Tories to cut disability red tape

Ivan Cameron (l) had cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy

Families of disabled children will get one-off assessments by "crack teams" of medical experts under plans by the Tories to cut red tape.

In a speech in London, David Cameron said the current system of assessing a disabled child's needs left families in "a world of bureaucratic pain".

The Tory leader's severely disabled son, Ivan, died in February aged six.

He said he and his wife Samantha had felt "confused" when learning of Ivan's disabilities and early help was vital.

Addressing the Research Autism conference, Mr Cameron said life for parents of disabled children was "complicated enough without having to jump through hundreds of government hoops".

Forms and queues

He said parents of disabled children currently faced answering the same questions repeatedly, writing out large numbers of forms and waiting in phone queues.

To end this "merry-go-round of assessment", the Tories are looking at ways of enabling doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and benefits assistants to visit families at the same time to offer complementary help.

"The orgy of assessment for social care means that one pound in every four that the state spends on children with disabilities goes on form-filling and commissioning and not the care," he said.

Early intervention is the way ahead Ruth Scott, Scope

A unified system of assessment and help would help families "clear that first hurdle quickly and efficiently and effectively give them a key to open one door to everything they need".

Ivan died after suffering with cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy.

Describing his feelings on learning of Ivan's disabilities, Mr Cameron said it felt like being on a journey which he never intended to take, without a clue as to which direction to go in.

He also reiterated plans to halt the closure of special schools and resolve what he said was the conflict of interest whereby local education authorities both decide who gets specialist education and pay for it.

The Tory leader also promised an increase in the number of health visitors and more resources to help voluntary organisations provide respite care.

Disability charity Scope welcomed plans for a single system of assessment saying it would make a "massive difference" to families of disabled children.

"We agree that cutting through red tape is essential," said Ruth Scott, its director of policy and campaigns.

"Early intervention, combined with a family-centred holistic approach based on what families and disabled young people want is, indeed, the way ahead."