A new programme for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been approved by Warwickshire County Council this week.A shortfall in SEND funding is a n...
A new programme for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been approved by Warwickshire County Council this week.
A shortfall in SEND funding is a national issue facing all councils, while at the same time, the demand for SEND services continues to rise. The County Council has therefore approved a three year Programme to create a sustainable framework for SEND provision in Warwickshire.
The SEND and Inclusion Change Programme will ensure that the County Council delivers value for money within budget allocation and statutory duties, while ensuring that all our children and young people with SEND are supported to be the best they can be.
To deliver this vision, three priorities have been identified.
- Transformation: Implementing cultural change and new ways of working with schools, parents and carers, children, young people and partner agencies. The transformation is based on the recommendations of an external review which worked with a range of stakeholders to see how the system could work better to deliver the best outcomes for all children in Warwickshire.
Recovery and Sustainability: Redesigning the system to ensure all proposals are based on ‘invest to save’ principles, which will create a sustainable service that delivers results within allocated resources. Setting out clear, fair and transparent processes throughout our service redesign and contract management.
- Statutory duties: Ensuring all work is consistent with the SEND regulations and Code of Practice.
Cllr Colin Hayfield, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for education and learning, said:
“The new SEND and Inclusion Change Programme sets out our plans to meet the challenges ahead. In order to achieve the scale of change required, the programme will require some difficult choices to be made. However, we will work with schools, parents, carers, children, young people and partner agencies to meet the challenge in the best, fairest and most effective way possible.
“It is clear that the strain on authorities’ resources is not exclusive to Warwickshire and we will be writing to the Chancellor to appeal for more funding in this area to help us to achieve our vision.
“We want every child in Warwickshire with SEND to enjoy their childhood and have the best possible start in life. We want every young person with SEND to have the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need to lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives as part of their community. This strategy is a positive step towards us achieving that.”