Timpson confirms phased introduction of SEN reforms

From September 2014, new laws are set to come into force that will see SEN statements replaced by a new package of co-ordinated support for children and young people across agencies and local areas.

The reforms, being introduced through the Children and Families Bill, are expected to be tough to implement, with children’s minister Edward Timpson having already admitted that pathfinder sites trialling the system have found the process “challenging”.

The minister has now written to the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) outlining his plans for moving to the new legal system, and explaining that the September 2014 date will mark the “beginning of a gradual and orderly transition to full implementation” rather than a clean break between the old to new systems.

Timpson wrote: “We are thinking…how to manage the changeover to a new legal system. We want children and young people with SEN to benefit from the changes as soon as possible, however, it is not proposed to move wholesale to the new system from September next year.”

The minister’s letter does not mention the timescale for the phased introduction, however some sources believe the new system won’t be fully implemented and established until 2015.

Some changes, such as establishing what package of SEN support services are available locally to children and young people, are set to be in place by next September, alongside the introduction of single education, health and care plans for new applicants, which replace SEN statements.