Issue - meetings

Report ED15059

The Committee considered a report advising Members of work being undertaken to support young people with special educational needs and disabilities to prepare for adult life, and outlining proposed future developments for young people with special educational needs and disabilities after the Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 came into force from 1^st September 2014.

In July 2013, the Education Portfolio Holder approved the Local Authority’s amended Statement for Intent which had been developed in collaboration with a range of stakeholders to support young people as they moved towards Post-16 provision and transition, and had a particular focus on further education placements for young people.  To support the delivery of the Statement of Intent, the Local Authority invested £153,835 in an invest to save project which aimed to increase the independence of young people with special educational needs and disabilities before leaving formal education. This funding provided additional resources to deliver a range of initiatives and support for young people, families, providers and services, including the establishment of the ‘Preparing for Adulthood Team’, an increase in further education opportunities available in the Borough, and work to build the confidence of young people and their parents in the post-16 offer in the Borough. 

The number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities and the level of need of these young people was expected to increase in future years, with 305 young people currently due to transition to adult services in the Borough over the next ten years.  In order to ensure that the progress made so far was sustainable in the longer term, it was proposed to continue investment in the programme of works for a further two years as an invest to contain project, with budget adjustments being made at the end of the relevant financial years in the light of savings achieved.

RESOLVED that the Executive be recommended to agree the proposed investment that supports future developments for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Bromley in order to help contain future budget pressures in adult services.