Disabled children's voices lie at the heart of this study. Children told us about what matters to them: being respected and listened to, being able to play and have friends, feeling safe and comfortable. And they told us how painful it was to be left out of ordinary activities that others take for granted because their needs could not be met.
This study began by listening to disabled children's experiences and those of their families, understanding that parents and carers, brothers and sisters each have their own perspectives and priorities. Over 240 disabled children and young people and their siblings, parents and carers spoke to us, across five areas. They had a broad range of needs, ages and backgrounds. And we worked in partnership with an advisory group of disabled children and young people throughout. The group challenged our thinking and shaped our tools for improvement.
Users' experiences and views set the agenda and priorities for our work with local services. Users are pushing for change. They know what works and what could be done better. And they have practical, realistic ideas about how their experiences of public services could improve. We took those views and ideas back to service providers, and explored managers' and practitioners' perspectives on what was working well, where improvement is needed, and the opportunities for, and barriers to, change.
Included in this report:
- services that meet people's needs
- inclusion in everyday life
- children grow and move on
- people make a difference
- time for change
- recommendations