To: Managers of Services for Children with Disabilities, DDCL and CSAs at GONE and FINE AAC Network

The attached summary reports [Panton, Liz] (I have removed these before forwarding this message because it made it too big to go through Yahoo! email list  - see link to download reports) and notes below will be of interest, and the link is given to the full reports.  For AAC Network members, I note the emphasis put by disabled children on being able to communicate

Regards, Lynn

Using the framework of the 'Every Child Matters' five outcomes for
children,
SPRU explored which outcomes disabled children and their parents wish to
achieve from service provision. The full research report is now
available.
The findings from this research were split into two, one summary
describes
the outcomes the disabled children desired and the other looks at the
parents' desired outcomes:

Children
It was found that although disabled children aspired to the same sort of
outcomes as non-disabled children, the level of achievement expected,
the
way they were prioritised and what the outcomes meant, differed
significantly. Some outcomes, e.g. physical and emotional well-being,
communication and safety, were seen as fundamental and needed to be
addressed before the others. Sometimes the goal was not progress but
maintenance of an existing situation. The conclusion of the research was
that there is a need to widen the definitions of key concepts within the
ECM
framework to take into account the views and capabilities of disabled
children.

Parents
The desired outcomes of parents focused on maintaining or enhancing
their
personal identity, their physical and emotional well-being and their
skill
and knowledge base. There was a need for a better balance between their
caring and parenting roles. Family-level outcomes were also desired:
including maintaining family life and ensuring the positive adjustment
of
siblings. Parents also wanted to feel confident about the services they
were
using and to know that professionals were working in partnership with
them.

The full research report and each of the Research Works summaries can be
downloaded from:

http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/pubs/cfreps.html

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Pitman

SPRU Information Officer

Publications Office

Social Policy Research Unit

University of York

Heslington

York

YO10 5DD

Email: spruinfo@...
tel: 01904 321979

Lynn Fletcher
Regional Facilitator for SEN and Inclusion
FINE Partnership
Government Office for the North East
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4WH

Tel 0191 202 3587
Mob 07909 906455
Fax 0191 202 3626
Website www.fine-partnership.org.uk

For further information about the Regional Partnerships please see www.teachernet.gov.uk/sen