The campaign is backed by a consortium made up of Mencap, Contact a Family, the Special Education Consortium and the Council for Disabled Children. It says that childcare for disabled children is neither affordable nor fit for the purpose.
Christine Lenehan, director of the Council for Disabled Children, said, 'The population of disabled children is changing and their needs are becoming more complex. Yet too many disabled children and their families are still missing out on essential services and support. Disabled children must no longer be seen as "tragic little victims", but as children with the same rights as anyone else.'
The report, Between a rock and a hard place, highlights the financial hardships and employment barriers facing parents of disabled children and calls on national and local government to create a targeted strategy to provide quality childcare.
Researchers surveyed 350 families with a disabled child and found that 90 per cent regarded the cost of childcare as a major deterrent to parents going out to work.
The consortium wants the Government to initiate a national disability childcare fund and appoint a disability childcare advisor in every local authority.
Mencap chief executive Jo Williams said, 'There are new childcare duties for local authorities, but they will mean nothing for disabled children unless they are resourced and local authorities start taking the needs of families with disabled children seriously.'
Treasury minister Ed Balls has introduced a Private Member's Bill calling for the creation of a minimum entitlement to short breaks for families with disabled children. The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign will highlight the parliamentary launch of the bill on 21 November.
Mr Balls said, 'Too many families with disabled children have to struggle on a daily basis to get the proper respite care they need, access to out-of-school activities and to combine work and caring for their child.'
The campaign aims to sign up 10,000 supporters by December. For details see www.edcm.org.uk.
