Hi everyone,
I am new on here, please be gentle!!!!
I have joined up to post on here because I need your help to change a system that is currently failing our children.
I am backing a petition I came across on the UK Parliament petitions page to fund autism & SEND-specific water safety and swimming lessons and make them a standard inclusion in EHCPs.
As many of you know, water safety is not just an extracurricular activity or a luxury for our kids — it is a literal life-saving necessity. Autistic children face a tragically higher risk of accidental drowning, often due to a lack of danger awareness or a tendency to elope toward water. We have all seen and read far too much in the media recently about these tragic incidents and it is a constant, terrifying worry for SEND families. Yet, standard swimming lessons are completely inaccessible to them (well, where I am based) and finding specialised, funded SEND lessons with trained instructors is an uphill, often unaffordable battle for families.
>> We need 10,000 signatures for a Government response.
>> We need 100,000 signatures to force a debate on this in Parliament.
If we reach this goal, the Government will be forced to look at this issue on a national scale. No child should be denied the right to be safe around water just because they have additional needs.
How you can help right now:
- Sign the petition: It takes less than a minute. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/782232#progress
- Fill in your details: Make sure to complete the short form on the official Government site.
- Check your email: You must click the verification link in the automated email you receive, or your signature won't count!
- Share it: Please share this link on your personal social media, in other SEND groups, or with school communities.
Let’s get this issue onto the national agenda and protect our children. Thank you so much for your time and support! 