A new suite of resources to support families and carers of disabled children and young people to help them navigate the reforms to special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision has been launched.
The resources have been put together by children’s disability charity KIDS as part of the ‘Making it Personal:2’ project, sponsored by the Department for Education. For this, KIDS worked with a number of partners to develop the resources to explore how personal budgets and the local offer will benefit families.
The resources aim to reach a range of audiences to help them understand how they can use the new system to their advantage and provide a holistic service to families and carers. KIDS worked in partnership with the Office for Public Management, In Control, the National Association of Family Information Services and the Family and Childcare Trust to produce these resources as well as local voluntary and statutory providers, groups of parents, carers, disabled children and young people.
The suite includes:
• Guidance for providers on how to become personal budget ready through downloadable resources and an eLearning suite
• Refreshed and extended guidance and eLearning modules on personal budgets and direct payments for families
• Refreshed and extended guidance for commissioners on how they can work across health, education and social care to support families
• Guidance for Family Information Services to ensure that they are equipped to support families by identifying the range of services available to them under the local offer.
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson said the resources will complement the government’s SEND reforms.
“Children, young people and their families will now be at the centre of a more simple, joined-up system that provides the support they deserve,” he said. “We’re committed to helping families get the best information possible about the new system that will help children and young people with SEND from birth to 25.”
The full suite of resources is available to view on the KIDS website: www.kids.org.uk/mip2
