Plans to revolutionise provision of SEN receive cautious welcome

Brian Lamb, who chaired an inquiry into SEN provision and parental confidence under the Labour government, welcomed the main thrust of the green paper but urged caution over the implications of the proposed joint education, health and social care plans (see the key themes).

"There are complex details to be sorted out, especially how the different entitlements between health and education services can be forged into a clear accountability structure for parents, which would give them confidence that what was promised in the assessment would be delivered," he said.

Kevin Williams, chief executive of Kids, cited the imminent closure of some of the charity's services as a sign that the government's intentions could founder. "Decisions that have already been made by local authorities will undermine some of the aspirations outlined in the plan," he said.

Matt Dunkley, vice president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, admitted that public spending cuts would compromise councils' capacity to implement the reforms, but praised the direction of the green paper. He said: "It recognises that children with SEN and specific disabilities often face complex and interrelated problems that are best dealt with through co-operation."

The consultation on the green paper will run until 30 June.

FOUR KEY THEMES OF THE GREEN PAPER

1. ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING

By 2014, the government wants the statementing process to be replaced with a single assessment that will lead to an education, health and care support plan.

This development has been broadly welcomed. Williams said: "Until now, thousands of families have been burdened with extremely complex levels of bureaucracy just to establish their child's needs and entitlements."

But a benefit of the current process is the legal protection it affords. Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, warned: "If the government is to remove statements, it must ensure it fulfils its promise to provide the same level of legal protection. Otherwise it will be unsuccessful in its commitment to stop vulnerable children falling through the gaps."

The paper also sets out plans to tackle "over-identification" of SEN by replacing the existing categories of School Action and School Action Plus for children who need less intensive support, with a single school-based category where teachers focus on attainment.

But Graham Jowett, education consultant at Treloars, said: "The problem of growing numbers of students with SEN must not be seen as just about over-identification. In reality, more are exhibiting SEN. This must be recognised in any reclassification."

While the government insists it has no plans to remove parents' right to appeal if they disagree with a council's decision, the green paper recommends they must try mediation first to avoid the adversarial nature of tribunals.

2. PARENTAL CHOICE AND PERSONAL BUDGETS

By 2014, the government aims to legislate to give parents the option of personalised funding, with trained key workers helping them to navigate different services.

Jowett believes this will benefit children and parents but will be a challenge for providers. "If personalised budgets are introduced in 2014, the role of service providers will become more complicated," he said.

"The government will have to look at ways to address this by providing parents with better information over what services are available to them."

Removal of the "bias towards inclusion" has been a longstanding Tory pledge. The green paper proposes legislation to allow parents of children with a statement or plan to express a preference for any state-funded school, including academies and free schools.

3. VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

Targeted funding will be provided to voluntary organisations that have a strong track record of delivering high-quality services. The government also wants to explore what roles the voluntary sector can play, including in the assessment of children.

Councils will be encouraged to make use of voluntary sector providers to increase the range of support available to families with a statement or plan.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Local authorities play a vital role in co-ordinating provision of education for SEN and disabled pupils, backed up by high-quality specialist advice.

"In the context of cuts to council budgets, the most vulnerable children will have access to lower levels of support. To suggest that the voluntary sector can step in to fill the gap is inappropriate."

Jowett, however, believes the voluntary sector might be able to help but that government should cast its net further and consider "greater collaboration between the private and maintained sectors".

4. WORKFORCE TRAINING

Both initial teacher training and continuous professional development will be adapted to ensure teachers have a better understanding of profound, multiple learning disabilities, severe learning disabilities, and complex learning difficulties and disabilities.

It is hoped this will prevent children being labelled wrongly as having SEN and teachers therefore lowering their expectations for them.

To improve expertise the green paper proposes enabling outstanding special schools to apply to become Teaching Schools and share their expertise, a prospect the Institute of Education describes as "exciting".

Blower welcomed the emphasis on sharing expertise but said the government's education reforms will make this difficult: "The implementation of the academies and free schools programme poses a direct threat to such initiatives."

She added: "No teacher can be an expert in all areas of SEN."

• Click here to read the green paper
• Read John Freeman's comment

MEET THE JONESES: 'REFORM IS OVERDUE'

Laura and Brendon Jones have two children — five-year-old Stanley and three-year-old Violet, who has complex needs.

According to Laura, reform of the SEN system is long overdue. "It is a nightmare," she said. "The problem is once you get a diagnosis you are left to it. Luckily I was put in touch with the charity Kids because they could help me navigate through the services. There is one department for this and another one for that and nobody talks to each other. So it looks positive that with this green paper, that is going to change."

Laura is also relieved that the government has recognised the need to get the voluntary and community sector more involved. "Charities that are set up to specifically help people who have got children with complex needs like us have got the know-how to deliver services and hopefully offer it competitively and save money," she said.

The Jones family have been part of an individual budget pilot running in Hull and Laura supports plans to expand these. "For us it took a while to get settled because the key workers and social workers had to have a lot of training because it is such a radical change to the way they were thinking before," she explained. "But once you start looking at the whole family and their individual needs it can help enormously. But this is a pilot and by the time this is rolled out to everybody I am sure a lot of the problems will have been ironed out. As long as all the key workers get enough training to give the right support, it is a good thing."

But a worry for Laura and her family is how the changes can be made as services across the country face closure.

"A lot of really good services are disappearing," she said. "This green paper sounds very nice but it is also very vague and it doesn't tell you the ins and outs of how they are going to do it.

"Whether the community or private sector will take on the gaps in the market, I don't know. But there is going to be a transition period where services are cut.

"Although there are many positive aspects to the green paper and it's very empowering to have control over your own child's budget, if there are no services for disabled children due to cutbacks within the local authority it doesn't matter how much is in your budget, it's still a worrying time."