What is the Local Offer?

The Local Offer website is a ‘one stop shop’ for all local SEND advice, guidance, and support services in Central Beds.  It has been redesigned and co-produced with SNAP Parent Carer Forum (SNAP PCF), an independent forum of parents and carers of SEND children in Central Bedfordshire, as well as education, health and social care professionals, parents, carers, children and young people with SEND.

As part of the redesign process, the Council listened to and incorporated feedback from families and young people to make it more engaging, easier to navigate and to ensure it contains more relevant information.  Website visitors will be signposted to important information including:

• Sources of support, advice and information for children, young people and families, including supporting groups and forums
• Arrangements to identify and assess children and young people with SEND, including how an assessment can be requested
• Other educational provision, for example, leisure activities, sports and arts provision
• Information about provision to assist in preparing children and young people for adulthood including post-16 education and training
• Arrangements for travel to and from school, post-16 settings and early year providers
• Childcare, including suitable provision for disabled children and those with SEND
• Health and development needs of children from when they are born through to when they transition into adulthood
• Support available to young people in higher education, particularly the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and the process and timescales for making an application for DSA.

Central Bedfordshire Council: Local Offer

https://Localoffer.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

 

The Local Offer is for:

• Children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities from birth to 25 
• Their parents and carers 
• Practitioners and professionals

Every child or young person with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in Central Bedfordshire will have an allocated SEND officer and senior SEND officer who will be the point of contact and responsible for carrying out statutory duties and processes relating to the EHCP. The allocated SEND officer and senior SEND officer is determined by which school or setting the child or young person attends. Where a child or young person lives in Central Bedfordshire but does not attend a school listed on the contact sheet below, the allocated SEND officer and senior SEND officer will be determined by the home address.

View or download list of SEND officers (PDF)

Files linked from this page may not be suitable for users of assisted technology. If you need an accessible version, please email send.feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

Contact CBC SEND team

Telephone: 0300 300 8356
Email: statass@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

DfE SEND Link

https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/special-educational-needs-support

What the CBC team does

Our SEND team is responsible for carrying out statutory duties and processes linked to education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with SEND aged up to 25. The team works with children, young people, parents and professionals to co-produce education, health and care plans and agreeing provision and educational placement.

Other duties include:

• receipt and decision-making regarding requests for EHC needs assessments
• gathering information during the EHC needs assessment
• co-ordination and writing of EHCPs
• monitoring of annual reviews (please note: the team's attendance is not a statutory requirement)
• processing of annual review documentation
• consulting with schools and supporting school admissions for pupils with an EHCP
• preparation of cases for our SEND panels and providing feedback to parents and settings
• case management and work regarding SEN tribunals (SENDIST)
• providing advice to schools, parents and professionals regarding statutory processes
• facilitation of training regarding statutory processes for professionals and parents

Please note: it is not the role of our SEND team to provide an advisory or outreach service regarding individual cases or to recommend suitable provision or school placement. A list of advisory services available to parents and settings in Central Bedfordshire can be found on our Family information Directory.

The local offer can help you to find out more about the support and services:

• your child can get

• you can get

Your local offer will tell you:

• who to contact to find out more information

• how to contact them

You can find your local offer on your local council’s website. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can ask your local council or your local information advice and support service for information that is written down.

Your local offer will tell you what services and support you can get.

This will include information for you and your child about:

• schools and colleges

• transport

• support to get a job, like training

• support with taking part in sport and other activities

• local groups, like parent carer forums

• how your child will be assessed to see what support they need.

Every local council will have its own local offer. This will be different in every area.