The Government has set out its plans for SEN reforms in its recent formal response to the Green Paper consultation. Under the plans, parents are to be given new rights to buy help for children with special needs and families will be given legal powers to control budgets for youngsters who need support. The reforms aim to make it easier for parents to get their child help without being passed between agencies. The reforms will see education, health and social services forced by law to work together to provide support for children with SEN. There are also plans to replace SEN statements with a single birth to 25 years assessment.
The proposals were first laid out in a Green Paper in March last year, in response to criticism that the current system for SEN children is too complex and often leaves parents fighting for help. The report, ‘Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability – progress and next steps’ can be viewed in full at http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/sen/a0075339/sengreenpaper
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