To what extent do England's local offer websites adhere to the statutory guidance as set out in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice?

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Title: To what extent do England's local offer websites adhere to the statutory guidance as set out in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice?
Authors: Matthews, Jacob, Black‐Hawkins, Kristine, Basu, Arina, Necula, Andreea‐Ioana, Downs, Jonny, Ford, Tamsin, Saxton, Jennifer
Source: British Educational Research Journal. Aug2024, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p1724-1740. 17p.
Subjects: Special education, Stakeholders, Children with disabilities, Access to information, Legal liability
Abstract: In England the 2014 Children and Families Act introduced wide ranging changes to the assessment of and provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Guidance underpinning implementation was then published in the Code of Practice. Our study focuses on a key component of that legislation, known as the 'local offer', which requires local authorities to establish and maintain, clear, comprehensive, accessible and up to date information for children and young people with SEND, and their families, about available SEND provision. Local authorities are expected to involve children and young people and their families in co‐designing and reviewing their local offer, alongside other key stakeholders, to ensure provision is responsive to local needs and aspirations. To support our assessment of local offers we first established six categories based on the criteria in the Code of Practice about expected availability of SEND‐related information (e.g. financial support, health service information, accessibility information). We used these categories to evaluate the relevant local offer websites of all 151 English local authorities with legal responsibilities for SEND assessment and provision. We further assessed whether each local offer website included three common website accessibility functions. Our findings demonstrate variation in the availability of information at local authority level, therefore limiting the ability of some young people and families to make informed decisions about the support available to them. This provides further evidence to support growing concerns about 'postcode lottery' inequities for families and their children with SEND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of British Educational Research Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: To what extent do England's local offer websites adhere to the statutory guidance as set out in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22British+Educational+Research+Journal%22">British Educational Research Journal</searchLink>. Aug2024, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p1724-1740. 17p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Special+education%22">Special education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stakeholders%22">Stakeholders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children+with+disabilities%22">Children with disabilities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Access+to+information%22">Access to information</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Legal+liability%22">Legal liability</searchLink>
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  Data: In England the 2014 Children and Families Act introduced wide ranging changes to the assessment of and provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Guidance underpinning implementation was then published in the Code of Practice. Our study focuses on a key component of that legislation, known as the 'local offer', which requires local authorities to establish and maintain, clear, comprehensive, accessible and up to date information for children and young people with SEND, and their families, about available SEND provision. Local authorities are expected to involve children and young people and their families in co‐designing and reviewing their local offer, alongside other key stakeholders, to ensure provision is responsive to local needs and aspirations. To support our assessment of local offers we first established six categories based on the criteria in the Code of Practice about expected availability of SEND‐related information (e.g. financial support, health service information, accessibility information). We used these categories to evaluate the relevant local offer websites of all 151 English local authorities with legal responsibilities for SEND assessment and provision. We further assessed whether each local offer website included three common website accessibility functions. Our findings demonstrate variation in the availability of information at local authority level, therefore limiting the ability of some young people and families to make informed decisions about the support available to them. This provides further evidence to support growing concerns about 'postcode lottery' inequities for families and their children with SEND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of British Educational Research Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – SubjectFull: Children with disabilities
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              Text: Aug2024
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