Nov 25, 2024, BBC: Council in bid to rescue £49m [$62M] Send funding deal
E. England
Cambridgeshire County Council has proposed a new strategy towards Send children in its care, in a bid to get £49m [$62M] of Department for Education (DfE) funding that is at risk.
A council spokesperson said: "By working to ensure that children are supported as soon as possible, we will deliver better outcomes and prevent needs escalating further, whilst making better use of public funds." . . .
Councils are under greater pressure from increasing requests for EHCPs, which are put in place to provide children with additional support.
Peterborough City Council said in a recent report that demand for EHCPs had increased "significantly", with 2,500 children in the city on a plan.
Cambridgeshire County Council said it had about 8,000 EHCPs in place, and that demand had increased by nearly 50% in five years.
A spokesperson from the authority said: "We are doing all we can locally to manage the increased pressures on funding as result of this rising demand.
"We have recently submitted a revised Safety Valve proposal to the Department for Education to help the council to manage these dual pressures of rising demand and costs."
Kommentarer