(UK) Yorkshire: SPED "more than doubled" in 7 yrs; "expected to continue"

Oct 20, 2021, North Yorkshire County Council: Vision proposed for organisations working with children with SEND https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/article/vision-proposed-organisations-working-children-send

N. England

A consultation is taking place on a new strategy which sets out the aims and ambitions of education, health and care services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in North Yorkshire. People are being invited to give their feedback on the proposed North Yorkshire Local Area SEND Strategy, which has been developed collaboratively with ourselves, the county’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and Parent Carer Voice, which represents families with children and young people with SEND. Children and Young People with SEND are more likely to be supported by a range of services and organisations, across education, health and care. The new local area strategy is being developed to make sure organisations are all working towards the same set of principles and strategic aims, which have been developed in partnership with young people, parents and carers and professionals…. The participants in the engagement who had accessed support from the new specialist SEND Hubs, which were implemented in September, felt that the support and training received was of high quality and was assisting in improving outcomes for children. The engagement found families and young people would like to see more local provision in the future and a greater range of social opportunities for children and young people. Participants also expressed the importance of early identification of needs and proactive support, as well as the ongoing development of knowledge, skills and training within schools. Cllr Janet Sanderson said: “Throughout summer we have been engaging with parents, carers, children and young people, as well as partner organisations through different forums to hear their views about what was important for children with SEND. We asked what has been working well and what needed further improvement to secure some of the best outcomes for children and young people…. In North Yorkshire, there has been a rapid increase in the identification of SEND among children across the age range, from 0 to 25. Following focussed work by the partners to identify children’s needs sooner, North Yorkshire has a rate of growth that has been 30 per cent higher than seen nationally. Due to the rate of increase in identifying children with SEND in the County, the number of children and young people with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP) has more than doubled since 2014 to about 3,700. This growth is expected to continue, with the number of children and young people with an Educational Health Care Plan expected to be more than 4,100 by 2025. The County Council and CCGs which serve North Yorkshire are keen to hear people’s comments and feedback on the proposal to agree a joint strategy for the local area.