Legal News

Plans to restructure services for people in Brighton & Hove with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs will be discussed at a meeting of the council on Tuesday (10/11/15).

The key themes in the proposals being discussed are personalisation to the needs of each family and service user, integration of services across education, health and care – and consolidation of provision and services to run most efficiently.

The council says that overall aim is to improve services in the city for children and adults with special educational needs and learning disabilities “within a very challenging financial context”.

Proposals do not reduce the number of specialist places for children with SEND or SEMH issues – and will result in a small increase overall, says the council.

The council says that everyone who is assessed as needing SEND or SEMH support will continue to receive support that meets their needs – and there will be no reduction to teacher-pupil ratios, class sizes or support staff needed.

Under the plans, three schools offering a full range of services would be created, serving the east, west and centre of the city.

The city’s six special schools and two pupil referral units currently all have different specialisms, rather than offering a full range of education, health and social care services.

If the proposals are agreed, services would be delivered in different ways – some in different buildings and/or by different organisations.

The chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s children, young people and skills committee, Councillor Tom Bewick, said:

“Feedback from local families shows they find the current system here too fragmented in terms of education, health and care support for young people.

“In some cases, this means that children have to attend schools outside the city in order to have their needs met – while other schools in the city have only a small number of pupils.

“This is both difficult for the families involved and very expensive. The proposals aim to improve the service that we offer.

“Cuts to our grants from central government mean that we have to reduce our spending by around £68 million over the next four years.

“These cuts alongside rising costs and demand, especially in areas such as children and services for our older residents, mean that we have to do things differently.

“We want to reduce management and buildings costs where we can, and to reinvest the money in delivering the full range of services that families are asking for.

“We need to do this, but in a way that minimises the impact of any changes on the most vulnerable and ensures a smooth transition to any new models of delivery.

“These are proposals and if they are agreed, we will start a public consultation. I am always keen to hear from residents and service users.”

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