SEND Reforms Spotlight on: Experts at Hand
Gloucestershire’s Local SEND Reform Implementation Plan has been formally approved by the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care. The plan provides the foundation for delivering changes to SEND support in Gloucestershire, with the focus now moving from planning to phased implementation of the reforms..
The reforms aim to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This includes strengthening support in mainstream education, increasing the specialist support available locally and making specialist advice available earlier and closer to where children and young people live and learn.
Children and young people with SEND will be able to benefit from more specialist advice and support in their local schools and communities through the ‘Experts at Hand’ offer.
Experts at Hand is an important part of the first year of Gloucestershire’s SEND Reform Plan. It will bring professionals from different specialist services together to support schools and education settings in local areas. Its purpose is to make specialist advice available earlier, closer to where children and young people live and learn, and in a more joined-up way.
You can watch this short animation to find out more about Experts at Hand.
Work is now taking place to prepare for the introduction of the ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. This includes growing the specialist workforce and developing the arrangements that will bring professionals from different services together to support schools and settings in local areas.
The programme will be introduced gradually, so the full offer will develop over time. Further information will be shared with families as these arrangements are confirmed.
Schools and settings will have easier access to advice and support from professionals including:
- Educational psychologists
- Speech and language therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Advisory teachers
- Inclusion officers
- Assistive technology specialists
- Professionals with expertise in alternative provision
The developing programme will also include input from parent carers with lived experience.
By bringing different professionals together, schools and settings will be able to draw on a wider range of knowledge when considering how best to support a child or young person. The intention is to make it easier for staff to identify needs, seek advice and put appropriate support in place earlier.
For families, this should mean that more children and young people can receive appropriate support within their local school or community. Where it is right for the individual child, the changes aim to help them remain in their local mainstream school, learning alongside their friends and being part of their local community.
‘Experts at Hand’ will also support schools and settings to develop their knowledge and confidence. This will help them include and support a wider range of children and young people, while continuing to recognise that some children will need more specialist provision.
‘Experts at Hand’ is part of the wider national SEND reforms, which also include developing specialist inclusion bases and increasing the specialist support available locally. Together, these changes aim to strengthen inclusion in mainstream education settings while maintaining specialist support for children and young people who need it.
The introduction of ‘Experts at Hand’ does not remove children and young people’s existing legal rights. Children and young people who meet the statutory criteria for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will continue to have that legal entitlement, and existing EHCPs will remain in place.
Families will receive further information about how ‘Experts at Hand’ will work and what it will mean for children and young people as the programme develops.
You can also visit the Keeping you updated on SEND Reforms page on Gloucestershire’s Local Offer for the latest information.
For further updates, please visit Gloucestershire’s Local Offer, Support for Families with SEND.