Social Services: Disability

(asked on 13th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that social care and support for disabled children and their families is included in the (a) the SEND review and (b) Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 18th May 2021

Both Reviews are taking a holistic response to the issues that these 2 systems face.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review has listened carefully to children, young people, families and partners across education, health and care, and will be publishing proposals for consultation focused on identifying and addressing issues earlier and preparing for fulfilled adulthood through every stage. These measures will not only improve children and young people’s outcomes, and put them and their families at the heart of the SEND system, but they should deliver a SEND system fit for the future – high quality support, delivered affordably, and sustainable for the long term.

The Care Review is independent of the government with freedom to make recommendations based on the Reviewer’s findings. The scope is broad and will look at the whole system of support, safeguarding, protection and care, and the child’s journey into and out of that system. This will include children throughout their interaction with children’s social care, from referral, Child in Need and Child Protection Plans, through to becoming Looked After. The review terms of reference set out the questions and themes the review will consider. The terms of reference can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952624/terms_of_reference_independent_childrens_social_care_review.pdf.

Almost half of children in need within the children’s social care system are children with SEND, so there is a significant overlap between these Reviews, but there will be opportunities for the 2 reviews to feed into each other’s work.

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