Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides for early years professionals on support for children with cerebral palsy; and if he will make a statement.

The Early Years Foundation Stage sets standards for learning, development and care. It is designed to be fully inclusive for all children and respond appropriately to the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which can include cerebral palsy.

The Department for Education provides funding to Early Support and has provided guidance on practice for children with SEND for parents and others on cerebral palsy.

This guidance, published in 2012, can be found online at:

http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/923252/earlysupportcerebral_palsy_final.pdf

The reforms in part 3 of Children and Families Act 2014 are designed to improve support for all children and young people with SEND. The 0-25 SEND Code of Practice which is currently being considered by Parliament has a specific section for early years providers which detail their statutory responsibilities and how they are expected to work together with partners in health and social care.