VODG Responds to the SEND Consultation
VODG has this week submitteed our response to the SEND consultation, Putting Children and Young People First, providing our feedback on proposals, informed by members of our Children and Young People's Special Interest Group and discussions as part of the Disabled Children's Partnership.
A copy of our response can be found here.
In our submission, we broadly welcome the direction of travel set out in the consultation and recognise the genuine ambition behind these reforms. Our response reflects the strong and consistent view of our members that ambition must be matched by investment, that the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector must be recognised as an essential partner in delivery, and that the legal protections underpinning the rights of children, young people and their families must not be weakened in the process.
We emphasise the importance of specialist provision and protecting choice and options for children, young people and families to esnure they are able to access the right support for them.
We also reflect feedback from VODG members on how best to support transitions for young people with SEND into post-16 provision and beyond, calling for
- planning to start earlier
- transitions to become a statutory responsibility with real conequences for failure
- the central role of employment and economic participation
- full inclusion of partners across post-16 provision and
- adequate resources for the whole system.
The consultation remains open until the 18th May. If you have any questions about our response or would like to discuss our work on issues relating to disabled children and young people's support, please do get in touch with our policy team.