The UK Government has announced an additional £5 million to help young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) make the transition from school into work.
Childcare minister Sam Gyimah: “No parent should be left in the dark about their child’s development”
It has also pledged an additional £2 million to unite health and education services to help spot children who do not reach developmental milestones from the age of two.
Currently, people with moderate-to-severe SEND have a 7 per cent employment rate. However, a government trial of supported internships resulted in 36 per cent of students with SEND taking part in secured paid employment.
The announcement was made by Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson MP on a visit to Mencap.
At the same time, UK parents are to get a complete picture of their child’s development from the age of two as part of a £2 million reform package that will support joined-up checks from education and health services.
The Government has announced funding for local authorities to implement an ‘Integrated Review’, bringing together assessments given by the Department for Education and the Department of Health.
Currently, health and early years reviews of young children are carried out separately. The hope is that by integrating them, parents will get a better picture of their child, drawing on the contribution of health visitors and early years practitioners.
Childcare minister Sam Gyimah (pictured) said: “No parent should be left in the dark about their child’s development.” Gyimah said that the age of two “is a pressure point” where issues such as speech delay and behavioural problems begin to appear.
Health minister Dan Poulter said: “We know it’s important to check children’s health and development when they are two, so that if extra support is needed it can be identified early.”
Reviews will also be available or the first time for two-year-olds who are not in an educational setting, with plans to reach around 275,000 of these children. A handbook called ‘What to Expect When’ will help parents to check their child’s physical, social and language development against expected milestones and learn how best to support them.
The Integrated Review will be implemented nationally from September. It will be available to children aged from 24 to 30 months. The joined-up approach was trialled for two years in 10 local authorities and received positive feedback from parents who took part.
Published: 12 March 2015
