TreeHouse at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference

MPs, Lords, parents and education professionals discussed the very topical issue of parent participation and personalisation during the Liberal Democrats Party Conference fringe event hosted by TreeHouse.

David Laws, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Lord Tim Clement-Jones were amongst those discussing how the Liberal Democrats could make things easier for families of children with Special Educational Needs such as autism. David Laws spoke about how the pupil premium policy might help to address some of the issues these families face, but was also clear that this policy would not be the only mechanism open to families to get the extra support they need.

Parent Gayna Simmonds also spoke about her first hand experience as a mother of two children on the autism spectrum. Her expertise in autism, education and local services development turned the meeting into a masterclass in how to work constructively to achieve better outcomes of children with autism.

Sasha Daly, Policy & Parliamentary Manager at TreeHouse, said: “At TreeHouse we believe that parents are experts in their children’s needs, especially when it comes to complex disabilities like autism. Involving parents in how services for children are designed and delivered leads to better and more personalised, responsive and cost effective services.

“The event showed that there is a real commitment from the Liberal Democrats to children with autism and other disabilities and we look forward to continued talks with the party to inform their policy development and commitments on education in the lead up to a general election.”

The Liberal Democrats party conference took place 20 – 23 September in Bournemouth.

TreeHouse would like to take this opportunity to thank its partner, CentreForum, for supporting this event.