Patrick Lownds
45.6K posts
@PatrickLownds
Architect - working for HPE WW, focus on virtualization + Cloud. Microsoft MVP - CDM + Azure. Author x 5. Quins fan! England Rugby L2. My tweets are my own.
Parents and carers are concerned that reforms to the special educational needs system could strip their children of important rights. Change is desperately needed, but we must avoid trapping families in an endless doom-loop of disputes.
Study shows over half of those arrested in London may have undiagnosed ADHD & 1 in 20 may have undiagnosed autism. It prompts questions of how unmet needs contribute to patterns of criminalisation. This goes back to a lack of early ID & support in school bps.org.uk/research-diges…
Our local authority @lbrut faces crippling cuts in government funding over the next 3 years which will hurt our most vulnerable residents hard. I challenged ministers to take away the cliff edge in these cuts to funding so that vital local services can be protected.
This Times “speculation” had better be wrong—It would actively cause harm to children—there isn’t the expertise or infrastructure needed for this cruel plan. If it’s accurate, we will campaign against it vigorously. Which parent or school would back it? archive.is/KFcWB
Bleak example of a local council prioritising foster care over children’s homes to save money, not because it is the right option for children in care swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/25720418.…
No one should be getting rich off the backs of vulnerable children. I am calling for radical, thoughtful investment with integrity to stop the profiteers who have turned the vital care of young people into a gold rush 👇🏻 observer.co.uk/news/national/…
NEW POST: Teacher training firms don’t think they—or their trainees—have the skills to support mainstream pupils with complex SEND. The NASBTT’s Emma Hollis discusses how they aim to bridge the gap. specialneedsjungle.com/complex-send-t…
Nine in 10 councils across England are placing children in unregistered homes which can charge up to £30,000 a week per child. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
Six challenges facing adoption and fostering - and how to fix them - CYP Now #Echobox=1764133528" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">cypnow.co.uk/content/in-dep…
Supporting kids with Send is expensive. But the cost of not doing so is far greater | Carrie Grant | The Guardian - thanks to @theguardianfeed for giving me the opportunity to write about this important subject. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
@LubaMacpherson @emilydugan Social Work think they know every. Their court reports are largely fabricated to paint their picture. Court never challenges the veracity of these reports they’re taken as fact
@emilydugan This blame game is endemic across the UK. How many families have been destroyed by such cruel assumptions? I know it all too well. My own daughter was taken from me under false accusations, with years of harm caused by the system meant to protect her. The trauma never leaves.
@emilydugan Thanks for covering this. There is so much ignorance about ME in social services. Why are social workers not trained? I'm currently being ghosted by @CambsCC who are ignoring all my emails & leaving me without care for weeks. I wonder if they think I'm making it up too.
