Have your say on proposed changes to the Home to School Transport Service for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire.
Families and professionals living or working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have just 4 weeks left to have their say on proposed changes to the Home to School Transport Service for children and young people aged 0-25.
A consultation to discuss plans to improve the way that families access specialist transport for travel to and from school or college is open until Sunday 26 February 2023.
The consultation has included both face to face and online events. If you missed the online broadcast, you can see it here. To find out more and to respond to the consultation visit ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/. An easy read version of the survey can be found here.
The consultation forms part of a wider programme of work being undertaken to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire.
The proposals have been developed in response to feedback collected from engagement sessions that took place between March and June 2022 with parents and carers, children and young people and transport providers. Responses highlighted a need for assessments to be carried out earlier in the year, so that parents and carers can better prepare their child or young person for the start of school. There was also a desire for the County Council to consider options that would help to build confidence and encourage more independence. These included increasing opportunities for young people to participate in Independent Travel Training and wherever possible providing them with a more sociable transport option, such as a bus rather than taxi.
Views are being invited on three proposals that aim to improve the way that the County Council support children and young people to travel to and from their educational setting:
- A simplified application process for parents and carers;
- A more consistent and transparent approach to determining transport options for children and young people who are eligible for home to school transport;
- Updates to the Home to School and College Transport Policy to make this clearer and easier to understand.
Cllr Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Transport and Highways, said
“We are committed to improving the lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Warwickshire. In order to do this, we need to ensure that the voices of our children and young people and their families are at the heart of helping us to shape our SEND Home to School Transport offer.
“Views on the proposals are welcome from residents across the county, but we would particularly welcome feedback from children and young people who travel to school or college using the service, their parents and the schools and colleges.
“There are just four weeks left now for families to have their say, so please visit ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/ and help shape the future of SEND transport across Warwickshire.”
Feedback from the consultation will inform the future application and assessment process for home to school transport for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire, and the Home to School and College Transport Policy.
If approved, the different elements would be introduced according to the timeframe below:
- New application process - in time for parents/carers applying for a school place for September 2024.
- New assessment framework to identify travel options for children and young people eligible for home to school transport – in use from May 2023 and used to identify transport options for children and young people starting school in September 2023.
- Updated Home to School Transport Policy – with affect from May 2023 onwards.
If you would like any further information, please email sendchange@warwickshire.gov.uk or call the Family Information Service Freephone number on 0800 408 1558 (Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm). For information on school transport visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sendtransport.