Current projects - Disabled Pathfinder - Green Paper

Support & Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

The Government in March 2011 published a green paper that sets out an intention to bring about legislation so that from 2014:

• Parents will get a clear, easy to understand local offer of support from their school, college, local authority and services
• Children and young people with learning difficulty will have a quicker, better integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan setting out all the services they will receive
• 16- to 25-year-olds in further education so that young people will get the better protection and support, wherever they are taught
• Parents will have greater control over the services they and their family use. Those whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan will be able to express a preference for any state-funded school and have the right to a personal budget for their support.
  

View the report here.

Green Paper - progress & next steps

On 15 May the government reported on the progress of the green paper reforms and set out the next steps that would be taken.

In summary, the report said that the legislation will be brought forward, so that from 2014:

• Schools, colleges, local authorities and services will provide through a clear, easy to understand local offer of support
• Children and young people with special educational needs and/or disability will have a quicker, better integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan that sets out all the services they will receive
• Statutory protections comparable to those currently associated with a statement of SEN will be provided for 16- to 25-year-olds in further education
• Parents will have greater control over the services they and their family use
  

For more information, visit the Green Paper pages of the Department for Education's website.

Children and Families Bill

In May 2012, it was revealed in The Queen's Speech that a new Children and Families Bill would include measures to reform the system of support for children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.

Find out more on our SEN Education Signposting pages.