Mencap welcomes publication of draft SEND provisions as part of the Children and Families Bill

Tuesday 04 September 2012

Mencap has today welcomed the publication of the draft SEND clauses that will form part of the upcoming Children and Families Bill which is expected in the New Year.

Dan Scorer, Senior Campaigns and Policy Manager at Mencap, says:

Mencap welcomes the opportunity to examine these draft clauses before they are introduced into Parliament.

The emphasis on promoting integration across different agencies is particularly key, as we are aware of a number of instances in the current system where children with a learning disability and their families are experiencing a lack of coordination across their provision.

However, we are concerned that the single assessment process and Education, Health and Care Plan will only be available to children who need educational support. This could result in those children who have a primary need for health or social care missing out on valuable support.

We look forward to working with the government to find the best way to meet the needs of SEND pupils in both school and Further Education settings.

The draft clauses make provision to replace the current statementing process with a single assessment and Education, Health and Care Plan and place a duty on local authorities and the new clinical commissioning groups to ensure that services for disabled children and young people and those with SEN are planned and commissioned jointly. The draft clauses also outline a requirement on local areas to set out a ‘local offer’ of services available for parents and young people.

Read the draft clauses: www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm84/8438/8438.pdf

Read the written ministerial statement:www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/send/a00213564

- ENDS -

Notes to editors

For further information or for an interview with Dan Scorer, please contact Lisa Gilbert, PR Officer, on lisa.gilbert@mencap.org.ukor 020 7696 6950.

About Mencap

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability and their families and carers by fighting to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

www.mencap.org.uk

What is a learning disability?

A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.

People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complex information and interact with other people.

The level of support someone needs depends on individual factors, including the severity of their learning disability.