West Berkshire Council sets out next steps for improving SEND support
Reforms will improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
West Berkshire Council is working to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as part of a national programme to strengthen local systems and deliver better outcomes for families.
Like all councils in England, West Berkshire is preparing a local SEND reform plan for submission to Government in June. This plan will set out how services across education, health and care will work together to better meet the needs of children and young people up to the age of 25.
The plan is being shaped by a wide range of views service users, families, support groups and education professionals and will put coproduction with the wider SEND community at the heart of conversations as future services and support are designed.
Providing the right support for children and young people with SEND is one of the Council's most important responsibilities - and one of the most significant areas of demand and cost. Rising need has placed increasing pressure on the system locally and nationally - and the Government's reform programme is designed to address this. The plans will support councils improve outcomes for children while placing services on a more sustainable footing, including unlocking additional funding to support transformation.
An interim plan is set to be provided to the Department for Education (DfE) next week with a final plan submitted in June. The initial plan being submitted in June focuses on setting out the foundations and priorities required by Government whilst further work will continue over the coming months and years to develop and implement changes in partnership with families and stakeholders.
As part of this approach coproduction activity will continue to be developed and expanded over time and engagement with parent carers, young people and partners will be strengthened.
Speaking about the importance of the new reforms, Councillor Heather Codling, Executive Member for Children and Family Services, said:
"Supporting children and young people with SEND is one of our most important responsibilities, and we are committed to improving our services so families get the support they need, earlier and closer to home.
"This reform programme is a real opportunity to strengthen how we work together with schools, health partners and families, and to build a system that families can have confidence in.
"Co-production is central to this work, and we will continue working with parent carers and young people to ensure their voices help shape what comes next."
For West Berkshire, developing a robust local plan is therefore essential - not only to secure that future funding, but to ensure that resources are used as effectively as possible to deliver high-quality support for children and families.
A key part of developing the reform plan is a programme of engagement and coproduction with families, schools, professionals and partners.
Workshops with families and schools have taken place in recent weeks, with feedback being used to help shape the plan ahead of submission.
Alongside this, a dedicated coproduction and engagement workstream has been established to ensure that the voices of children, young people and parent carers are central to how services are designed and improved.
This includes:
- working closely with the West Berkshire SEND Parent Carer Forum
- involving partners across education, health and care
- developing approaches to ensure meaningful participation over the coming months
Discussions across the programme have emphasised the importance of building a shared understanding of coproduction, ensuring that engagement is meaningful and that families' voices genuinely inform decision-making.
Have your say
Join us at one of our online reflective sessions hosted by the West Berkshire Parent Carer Forum on Monday 11 May:
- Afternoon session: 1.00pm-2.30pm
- Evening session: 6.30pm-7.30pm
You can register to attend the event here.
In addition to this, the Department for Education is currently consulting on its SEND Reform and residents are able to have their say by Monday 18 May. You can find more in information and take part here.
About SEND Reforms
Providing the right support for children and young people with SEND is one of the Council's most important responsibilities—and one of the most significant areas of demand and cost.
Rising need has placed increasing pressure on the system locally and nationally. The Government's reform programme is designed to help councils improve outcomes for children while placing services on a more sustainable footing, including unlocking additional funding to support transformation.
For West Berkshire, developing a robust local plan is therefore essential - not only to secure that future funding, but to ensure that resources are used as effectively as possible to deliver high-quality support for children and families.
The Council's ambition is to build a more inclusive and responsive system, where needs are identified earlier and more children can be supported successfully in their local communities.
Work underway sets out a long-term direction for SEND services, focused on:
- stronger early help and intervention
- better joined-up working across education, health and care
- improved pathways and transitions between services
- greater confidence for families in how the system works
The aim is to ensure that children and young people receive the right support at the right time, while making best use of resources to deliver sustainable, high-quality outcomes.
