Effect of the covid-19 outbreak on disabled children and families

That this House is deeply alarmed at the disproportionate effect of the covid-19 pandemic on disabled children, young people and their families; notes the concerning statistics from the Disabled Children’s Partnerships’ The Longest Lockdown report, which found that 70 per cent of disabled children could not access, or experienced delays in receiving, life-changing therapies and routine health appointments that they had before the pandemic; is concerned that the same report found that half of disabled children have seen their conditions worsen during the pandemic; further notes the mental health impacts of the pandemic on disabled children and their families, shown through that report which found that 90 per cent of disabled children are severally socially isolated and that almost nine out of 10 parents reported some level of anxiety and almost half had probable depression; welcomes the call from the Disabled Children’s Partnership for a holistic, cross-departmental covid-19 recovery plan that provides support for burnt-out families suffering from poor mental health and social isolation, and makes up for the absence of therapies which has impacted on their physical development and opportunities to develop vital life skills; and calls on the Government to enact that plan.