Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
Provide SEND support as soon as need is identified, not reliant on EHC plans
Conclusion
Support should be provided as soon as a need is identified, rather than only once an EHC plan is in place. This would bring England in line with good practice found internationally, for example in in Ontario, Canada, where entitlement is based on need rather than lengthy assessment processes. Such a change would prevent the current situation in which many children receive little or no effective support while waiting for an EHC plan and would ensure timely intervention that can improve outcomes and reduce escalation of need. The Department’s SEND reforms must not be based on any withdrawal of statutory entitlements for children and young people with SEND. The Department must instead set out plans for reform which increase accountability across the whole of the SEND system, so that many more parents and carers can be confident that their children’s needs will be met regardless of whether they have a diagnosis or EHC plan. (Recommendation, Paragraph 93)
Government Response Summary
The government states it is already making changes to improve early support for children with SEND through initiatives like embedding inclusive practice, increasing funding, funding family hubs, and early language interventions. They will continue to ensure access to proven programmes.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Early. Children should receive the support they need as soon as possible. This will start to break the cycle of needs going unmet and getting worse, instead intervening upstream, earlier in children’s lives when this can have most impact. Supporting children with SEND is central to the early years agenda. The government recognises the important role the early years sector plays in early intervention to ensure the right support is put in place for children as soon as possible, and that every child, including those with SEND, should have access to a high-quality early years place that meets their individual needs and nurtures their development. We are making changes to improve the system for children with SEND already. The Best Start in Life strategy means a stronger focus on early identification, inclusive access to early years education, and tailored family support. We are doing this by: making inclusive practice standard practice, working with early years educators, including Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), to embed inclusive practice across all early years teaching and qualifications; increasing the funding available to providers to support children with SEND; funding Best Start Family hubs in every local authority; and funding evidenced-based early language interventions to enable early language development and identify SEND at the earliest opportunity. We will continue to ensure every reception class benefits from fully funded access to proven programmes such as the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI).