Alison Bennett's Monday Mail - Foil It
Welcome to Monday Mail for 25 March 2024, as I share a few of the things that I have been doing and thinking about in the last week, including a visit to Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, politics at Haywards Heath College and the Anti-Spiking campaign.
The Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity
Thursday took me to the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity just north of Cuckfield. The charity supports young children with cerebral palsy and motor learning impairments. They offer speech and language therapy, hydrotherapy and conductive education, as well as providing support to sixty families from across East and West Sussex.
County Councillor Kirsty Lord and I met CEO Glenys Creese and Head of Fundraising Tracey Shaw. We talked about the process of adjusting when you realise that your baby or toddler has special needs, and the challenge that families then face accessing the right health and care support.
This was a timely conversation as I have had a couple of conversation over the last week or so with parents of older children who are experiencing or have experienced this same problem - namely that their child has special needs severe enough to require an education, health and care plan (EHCP), but that securing the assessment needed is an almighty battle against the system, often taking years. Then once the EHCP is in place, the education system is not able to meet that child’s needs
Haywards Heath College
I was also very happy to be invited to spend a lesson with the A level politics students at Haywards Heath College. I really enjoyed the time we spent together. So many thoughtful questions ranging from Europe, to housebuilding to running election campaigns.
We touched briefly on political philosophy and what the Liberal Democrats believe in. This infographic is a great place to start.
Foil It
Last week was ‘Anti-Spiking Intensification Week’ which I became aware of at Friday’s meeting of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel when we were given a strip of foil ‘stop tops’ which are designed to make it harder to spike someone’s drink.
Spiking is giving someone alcohol or drugs without them knowing or agreeing to it, and it is a crime. There is more information about it on this spiking factsheet.
The Home Secretary James Cleverly was in Sussex this week to raise awareness about spiking. With 561 spiking incidents reported nationally each month, spiking is no joking matter, so I am pleased that the Home Secretary is now treating this crime with the seriousness it deserves.
Best wishes,
Cllr Alison Bennett
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats
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