Left Behind – Six Months On

Released on 19 April 2022, Left Behind: 6 months on is the latest research report from the Disabled Children’s Partnership into the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and wider inequalities in services, on disabled children and families. It’s released six months after our last survey of parent carers in the pandemic. 

 

Read the report 

 

Key findings: 

  • The report reveals that disabled children and their families’ lives continue to be disrupted by the pandemic, with delays and backlog to health, social care and education services now common place. Many disabled children are unable to regain the momentum lost during the pandemic. 
  • The impact of the pandemic has severely exacerbated challenges that families with disabled children already faced accessing support. 
  • This latest survey reveals that disabled children and their families continue to be severely isolated. Despite household mixing allowed during the Christmas period, almost half (49%) of disabled children and their siblings (46%) did not see a friend online or in person over the festive period. The proportion of parents socially isolated has increased over the last six months, with 7 in 10 parents socially isolated. 

 

Stark statistics revealed in the report include: 

  • A third of disabled children are experiencing more pain as their support is delayed or reduced.  
  • 2 in 3 disabled children have seen their emotional or mental health deteriorate due to not getting the right support.   
  • 3 in 4 parent carers have seen their emotional or mental health deteriorate because of not getting the right support.  
  • 4 in 10 disabled children have waited over a year for an operation.  
  • 43% of families with disabled children have waited over a year to get respite care they deserve.  
  • 3 in 5 parent carers have seen their relationships with friends and family suffer due to lack of support.  
  • Three quarters of parent carers have seen their emotional or mental health deteriorate because of not getting the right support.  
  • Half of siblings of disabled children are lonely because their family is not getting the right support.  
  • Nearly 70% of parent carers of disabled children have seen their physical health deteriorate because the right support wasn’t there. 

 

Read the report