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Decision details

*re-published: call-in no longer applies* Supporting young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities to live and learn in their own communities

Decision Maker: Executive Member for Education, Learning & Skills

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:


To approve a call for evidence from key stakeholders through focus groups with young people and families, online and paper questionnaires and webinars over a four week period to help:

• Identify effective practice across education, care and health in supporting children and young people with SEND, and their families, at the earliest stage so they can live and go to school in their community
• Consider a greater range of support options that enable more children and young people to reside at home whilst accessing education to meet their SEND
• Understand from families what works well and what could be improved
• Develop a sound evidence base for future proposals with regards to SEND provision


Reasons for the decision:

*PLEASE NOTE This decision was originally published on or near the date of the decision and so call in no longer applies. It has been re-published as part of the change in committee management system that we use.*

Our aspiration for children and young people with SEND and their families is that they should be supported, where appropriate, to access education provision that meets their needs and be enabled to remain in the family home and their communities.

The local authority had 110 young people with SEND placed in residential education provision in 2018/19. Young people accessing SEND provision away from their families and communities face some additional challenges particularly with regard to developing links in the community and developing independence whilst preparing for adulthood. National research carried out in 2017 by Dame Christine Lenehan, “Good intentions, good enough?”, concludes “too many children and young people currently feel the need to leave home to get the support they need, when they could and should be supported well in their local communities. If this happened, experiences would improve significantly”.

The geography and size of North Yorkshire is an additional factor in decisions to place children and young people at distance from their families and communities. The experiences of families and young people are crucial to understand how improving access to services can be achieved so that children and young people being placed at distance from their families only happens where essential to meet their SEND.

Publication date: 14/04/2021

Date of decision: 08/10/2019