‘DIFFICULT choices’ lie ahead after a new programme for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been approved by Warwickshire County Council.
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. To meet this the county has approved a three year programme to create a sustainable framework for SEND provision in Warwickshire.
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.
Councillor Colin Hayfield, the authority’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.
