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We influence Government to help address the challenges faced by over 2 million children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their families.
Too often, we hear the same stories of lack of support in schools and services, and of unfair education and health systems that fail to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. Currently, their rights are not being realised, and their voices are often ignored. Our policy and influencing work exists to change that.
Our focus is on changing Government policies, local systems and the wider society so that all children and young people with SEND, from birth to 25, are able to play, learn, grow, and thrive – ensuring their voices and experiences guide national and local policy changes.
We work closely with Members of Parliament from all political parties, as well as Lords and civil servants, to help them understand the realities faced by children and young people with SEND, and their families. Our work is guided by the experiences and views of the young people and families we support, making sure decision-makers hear first-hand what life is really like – because real stories drive real change.
We work with civil servants across Government departments, highlighting the changes families want to see reflected in key policy documents, including the upcoming Schools White Paper.
Our goal is to ensure policies reflect real lives and lead to meaningful, lasting improvements for children and young people with SEND, and their families.
We influence Government by:
“It’s fantastic to be here at Kids Nursery in Basingstoke with the Education Minister, Olivia Bailey. We’ve had a fantastic visit meeting the carers and some of the children here. It was great to be able to show Olivia around this really flagship place we’ve got here in Basingstoke.”
– Luke Murphy, MP for Basingstoke
“It’s a wonderful place, wonderful children and wonderful staff. It’s been good to hear the staff’s views about what we do need to do as part of our reforms of the SEND system, which we know isn’t working as well as it should be for too many of our children, and to hear some of the fantastic practice that they use here. It’s also been great to see the difference that great quality education can give to our children.”
– Olivia Bailey, Minister for Early Education
Our core areas of work cover: SEND reform, early years, and the transition to adulthood.
Our three core asks to fix England’s SEND system are:
We know that early education has a positive and long-lasting impact on children’s attainment, progress and social development – particularly for children with SEND. But we also know that many children with SEND are locked out of early education and early years settings. We advocate for a SEND system that supports every child to play, learn, grow, and thrive through inclusive early education and family support. Our experience shows that when you get this right, it can be life-changing.
For too many young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the transition from childhood to adulthood feels like falling off a cliff edge. We’ve developed a set of principles – co-produced with young people with SEND, parents, and practitioners – that set out what good transition support should look like.
Our policy and influencing work is made possible thanks to donations from individuals. Your support helps us keep fighting for better services and brighter futures for children and young people with SEND.
We’re calling for urgent reform to a SEND system that is leaving too many families without the support they need. Through our All Voices at the Table campaign, we’re amplifying the voices of families to make sure no one is left out of the conversation.
The Fight for Ordinary campaign, co-produced with young people and their parents, carers, and families, is a powerful call to Government to fix the broken system that supports children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
We’ve teamed up with the Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) to call for urgent change to the way young people with a learning disability are supported as they move into adulthood.
We collaborate widely to amplify the voices of children and young people with SEND, directly advocating to MPs, advisers and service commissioners.
To effectively champion the voices of those we work with, we play an active role in national partnership, as part of:
If you would like to contact our policy team, please email policy@kids.org.uk
For any press or media enquiries, please email press@kids.org.uk
“Kids has given me a chance to not only speak about me, my experiences but also to represent the views of other young people with disabilities.
I have been involved in helping OFSTED and CQC redesign their inspection framework, helping Kids develop their future plans and strategy and speaking to the SEND All Party Parliamentary Group about my experiences during lockdown.
I use an eye gazer to communicate and this can be a barrier but Kids works with me to ensure my voice can be heard.”
Jimmy, young person
Kids welcomes the Government announcement to invest £200 million in SEND training for education professionals working with children of all ages.
7 inspiring young people with SEND came together for an interactive, youth-led workshop with education leaders.
Join our All Voices at the Table campaign to amplify families’ voices and push for urgent reform to the SEND system.
Help us end the cliff edge that many young people with a learning disability experience, Sign our open letter.
Abbie, Chair of Dynamite, shares her experience of the Collective Get Together.
Join the Fight for Ordinary campaign to fix the broken SEND system.
The DSC has launched a new programme to help 20,000+ disabled children and families access vital digital support.
Kids gives evidence at the Education Select Committee’s inquiry on the on the SEND crisis.
We hosted a breakfast briefing focused on urgent action to support disabled young people transitioning into adulthood.
Young people with SEND attended the MP SEND Toolkit launch, sharing their experiences with MPs.
We’ve summarised how some of the autumn budget announcements might impact disabled children.
If every child matters, then money must be found to make the rights of disabled children a reality.
