The School Years Developmental Journal is designed to help parents, young people, teachers and other practitioners record, celebrate and support learning and development. It also helps everyone to share information, supporting a key working approach. The Journal is particularly useful if a child or young person has an additional need or disability. 

The Journal follows on from the Early Years Developmental Journal and includes behaviours that most typically developing children and young people show during their time at school and beyond, i.e. from when they are aged five to 18 years and above. 

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Referring to the recent Working Families Survey, Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Contact a Family (UK) commented: 'We welcome this report which highlights families with disabled children continue to find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to childcare and work. Like everyone else, parent carers need paid employment for financial reasons; they also face significant extra costs associated with caring for a disabled child. Many juggle complex care arrangements, family life and jobs against the odds.

'However, too often parent carers are forced out of the labour market due to higher childcare costs or unsuitable provision because their child has a disability or medical condition. This leaves already financially disadvantaged families struggling on low income, increasingly accused of being benefits scroungers. 

'The Government's flagship Universal Credit is designed to make work pay. However it doesn't yet make allowances for the higher childcare costs facing many families with disabled children compared to other families.  The Working Families report comes on the back of the Supporting Working Carers Report from Government and businesses that argues for more support to help carers juggle work and care, and to give the economy a much-needed boost. 

'The childcare trap is putting unnecessary additional barriers on families with disabled children wanting and needing to work. Contact a Family would therefore welcome recognition of the higher costs of childcare for disabled children when Universal Credit is introduced.  This would make sense for families with disabled children, the economy and the tax payer.'

Greater Expectations examines 12 key indicators to determine whether children in England are still experiencing inequality and disadvantage. This new report shows that far from improving over time, the situation today appears to be no better than it was nearly five decades ago. 

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