Parents campaigning against a cut in funding for children with autism have handed in a 400 signature petition to the Welsh Assembly.
Caerphilly Autistic Spectrum Service (CASS) provides home support for families affected by autism, but this will cease in April when the Welsh Government cuts its funding.
Councillor Martyn James, who represents Ystrad Mynach, presented the petition, along with campaigners, to the National Assembly’s Petitions Committee last week.
He said: “As good as the the service is in the education system, families do need this support.
“The petition is to ringfence as much money as possible from education, health or social services, to make sure this service can continue. It should be there all the time.
“This is a service that’s been there for four years. This money should be there to support these families.”
The petition was presented by members of the ‘Parents Campaign for CASS’ group on the steps of the Senedd last week.
It reads: “We call upon the National Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to reinstate funding to enable the continuation of Caerphilly Autistic Spectrum Service home support, accessible by parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders. If this service is not reinstated it will have a fundamental effect on vulnerable children with autism throughout their formative and teenage years.”