Local authorities need more time to fully implement the special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms

Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children, has called for local authorities to be given more time to fully implement the new SEND changes:

‘It may be some weeks before all areas are properly delivering key elements of the SEND reforms, a number of which came into force at the beginning of the month’.

Some local authorities have still not published their ‘local offer’ on their website, a requirement of the new SEND reforms. The local offer is to be drawn up with families, giving details of all the support available to disabled children, young people and their families in the area. As well as publishing ‘local offers’, local authorities must offer mediation, advice and support services for families.

Laxmi Patel, Education solicitor at Boyes Turner comments:

‘Local authorities have a huge job on their hands. Changing thousands of Statements to Education, Health and Care plans over the next 3 ½ years is not going to be an easy task. And this is just one of the changes. However, despite the SEND Code of Practice and other supporting legislation only being agreed just before the start of the new school year, local authorities have known of the changes for many months. The government has given significant extra funding to local authorities to ensure that local authorities have the resources to implement the changes. We will not see some of the changes immediately. As the first assessments are carried out under the new regime we will start to see how smoothly the transition will be. We are all novices when it comes to the new outcomes focused process, the layout of the EHC plans, mediation and the personal budget’.