Chance to have your say on impact of SEND reforms
Young people, families and practitioners across Telford and Wrekin are being asked to take part in a national pilot looking at the impact of the new special educational needs and disability reforms.
Children and young people, families and practitioners across Telford and Wrekin are being asked to take part in a national pilot looking at the impact of parts of the new special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms.
Telford & Wrekin Council is one of 74 councils in England selected for the programme, which applies to more than 1,100 children in the borough.
These reforms require health, education and social care to plan and work together to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
They will be part of work to measure the difference that the newly introduced Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and personal budgets have made to the lives of children and young people with SEND.
It will involve use of a new questionnaire that has been developed known as the Personal Outcomes Evaluation Tool (POET) to look at what’s whether new EHC plans have made a difference to children and young people’s lives.
POET will also be able to look at how many children and young people have personal budgets and their impact. Children and young people, parents/carers and practitioners who have experience of the EHC Plans are encouraged to take part to give their views and share their experiences.
The results from this will be used to help improve what happens locally. Telford & Wrekin Council will also have the opportunity to comment on the questionnaires themselves.
Councillor Paul Watling, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families, said: “The Children and Families Act
introduced the most wide-ranging reforms for children and young people with SEND for 30 years. The new EHC plans and the right to request a personal budget are a key part of these reforms.
“It is critical that councils and Clinical Commissioning Groups work directly with families and practitioners to learn what’s working and what’s not in their delivery so they can make improvements and ensure they are making a real difference to people’s lives.”
This is the third phase of the national pilot project. The first two phases showed positive results about the impact that EHC Plans and personal budgets were having.
Anyone wishing to find out more information about the SEND reforms, EHC plans and personal budgets can find out more information at: http://www.telford.gov.uk/send
