Changes to the Special Educational Needs system Somerset’s Local Offer Education Health and Care Plans Annual Reviews and the transfer of statements to EHCPs Personal Budgets Preparation for Adulthood

Somerset’s Local Offer Somerset’s Local Offer will be published online by September 1 st Its 2 key purposes are: 1.To provide clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the provision available in Somerset and how you can access it. 2.To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving disabled children/young people and those with SEN and their parents in its development and review. It will not just be a directory of services: the Local Offer page will link to each service provider’s web page in order to keep the information accurate and up-to-date

The Local Authority has: Worked with the Parent Carer Forum to identify the services that should be covered, the information that parent carers want to see for each of those services and the manner in which it can be accessed. Somerset Parent Carer Forum and the LA have agreed the information that all education settings will be required to provide. All schools have been sent a set of questions and the deadline for responses is 27 th June Somerset’s Local Offer

EHCPs will replace Statements of SEN; the main differences between them are: EHCPs places the child and family at the centre of the process The young person’s views from age 16 are equally important as parents EHCPs focus on outcomes, rather than objectives Timescale for assessment has been shortened from 26 to 20 weeks The age range has been extended to cover 0-25 years Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

The criteria for determining whether an assessment of SEN is necessary has not changed The Local Authority will consider requests from young people, parents and schools. The assessment process is still evidence-based The Code of Practice states that the format of the EHCP will be agreed locally – there is no national template. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

The different sections of the EHCP will describe: The views, interests and aspirations of the child or young person and their parent. Their Special Educational Needs Their Health and Care needs that are related to their SEN and the provision for them Long and short term outcomes and SEN provision Their Education or training placement Whether a Personal Budget has been allocated Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

Annual Reviews The mechanics of the Annual Review process has not changed. However the key change is to the paperwork but we have been unable to determine the changes until the assessment of Annual Reviews is complete. Annual Reviews will use the ‘Plan, Do, Review’ process It will prompt necessary changes to the Action Plan in the EHCP It will allow parents/young people to amend their views and aspirations contained in the EHCP It will make sure the EHCP is reviewed when a young person is at the end of a Key Stage or approaching a phase transfer.

The Annual Review will play an important part in arranging for the Local Authority to transfer existing Statements to EHCPs. There will be a 4 year programme to complete this transfer and during this time existing legislation will remain in place and Statements will continue to be legal documents. The LA has to publish an agreed timeframe by 1 st September 2014 Annual Reviews

Personal ‘Education’ Budgets are optional, and any request to use one has to be agreed with the education setting and the LA The EHCP will identify whether any other personal budget is held by the child/young person or their family If a request is received for a personal education budget the LA will consult with the education setting. Personal Budgets

A personal education budget can include provision from both the school’s delegated funds and more specialist provision funded wholly or partly from the LA’s high needs funding. The SEN element of a personal budget will vary, depending on how services are commissioned and what schools provide as part of the local offer Personal Budgets

Preparing for Adulthood As Education, Health and Care Plans can be in place for young people from 0-25, a key function of them will be to define how that young person will prepare for moving into adulthood. There will be support for young people from Year 9 onwards which will help them develop their aspirations through the curriculum and extra curricula provision ‘Preparing for Adulthood Reviews’ – EHCP Annual Reviews from Year 9 onwards will include a focus on preparing for adulthood Young People will be supported to prepare for making their own decisions

Preparing for Adulthood Young People will have the right to: request an assessment; make representations about the content of their EHCP; request which educational/training setting is named in their EHCP; request a Personal Budget; appeal to the First Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disability) if necessary.

For further information, please contact All other new information will be published on the SEND Reforms website: Further Information