Ready for work and life-Whole system support to children with additional needs Budget Proposal

Delivering Whole-System Support to Children with Additional Needs
Changes in legislation and national policy regarding children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have placed significant additional demands on local authorities. These changes also place an additional emphasis on the role of “local areas” to meet the needs of children with additional needs, including the full range of partners involved. Rising demand has created significant pressures for all local authorities and their partners, and reinforced the need for a whole-system response. We will build resilience in the universal offer to prepare young people with additional needs for adult life by developing an integrated approach across education, health and care services. As part of a wider strategy, this budget proposal is particularly concerned with ensuring needs are appropriately funded by the relevant agency, in line with statutory responsibilities and policy. We will ensure there is a clear policy for funding decisions and a consistently applied process for ensuring funding is appropriate and the source of funding is in line with the agreed policy. This will ensure the authority maximises the levels of Continuing Care funding received from the CCG where health needs have been clearly identified and are being met by packages of care commissioned by the local authority.