Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, joined actor and Sense Ambassador Rebecca Front along with deafblind children and their parents at an event in Parliament calling for vital support for children who are deafblind.
The special event in Parliament was organised by national deafblind charity Sense on 12th November to highlight that nine out of 10 deafblind children are left without any hope of the professional support they vitally need. This is because only 10% of deafblind children have been identified by local authorities, according to new research by the charity *.
Sense’s event was also attended by Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP.
Sense and Rebecca Front, who is famed for her BAFTA winning role as Nicola Murray MP, the Leader of the Opposition on the TV programme The Thick of It, are calling on Ed Timpson and the Government to make the case for deafblind children. They are asking the government to ensure they get the support they need in the form of a unique professional called an ‘intervenor’. This is a highly-trained professional who works one-to-one with a deafblind child to help them play, learn and develop communication while they are growing up.
Sense is a national charity that has supported and campaigned for children and adults who are deafblind for over 50 years. There are approximately 4,000 deafblind/multi-sensory impaired children in the UK.
Sense provides specialist information, advice and services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. We run services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and employ 2,000 people most of whom work in services directly with deafblind people. Our patron is HRH The Princess Royal. Further information can be found on Sense’s website - www.sense.org.uk