What is the Local Offer?
Every Local Authority must publish, in one place, information about provision they expect to be available in their area for children and young people from 0-25 who have SEN.
The Local Offer is included in the Children and Families Bill. This became law in September 2014. You can find full details in section 4 of the new SEN Code of Practice.
What is the purpose of the Local Offer?
- To provide clear, easy to understand, accurate information on services and how they can be accessed so parent/carers and young people can see clearly what is available.
- To show what is available at various stages of the SEN journey.
- To make the local provision more responsive to local needs by directly involving children and young people with SEN, their parents and carers and service providers in its development and review.
What should the Local Offer include?
- Education provision.
- Health provision.
- Social Care provision.
- Arrangements to identify and assess children and young people with SEN.
- Eligibility criteria for services and how decisions are made.
- What support is available to help children and young people move between school phases.
- Services available to support young people preparing for adulthood.
- Sources of support, advice and information.
- Arrangements for disagreement resolution, complaints, mediation and appeals to the SEN Tribunal.
- Also arrangements on how the Local Offer will be reviewed and feedback on the Local Offer from families.
Find your council Local Offer here:
