The government have produced a guide describing how the new system that supports children and young people with SEN or disabilities, and parents, is intended to work.
The new system starts from 1 September 2014. But local authorities will need some time to move children and young people who were in the old system on to the new system. At the back of this guide, there is an Annex that explains what the rules are that local authorities will have to apply when changing to the new system.
This guide is written for parents and covers:
- What do SEN and disability mean?
- The principles of the system that supports children and young people with SEN or disabilities
- What the law is and what your rights are
- How the system should work
- What early years settings, schools, colleges and other educational providers must do, or should do, to support you and your child
- What your local authority and other services (such as health and social services)
- must do, or should do, to support you and your child
- What you can do if you disagree with, or want to challenge, decisions that are made by organisations providing support for your child
An Early Support App is also available (although we haven’t tried it out yet, so can’t comment on it’s ease of use) for parents and carers of children and young people with SEN or disabilities to store, share, and organise information about their child and the support and services they receive. It enables families to choose what information to upload, and with whom they want to share information. It can be accessed here.
