Restore the Rights of Disabled People: Scrap the Easements Campaign

The Coronavirus Act 2020 debate begins on 28th September in the House of Commons. As part of our ongoing Coronavirus campaign, ALLFIE is working with Inclusion London, Disability Rights UK, Liberty and other organisations to push the government to restore Disabled people’s rights taken away by the Coronavirus Act, including easements to the Children and Families Act.

We have published a joint parliamentary briefing and urge you to email your MP to get rid of the easements once and for all!

This briefing provides details and covers:

• Coronavirus campaign news
• What ALLFIE is doing
• What we want you to do: call to action!

Find out more information about the campaign

Coronavirus campaign news

ALLFIE are pleased to report that  the Government has reinstated disabled children and young people’s entitlements, as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. This decision will help us to mount a strong case for the Government to make a permanent commitment to withdraw the Secretary of State’s power to suspend local authorities’ duties around education, health and care (EHC). It will help to secure education, health and care provision as set out in the child or young person’s EHC plans.

On 1^st September BBC Panorama’s “Fighting for an Education” programme exposed the deep levels of injustice in our education system experienced by disabled children during lockdown. The programme featured families with very distressed children and young people whose disturbed behaviour, including self-harm, was the result of local authorities’ failure to provide any form of provision that allowed continued engagement in education.

Although the Government has reinstated disabled students’ entitlements under the Children and Families Act, there is nothing to stop them from making changes again in the future. So the campaigning must continue.

We will be using the Coronavirus Act 2020 debate, which begins in the House of Commons on the 28th September 2020, to raise the severe detrimental impact that education, care and mental health easements has had for disabled students and their families. ALLFIE has joined forces with Inclusion London and Disability Rights UK to raise our concerns about the dire situation that millions of disabled people are facing as a result of weakening local authorities’ duties.

For more Coronavirus legislation and campaign news visit ALLFIE’s Coronavirus (Covid-19) Campaign homepage

What is ALLFIE doing?

We have written a joint parliamentary briefing, which will be used to lobby MPs and peers to secure a permanent commitment to remove the detrimental education, care and mental health legal easements.

What do we want you to do?

Please act now and email your MP to get rid of the easements once and for all!

1. Submit the form on this page – it will find your MP
2. Edit our template letter as much or as little as you want on the next page. If you have been affected by the pandemic, please add a paragraph about your experience. MPs need to hear directly from Disabled people
3. Send it and share this action on social media!