WHAT HAPPENS HERE AND NOW, WHILE WE WAIT?

CHANGE IS ON ITS WAY! Question: What happens now, while we wait for yet another wave of SEND Reforms, Reviews and Implementation Plans to take shape?

We know from the DfE’s Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan schedule that some initiatives are underway and being tested in limited locations.
We know from Special Needs Jungle’s investigation of the High Needs Provision Capital Allocation (HNPCA) grant allocation, that some families will still lose out.
We know from a recent School’s Week article that we shouldn’t expect any real changes until possibly 2026.
We also know from first-hand experience from supporting our SEND community that families are already heading for crisis or in crisis now and cannot afford to wait or to stand still until change happens.

How can we take ownership of our part in the changes? We selected 5 key practical areas to focus on, and to help families and groups visualise the coming changes and attempt to offer them proactive strategies to help usher in and become part of the systemic change!

We selected 5 KEY AREAS to ask our expert panel who are going to help us understand the new changes, and how we can adapt and prepare for them.

Health & Wellbeing
Community Engagement & Empowerment
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Digital EHC Plans
Local Area Inclusion Dashboards

So then, WHAT HAPPENS NOW, WHILE WE WAIT?

Answer: We gather an expert panel to discuss and explore the following.

We DISCUSS and explore ways to empower families while we wait.
We INVITE SEND experts to help us explore the possibilities and how to prepare for the changes, while we wait.
We HELP families discover their local parent carer forums and their SEND Local Offers, while we wait.
We CHAMPION our own communities where we live, and grow our support networks, while we wait.
We LAUNCH, support and strengthen grassroots organisations to become sustainable and thrive while we wait.
We STRENGTHEN our health, wellbeing, and that of our families, while we wait.
We EXPLORE current innovative ideas, solutions, products, services, and best practices, while we wait.

Why London?

It’s true that the SEND crisis is indeed national, if not global, so why London, what is different about London? According to the stats, 6.6% of children nationally are recorded to have some level of SEND. In London, that figure is reportedly 9%. London has a specific set of problems and needs, not least because London is the most diverse community in the UK. It is also structured differently with 34 boroughs that are different but the same in so many ways. (City of London is not technically a borough) It has some of the most affluent areas in the country and also in contrast, some of the most deprived areas too. It has its own particular ecosystem and a Mayor of London with one of the largest budgets in the country, but also the biggest responsibility of them all, not surprisingly as the capital city. What does SEND look like in London? Does SEND need to look different in London? We hope to find the answers to these and others soon.

So, instead of waiting for things to happen to us, why don’t you join us for our FIRST London SEND Show for 2024, and together we can find some answers while we wait. Look out for more information and details.

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