This week saw the publication of a Government Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper which is essentially a list of proposals to improve the offering for children who need extra support to reach their potentials, as well as their families. It comes during World Autism Acceptance Week which involves a great variety of events and ideas to support and bring the autism community together as well as educating others about it.
As an MP I have tried to help a number of families get the right educational placement and setting for their children. It is so important that the paper immediately mentions as one of the key challenges:
“Navigating the SEND and alternative provision system is a frustrating experience for too many children, young people and their families.”
This is what I see with so many of the families who come to me for help. I don’t for a minute blame any of the professionals involved but for the parents it often feels that you have to fight for every step of support and progress for your child. The recognition of this feels like a really important step.
Plans include making getting an Education, Health and Care Plan in place for children who need them more straightforward and less of a battle for parents. Over the pandemic this process was harder than ever because of a lack of in-person contact between professionals and the children. There is a lot of catching up to do. Early intervention can make a big difference to these young people’s lives.
Throughout the last two years I have been lobbying the Government for better support for this to happen. Whilst I am still reviewing this week’s paper I am very pleased that it has been published and seems like a good starting point for doing better. The paper is available online but if you would like a copy please get in touch with my office and we will send you one.
There is now a consultation on the proposals which you can take part in online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-ap-green-paper-resp…
Again, if you would like to take part but cannot do so online please contact my office.
As Chair of the All Party Party Parliamentary Group on Education I am in the process of setting up a meeting of MPs and teaching professionals to respond to the consultation and hopefully help steer things in the right direction. The publication of the paper is really just the start of the process but I am certain that we can do more.
There are a great many other concerns in the world at the moment. I continue to fight for lower and simpler taxes. less bureaucratic defence procurement and quicker processing of asylum applications amongst a number of other issues.
I know though that for the families trying to get the best opportunities for their children who need some extra help that is the most important thing in the world and I hope that some will choose to share their experiences with the Government consultation or get in touch with me if I can help with that.