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The Children's Plan One Year On: �38m for children with SEN

12 December 2008

EDCM yesterday welcomed the announcement made by Children's Secretary Ed Balls that £38 million has been allocated to improving outcomes for children with special educational needs (SEN).

The announcement was made in The Children’s Plan One Year On: Progress Report, which explains what has been achieved in the 12 months since the government’s Children’s Plan was launched.

The Government has committed £31 million to support pilot programmes to improve outcomes for pupils with SEN. There will be a further £7 million for other measures including strengthening school leadership and improving online reporting for parents.

Brian Lamb, EDCM Board member, who is leading the independent Lamb Inquiry into improving parental confidence in the special educational needs system, said:

‘I am delighted that Ed Balls has moved swiftly to address some of the key concerns we've identified in early evidence to the Inquiry. The investment of £31 million in an SEN pilot will boost outcomes for children with SEN and will involve parents and children themselves. School leadership is critical to ensuring school is a welcoming place for children with SEN and I'm very pleased about the investment here as well.’

‘Ed Balls is taking very seriously the fact that we haven't got full compliance with the current SEN and disability requirements. Information is crucial part of this and I'm very pleased that Ed Balls has asked the Inquiry to undertake an investigation into the SEN information requirements on schools and local authorities. The Inquiry will review the requirements and set out ways we could make sure that parents get the information they need. This is an essential part of ensuring that the system works with parents to deliver the best outcomes for their children.’

The Progress Report highlights additional developments of particular relevance to disabled children and their families, including:

- Parent Panels - these Panels will provide direct advice to Ministers on a range of issues that affect parents in England and members will be representative of parents from all parts of England including parents of disabled children. The first meeting of the panel is expected to take place in early 2009.

- Children’s health - the report confirms the Child Health Strategy ‘Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures’ will be published shortly, which EDCM expects to confirm the level of funding available to PCTs for disabled children’s services.

- Children’s workforce - the report identifies disabled children as a particularly vulnerable group needing effective support from the children’s workforce. Their needs will be a priority for the new National Children and Young People’s Workforce Partnership as set out in the new 2020 Children and Young People’s Workforce Strategy.

- C4EO - C4EO is the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services. C4EO will identify and coordinate local, regional and national evidence of what works, to create a single and comprehensive picture of effective practice in delivering children’s services. The report confirms that disability will be a key theme for the Centre in its first three years.

Find out more about The Children’s Plan One Year On

Background - Lamb Inquiry
The Inquiry was commissioned by the Children's Secretary in March 2008 and is due to present its full report in September 2009. It is supported by a group of leading experts in the field. As part of the Inquiry, local authorities are carrying out a number of projects to improve different aspects of SEN provision and increase parental confidence. Further information and the interim findings can be found on the Lamb Inquiry website.

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