New CRB checks "draconian and dangerous" say UKIP

News that parents who regularly drive children for sports or social clubs will have to be vetted or face fines of up to £5,000 were desribed as "draconian and dangerous" by UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom.

Mr Bloom spoke out against the proposals saying it was "unacceptable that the state can and want to control people to this extent."

"What this legislation is essentially doing is allowing the state to decide who is and who isn't a paedophile." he said.

"For years I've been involved with cricket and sports teams in Yorkshire and around the country without the people involved feeling the need for the police to check me out.

'If this government really do wish to 'safeguard children' they'd be better off looking up the word 'liberty' in the dictionary.

We must make life simpler for parents of disabled children

David Cameron has pledged to provide parents of disabled children with support, trust and respect” and make the assessment process for them as pain-free and simple as possible.

In Austria, all the relevant specialists work together by coming into the home on the same day to make an assessment of the disabled child and give the family the support they need.

David stressed, in a speech to the Research Autism National Conference, “For the sake of these families’ sanity we are looking at the evidence and considering doing something similar in the UK, pulling professionals like doctors, paediatric nurses, physiotherapists and benefits specialists together in one team to act as a one-stop-shop for assessment and advice.”

In an article in het Independent, David earlier explained that, as a parent of a disabled child, he learned “five big lessons” that have had a direct impact on what he wants to do in government for those with disabilities and their families:

• The importance of early intervention and help - which is why a Conservative Government will increase the number of health visitors
• Life is difficult enough for parents with disabled children without making them jump through hundreds of government hoops
• It must be easier for parents to get the right education for children
• Like all other carers, parents need a break
• More power and control should be put right into the hands of parents, carers or those with disabilities, through, for example, personal budgets and direct payments

David underlined the importance of supporting parents of disabled children, stressing:

“Just consider what it would mean if the army of parents and carers in this country gave up, packed up, said they couldn't cope any more. The financial cost of looking after those children would be immense – and the emotional cost doesn't bear thinking about.”

Parents set to have more say on schools

Parents will be given more say in the way their children’s schools are run under Government proposals.

The Prime Minister has outlined plans for all schools to report online to parents by 2012 and for local authorities to be required to act if there is widespread parental dissatisfaction with schooling in the area.

He added that schools and teaching staff need to be give more freedom - a plan which will be explained further in an upcoming White Paper.

Speaking at Prendergast School in south London, Gordon Brown said he believed reform of the education system is vital as education will be key to Britain’s future prosperity.

The PM said:

“If Britain is second in education and skills, we can never be first in business. And if we come second in business our young people will not have the opportunities and chances in life we wish for them.

“The countries that will succeed in this increasingly skilled global economy are those that are investing heavily - as we are - in education and training, developing support for the all important early years of a child’s life, and ensuring that more of their young people take up the opportunities that higher education offers.”

He rejected the idea of allowing a market to develop in education, arguing that it would not raise standards for all, and dismissed the idea of more central government control, which Mr Brown said would “stifle innovation”.

The Prime Minister also argued that the skills and talents of all children - regardless of their academic level - should be recognised.