Disabled children are children first. They are people with their own lives to lead and ambitions to achieve.
At the heart of our work is a belief that the goal for young people and their families is to acquire full citizenship. What we mean by this is that they will be accepted as fully valued members of society and be accorded the access and respect that goes with that. We know from the past and from some scandals such as the Winterbourne View, that when we allow the wider world to see our children as anything but fully human that abuse and discrimination occurs.
How do we do this?
For us that means seeing the whole child in the context of their families. Seeing their journey through from birth to adulthood. Taking a whole child approach means arranging services around a child and their family, empowering them to achieve the outcomes that matter to them. Working with professionals across education, health and social care, we have been at the forefront of the movement to plan and deliver services which are shaped by the wishes of children and their families themselves.
Our special educational needs and disability programmes are primarily led by our specialist network, the Council for Disabled Children (CDC). For over 40 years CDC have been working with practitioners, influencing policy and giving a voice to children and parents across the country. Find out more about they work here.
National Children's Bureau
