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Elizabeth Nuffield Educational Fund

Improving access and support for adult learners caring for disabled children or other family members

Wed, 8 February 2006

Dr Philippa Russell has been awarded £17,100 for a proposal to set up a demonstration pilot project to improve access to, and information about, care facilities for adult learners who are also caring for a disabled relative.

Background

The Government’s Childcare Bill, due for publication in November 2005, will place a legal duty on local authorities to ensure there is sufficient childcare in their area to meet the needs of working families and families with disabled children. There remains, however, a strong need for the Government to be persuaded to provide access to family care not just for employment purposes but also for learning or training. Publication of the 'Guide to support for adult learners caring for disabled children or other family members' (written by Dr Russell in 2004 with support from ENEF) has pointed up in particular the mismatch between the expectations raised by recent and forthcoming legislation, including the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 and the Childcare Bill, and the ability of local authorities to fulfil them.

Pilot project

The project’s main aims are to provide a model of good practice that can be replicated elsewhere, and to produce a practical guide for local authorities to assist them in implementing their new duties.

The project will build upon the initial development work around the production of the Guide for adult learners and will work with partner local authorities in two sites (with relevant local and national voluntary sector, carers’ and other organisations and interest groups) in order to:

• raise awareness of the duties set out in the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 and in forthcoming legislation (in particular the Childcare Bill 2005);

• raise awareness locally of the legislation and to develop a local plan for its delivery;

• raise the profile of adult learners with caring responsibilities within the local authorities’ wider duties with regard to the development of children’s centres and extended schools and accessible leisure services.

The pilot will liaise with local Children’s Information Services, Job Centre Plus and further and adult education providers in order to improve local childcare and family care options, and thus ensure that support for learning is seen as a service to be built into local planning arrangements around family support.

Outcomes

The local authorities will be assisted to produce accessibility strategies to improve progressively the range of options for disabled family members in accordance with their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. A practical guide will be produced for local authorities in conjunction with local partners in the site area on implementation of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, building upon existing positive practice.

See also:

A guide to support for adult learners caring for disabled children or other family members
Support for women students caring for adult dependants

Further information:

National Children's Bureau (NCB): promotes the interests of children and young people
Daycare Trust: information on all aspects of childcare
Contact-a-Family: supports families with disabled children
Carers Uk: supports carers
Directgov: Disabled people: links to information for disabled people and their carers
The Childcare Bill 2005: text of the Bill available on the Parliament UK website

Last Updated Thu, 1 June 2006