Over the last 6 months, Warwickshire County Council has made significant strides in developing services and support for children and young people with SEND.
This has included increasing investment to expand specialist resource provisions, ensuring more children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) receive support within their local communities; carrying out a comprehensive review of social care support for children with SEND; piloting a new pathway to support children and young people facing emotional challenges that hinder school attendance and developing four new programmes of work as part of the Delivering Better Values Programme.
Warwickshire County Council has also supported Young People from IMPACT, the county's SEND youth forum, to create a film "Wrong Size Fits All in collaboration with Coventry University. The film documents the personal journeys of young people, who wanted to show how small changes can make a big difference to support young people with SEND in mainstream schools. The film has garnered over 23,000 views in just two months - https://youtu.be/8VwhZyrX2bM?si=2ycRcWnBn4XWZ1PM
For those looking to move into employment but need extra support, the council has run a number of successful supported internship events which have given young people with SEND the opportunity to consider alternative post-education pathways and look at Supported Internships as a viable option.
Additionally, to help navigate new spaces Warwickshire County Council libraries have introduced an enhanced sensory offer, featuring social stories and floor plans to make visits more familiar for individuals with SEND.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education, expressed satisfaction with the progress, acknowledging ongoing efforts to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
“In the last five years, the council has spent over 39 million, in addition to the Government High Needs Block Grant to ensure as many young people as possible receive the support they need. We are also one of the 55 local authorities to receive over a million pounds in funding for the Delivering Better Value initiative. This funding will help increase the number of places in specialist resource provisions from 176 to 529 by 2028. The Council also plans to invest up to £25 million in capital over the next five years to develop these places.
“While progress has been recognised by the Department for Education and NHS England, we acknowledge there is more work to do until all families feel the impact of these changes. However, I am confident that with continued pace and investment in SEND, we will meet the growing demand and evolving needs of our community.”
Looking ahead, the council will continue the rollout of support for children and young people with multi-sensory impairments (MSI) through the dedicated MSI Service. This new service works directly with children, young people, and their families to ensure their needs are met and necessary adaptations are made for full participation in school life. Referrals to the service can be made via idsteachingandlearning@warwickshire.gov.uk.
For more information on SEND services, you can visit our Local Offer at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send or follow the Local Offer Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/WarksLocalOffer