Labour Makerfield by-election candidate Burnham meets SEND mums and pledges to help those failed by the system
Labour by-election candidate Andy Burnham has met SEND mums in Makerfield to hear from families about the pressures they face getting the right support for their children.
The roundtable, held at the Church of the Good Shepherd Family of Hope Church in Bamfurlong, brought together local mums of children with special educational needs and disabilities to discuss the barriers they face, including long waits for support, pressure on schools, difficulties accessing EHCPs, and families feeling they have to battle the system alone.
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham said he had used his platform to push for a more inclusive approach for children and young people, including backing reform based on the principle that nothing should be taken away from families.
He said he also supported work through Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit, Mission44 and the Centre for Young Lives to tackle school exclusions and move away from blanket behaviour policies that can disproportionately affect SEND pupils.
Supporters say he has also championed wider work on youth mental health, digital inclusion, disadvantaged pupils and direct representation for disabled people through the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Disabled People’s Panel.
Mr Burnham said: "Families told me today they are being pushed to breaking point by a system that simply does not work for children with complex needs.
"Parents are not asking for the world. They are asking for safe childcare, proper respite and support that works outside school hours.
"It cannot be right that the children with the greatest needs are too often left with the fewest options. But this is fixable, and we should be building a system that gives these families hope."