assessment of ASN and a statutory plan; to receive advice and information; to use dispute resolution services including the Tribunal. However, our research suggests that children with ASN are only marginally involved in educational decision-making.  The danger is that these rights exist on paper but not in reality. This project will produce a range of resources to increase awareness of children’s rights so that these become a reality, rather than an aspiration.

This project will work with children with ASN, their parents and professionals to identify what needs to change in order to boost children’s rights as intended by recent legislation. Work with parents/carers and professionals to identify what they can do to support children’s rights in practice. In addition, we will produce materials in different formats (on-line and hard copy) to be used by different groups to promote children’s rights and evaluate the impact of these materials.

Funder

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Project

Research team

• Principal Investigator: Professor Sheila Riddell

• Research fellow: Dr Amanda Gillooly

• External partner: Sally Cavers (Manager of Enquire and CHANGE)

Knowledge exchange events

• Transforming children’s rights? Dilemmas, challenges and implementation (1 May 2019)

• Is the child’s and young person’s view shaping decisions on SEND/ASN provision in England and Scotland? (6 June 2019)

Related project

Autonomy, Rights and Children with Special Needs: A New Paradigm?