SEN support guide for professionals

Help for all practitioners and providers to identify how conditions can affect children and young people and how to access support with or without a diagnosis.

If you would like to make a suggestion or have a comment about this guide, please emailĀ SENDpartnership@lancashire.gov.uk.

1. Background

The SEND Local Offer asked parent carers on Facebook, what they wanted practitioners to know, and they responded by saying that they wanted practitioners to understand how specific conditions affected their child.

Feedback from schools told us that they needed to know what support was available to families in an accessible format. A recent audit showed that only 57% of schools were confident at initiating Early Help.

A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support.

The Special Education Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015 and the Children and Families Act 2014, gives guidance to health and social care, education and local authorities to make sure that children and young people with SEND are properly supported.

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