North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Groups on Autism, on Disability and on Deaf Issues, Mark Isherwood, has called for a Welsh Government Statement on Reform of the Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021, the ALN Code.
Mr Isherwood, who in May met with the ALN Reform Wales campaign to discuss the reasons behind their 15,160 signature petition to the Senedd/Welsh Parliament Petitions Committee calling for reform of the Welsh Government’s ALN Code, raised the matter in yesterday’s Business Statement.
He said:
“Responding here to the 8th May Debate on the Petition on this, the Cabinet Secretary for Education concluded: ‘we do hear too often that the families of children with ALN have to fight for the right support and education, and this must change’.
“I subsequently met with the ALN Reform Wales campaign.
“I call for a Statement answering their question: 'Where is the accountability on this coming from?' ”
The Trefnydd, Jane Hutt MS, said:
“The Cabinet Secretary for Education has heard your calls, in terms of looking at the ALN code and what it means and how it's being delivered. It is about implementation, which is what the Education Secretary is concerned with.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood said:
“In my meeting with the ALN Reform Wales campaign, they shared the information they have gathered and told me that the new system is just not working, that they have received countless stories of children missed or left behind by the new system, that they are inundated with requests for help, that children and parents are being blamed and punished, and that they are receiving ever more evidence of trauma coming from school because teachers and schools are not trained and supported – and asked ‘where is the accountability coming from?’ ”
“It’s vital that their question is answered and I will seek a further opportunity to raise this directly with the Cabinet Secretary for Education.”