Diabetes UK launches new care in school helpline

Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK has launched a new helpline to help ensure children with Type 1 diabetes get the support they need to make the most of their time at school.

The helpline has been launched as part of the charity’s Type 1 diabetes: Make the Grade campaign, which aims to make sure children with Type 1 diabetes are healthy and happy at school.

The helpline is supported by the charity’s National Charity Partnership with Tesco and will provide phone and email support to parents who are trying to get the care their child is entitled to at school.

The helpline follows a landmark new law, which means for the first time all schools in England are legally required to provide children with medical conditions such as Type 1 diabetes, asthma and epilepsy with the support they need at school.

Diabetes UK campaigned for this change in the law because while some schools were already doing a good job of supporting children with Type 1 diabetes there are too many examples of where children with the condition struggled to get the support that they need.

Difficulties they have encountered include teachers refusing to give them help with administering insulin or not allowing them to have a snack to treat dangerously high or low blood glucose levels. Crises in their condition can go unsupported and in the worst cases their health can be put at serious risk.

Some children also face discrimination in relation to school trips and extra-curricular activities, which means they are effectively excluded from leading a full and active school life.

As part of Type 1 diabetes: Make the Grade, Diabetes UK has also produced free advice packs for schools to help them implement the new law. Free information packs are also available for parents, which outline what care they should expect in schools.

To order free packs or contact the Care in School Helpline, call 0345 123 2399 or go to www.diabetes.org.uk/schools.