The Government has set out its vision for a single, national, special educational needs and disability (SEND) and alternative provision system that ‘sets clear standards’ for the support given to children.
The ‘SEND review: right support, right place, right time’ Green Paper proposes simplifying education, health and care plans; a new legal requirement for councils to introduce local inclusion plans; and a focus on ensuring mainstream education is more inclusive and better at identifying and supporting needs.
The Green paper is now subject to a public consultation, which closes on 1 July.
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Councils share the Government’s ambition of making sure every child with SEND gets the high-quality support that meets their needs.
“Despite the best of intentions, the current system is not working, and we are pleased government has set out reforms to address this.
“They will only succeed if parents and carers have confidence in the system.
“It is good to see measures to increase mainstream inclusion and ensure financial sustainability for councils.
“It is also positive that councils, as convenors of local SEND systems, will be able to bring education and health partners to the table where everyone is accountable for SEND provision.
“Having a collective responsibility will be crucial in delivering a system that works for children and their families.
“We will now be looking to work closely with Government, partners as well as parents and carers, to develop these proposals in further detail.
“These reforms will take time to be implemented and in the meantime we would urge Government to move quickly and work with councils to eliminate high needs deficits.”