Last night our CEO Catherine McLeod spoke to BBC News on behalf of Dingley’s Promise about staffing and recruitment in the early years. As a sector, recruitment and retainment is a huge issue, and the struggle to find and keep good staff is having a direct impact on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Families are being turned away from settings as they don’t have the staff to meet the child’s needs, contributing to the exclusion of children with disabilities and creating stress and anxiety for families with no support.
“Early intervention is absolutely vital; the earlier we can understand their needs and how we can support them, the better life outcomes they will have”
At Dingley’s Promise we recognise and appreciate the highly skilled nature of the early years workforce, however in the current climate there is a lack of funding for staff and the cost of early years settings across the country. The importance of early intervention needs to be recognised for the huge impact it can have for children with SEND; investment in the early years is life changing for children and their families. As part of the All Party Parliamentary Group, we are committed to speaking out on the challenges faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities, and will continue to push for positive change in the early years.
