‘SEN champions’ fund set up by Children and Families Minister

A £30 million fund to support parents to navigate the new special educational needs (SEN) process has been announced by Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson. The Children and Families Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, will make significant changes to the support available for children with SEN, according the minister. The reforms include replacing SEN statements and learning disability assessments with new birth-to-25 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans, which will set out all the support that families will receive in one place. Richard Hawkes, chief executive of disability charity Scope, welcomed the announcement of the fund. He