A new service will soon be launched to better support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families and carers. Sefton Council have partnered with Barnardos, an expert in this field of work, to provide impartial and professional information and advice on all matters of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
The new service will offer a combination of website, phone, virtual and face to face meetings to cater for all preferences and ensure the families and carers as well as the children and young people can access the advice and support they need, in the way that best suits them.
Sefton families will have the benefit of a concise, detailed and fully accessible website of information to support parents, carers, young people and professionals. Here they will have access to a vast amount of information to inform and empower parents with the knowledge they need to navigate the SEND process.
Once live, the resource will be publicised for all parents, carers, families, children and young people to use. This new service will be jointly funded by the Council and the Cheshire and Merseyside NHS and will go live in Autumn 2023.
Cllr Diane Roscoe, Sefton Council Cabinet Member for Education said: “I am delighted to see this new service launched for our families, carers and young people here in Sefton. Navigating the SEND process and finding the information you need to make the right choices for your children can be an overwhelming task but I am confident this new platform will be of huge benefit to our families.
“The Council and Cheshire and Merseyside NHS have worked closely with Bernardos who have a long history of developing similar services with other local authorities and put families at the heart of what they do, just like we do.
“We have developed this alongside the Sefton Parent Carer Forum to ensure this new service is of real use to our children and young people and reflects the views and needs of our parents and carers.”
Sue Swinchin from the Sefton Parent Carer Forum said: “I am excited for parents and carers to use this service when it goes live and see the benefit that we have seen in our access to information, support and advice.
“Being a parent of a child with SEND can be challenging and it can feel impossible at times to find the information and answers that you need. I think this new service will make a difference to families who want information and support to make the right choices for their children.
“It’s great that the Council, the NHS and Bernardos welcomed the Sefton Parent Carer Forum into the development of this service and I think it truly reflects what SEND parents and carers need as a result.”
Carol Dufton, Assistant Director Childrens Services, Bernardos said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to pilot the delivery of a SENDIAS Service for Sefton.
“We have been providing support to children, young people, parents and carers in the North West for over 40 years and are excited to expand on that support with the addition of this Service.
“We appreciate that change can bring uncertainty, but we are here to reassure our children, young people, parents and carers that we are working hard and investing in the development of this Service to ensure we provide them with high quality, free, impartial advice, whilst empowering them to have an informed and active role in decision making.”
Barnardos, delivers SENDIAS services for neighbouring Local Authorities Liverpool and Knowsley, are jointly commissioned by both councils, funded by both Local Authorities and the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board. Barnardos also successfully deliver SENDIAS services for Bradford, Bury, Gateshead, Rochdale, and South Tees.
It is a legal requirement that Local Authorities provide information and advice about matters relating SEN and disabilities for children and young people with SEND 0-25 and their parents and carers.
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