Case Study - Disabled Children Matter Wales

Disabled Children Matter Wales is an umbrellachange the spending priorities of the government. Our
campaign led by four leading organisations workingjoint work included a mass lobby of Assembly
with disabled children and their families - LearningMembers and Ministers; maximising the value of the
Disability Wales; Children In Wales; Mencap Cymru; andmessage at strategic points during the Assembly's
Contact a Family Wales. The DCMW campaign is allbudget round; and, most particularly, working to ensure
about disabled children and young people comingthat a Statement of Opinion tabled in the Assembly
together, with their families and friends to make sureobtained the signatures of every single eligible Member
that the Welsh Assembly Government acts on itsin the Assembly. Working together we helped ensure
promises and makes disabled children and youngthat Lynne Neagle AM's Statement of Opinion, which
people a priority. It was founded in Wales in thecalling for significant resources to be allocated to
summer of 2007 and one of its first campaigns wasdisabled children in the Assembly budget, became one
to highlight that more needed to be done to supportof the first Statements of Opinion ever to achieve full
disabled children and their families.support from ALL backbench Assembly Members.
This was particularly clear after the report on theCoverage of the campaign was strong in both the
Children and Young People's National Servicewritten and broadcast media.
Framework (NSF) report, which showed that servicesAs a consequence of the Campaign, the Welsh
for disabled children were nowhere near the standardAssembly Government came together with the
desired. The NSF 06/07 Self Assessment Audit ToolNational Assembly and agreed to prioritise services for
Report shows that Disabled Children and Youngdisabled children in coming years. Jane Hutt. the
People are consistently the weakest area of serviceMinister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and
delivery across Wales.Skills issued a Written Statement on 6th December
In light of this report and other failures of policy delivery,2007 in response to the DCMW campaign and
the DCMW campaign has seven key objectives:pledged:
The right information at the right timeAn extra £1million for inclusive play in 08-09;
A real choice of quality education£1 million for early years materials;
The health services they need to lead an ordinary life£225,000 for 2 mobile changing places for use
Full access to play and leisure activitiesat large events and adaptation of 5 major venues
A real say in planning the services they receiveacross Wales;
Full access to community facilitiesA clear Ministerial lead for services for disabled children
Enough money to live onin Wales and their families, including a review of
Positif Politics began working with DCMW in AutumnGovernment structures in this aspect;
2007 in order to develop a strategy where theseA commitment to a clear strategy over the life of this
seven goals might be prioritised for governmentAssembly Government to improve the delivery and
response. A key aspect of the campaign wasco-ordination of services for disabled children and their
ensuring that services for disabled children werefamilies;
properly funded. In England, the UK GovernmentAn announcement of substantial additional funds for
strategy "Aiming High for Disabled Children: Betterservices for disabled children;
Support for Families" resulted in an additionalA guarantee of membership for Disabled Children
£21m being made available to the NationalMatters Wales campaign on a planning and
Assembly. However, the initial spending plans of theimplementation Task Group which began working
Welsh Assembly Government indicated that thisimmediately to prioritise areas for action and additional
money would not be spent on disabled children. Positifspending.
Politics and the Pollen Shop worked with DCMW to