I very much welcome the publication of the Empowering Families resource pack. I want to see every child in Scotland get the best possible start in life. Involving families in their childrens education is vital.

The Scottish Executive is committed to ensuring that schools in Scotland lead the drive to promote race equality and fairness for all.  Irecognise that minority ethnic families of disabled children often face additional barriers to securing access to education.  Understanding how education services work is an essential first step to be able to make informed decisions about their children's education.  Finding their way around what can seem a bewildering array ofeducation and other services is not always easy. We need to ensure they get help and support. 

Equally, local authorities and other agencies need to explain their services in terms that all families can understand.  They also need to ensure that services take account of differences of cultural origins, disabilities and additional support needs.

I am sure that this resource pack will be a valuable source of information and advice for families and professionals to ensure fair and equitable provision for all children who require support for learning.

CATHY JAMIESON
Ministerfor Education and Young People

Empowering Minority Ethnic Families Of Disabled Children

In developing this Project, MELDI has given particular attention to key legal and policy changes that have been introduced by the Scottish Executive and UK government. These include the following: 

The Human Rights Act 1998 which requires local authorities and organisations not to discriminate on any grounds such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with national minority, property, birth or other status (article 14). 

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 which outlaws race discrimination in all public authority functions; places a general duty on specified authorities to promote race equality; and gives powers to Government to impose specific duties on public bodies to promote race equality and to the Commission for Racial Equality to enforce those specific duties.

The Scottish Executives Race Equality Forum Report that concluded that: There are a number of fundamentals that must now be strengthened if Scotlands minority ethnic communities are to enjoy a fairer future. These are: an acknowledgement by all in Scottish society that institutional racism and racial harassment are issues which need to be addressed; a commitment from political and organisational leaders to tackle the root causes of racial discrimination and remove the conditions that allow racial harassment and racist behaviour to flourish; the development of structures, policies and practices to act positively against racism and overcome institutional barriers; and action to promote race equality, anti-racism and equality of opportunity for all communities. (Making it Real: A Race Equality Strategy for Scotland, p.7).

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 that establishes the responsibilities of service providers and parents. It sets out clear principles that govern how children should be involved in decisions affecting their welfare and how their needs should be met.

The SEN and Disability Rights Bill (2001) which extends the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) to nurseries, schools, further and higher education institutions. It imposes new duties on education providers not to discriminate against disabled pupils and prospective pupils in the provision of education and associated services in schools, and in respect of admissions and exclusions.

The Standards in Scotlands Schools etc (Scotland) Act (2000) which provides a right for all children to be provided with education by their local authority and introduces a presumption that this will be in a mainstream school. In fulfilling their duty to provide education, local authorities must secure that the education is directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential.

The Manual of Good Practice in Special Educational Needs (SOEID, 1999) provides guidance to all organisations concerned with the education of children and young people with special educational needs.

The Same as You, a Scottish review of services for people with learning disabilities, which recommends a major shift to person-centred and needs-led approaches that put the person at the heart of any decisions made. The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability has been established to lead national development of services. 

The Design Of The Project
All the above changes place children and families at the heart of policy formulation and provision of services. This drive towards social inclusion and race equality underpins the content and delivery of the FAMILY MATTERS: Working Together Project components, as follows:

The Empowering Minority Ethnic Families of Disabled Children Pack, hereafter referred to as the Empowering Families Pack;

The MELDI PROTOCOL for assuring race equality in developing services for minority ethnic families of disabled children;

The MELDI CHARTER for supporting minority ethnic families of disabled children

The Directory of Services forminority ethnic disabled children and families;

The Professional Training Pack for promoting professional practice in partnership working with minority ethnic families of disabled children;

The development of the National Network of Bilingual Key Workers to empower families and children.

The Role Of The Bilingual Key Worker
As an organisation, MELDI provides advocacy support to families and carers of disabled persons. Research has highlighted the principal institutional barriers encountered by minority ethnic families of disabled children. 

These experiences and knowledge have contributed to the development of the Empowering Families Pack and the model for the operation of the Bilingual Key Worker. MELDI is currently developing a national network of trained key workers and it is envisaged that local authorities or other providing agencies in Scotland will engage the services of the trained Bilingual Key Workers to:

inform families of their right to seek a statutory assessment and the implications of doing so.

provide appropriate support to gain an understanding of the childs disabilities and special educational needs and to make the right decisions about the best opportunities for the childs health, education and welfare.

support families to actively contribute to the assessment of their child educational and welfare needs and to understand the outcomes of the various reports about the childs progress.

check to see that they have received information from the local authority about their Children Services Plans and explain how they can access the range of specialist education and welfare services for disabled children.

ensure that they are fully included in the process of reaching important decisions, such as those at entry, assessment, placing, progress at school, transition between schools and moving on from school.

ensure that the family and their adolescent child are actively included in Future Needs Assessment and in decisions about post-school provision.