Devon County Council has shared an update on its major programme to improve support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The “Building Inclusive Learning Communities” work is part of the wider SEND Transformation Programme, refreshed last year to speed up improvements and make sure children get the right help at the right time.
The programme focuses on early support, better partnership working and helping more children have their needs met in local mainstream schools.
The Council says too many families currently rely on long waits, diagnosis‑led processes, or specialist placements far from home.
By strengthening local provision and improving how services work together, the aim is to reduce stress for families and improve children’s outcomes.
This latest update, presented today (Thursday 22 January) to the council’s Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee, highlights progress in bringing education, health and social care services closer together, as well as work to increase school capacity so children with additional needs can be better supported in their own communities.
The report also recognises wider challenges, including rising demand, financial pressures, and the environmental impact of children having to travel long distances to school.
The Council says increasing inclusive education locally will help reduce travel stress, cut carbon emissions and make services more sustainable.
Councillor Frank Biederman, Chairman of the Children’s Scrutiny Committee, said:
“Every child in Devon deserves the chance to learn, grow and succeed close to home.
“I’m pleased to see real progress being made.
“This programme is about making sure families get support earlier, schools feel confident to meet children’s needs, and services work together rather than in silos.
“There is still a lot to do, but it’s clear that we are absolutely committed to getting this right for young people.”
