The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Team manages all aspects of the statutory processes related to Education, Health and Care Plans on behalf of the Local Authority (LA).

Contact

SEND Team, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend Essex SS2 6ER

Telephone 01702 215246 email: SENTeam@southend.gov.uk 

What the team do

The SEND team’s work is underpinned by legislation set out in the Education Act 1996, Equality Act 2010, Children’s & Families Act 2014, Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and statutory guidance from the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years January 2015 and includes:

• Considering, initiating and co-ordinating an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)
• Issuing and reviewing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Arranging provision and placements for pupils with EHCPs
• Support and challenge to schools regarding provision for pupils with EHCPs or on SEN Support, ensuring they are effectively deploying their delegated SEND resources  and are making appropriate provision.
  
• Ensuring that children/ young people with an EHCP have their needs met in either an educational setting or by way of alternative provision.
  
• Working in collaboration with other agencies, such as Social Care and Health, in relation to pupils with SEND

The SEND Team has two casework teams and an Early Years team within its overall structure to ensure that is meets the needs of pupils aged 0 – 25 years. You can find out more about these below.

The team is also responsible for SEND Home to School Transport and the monitoring of High Needs Block resources and contracts with schools and service providers.

The SEND Team strives to work in collaboration with parents, carers, settings, partners and young people to ensure that all of their SEND paperwork and systems are co-produced. We continually monitor the quality and impact of the work of the SEND Team to ensure that children and young people are at the heart of our work and our commitment is to ensure that children and Young People with SEND in Southend have access to a high quality education that enables them to make progress and achieve well.  

The Southend SEND Partnership oversees this.

View a copy of the team structure chart. To find out more about some of the work the wider team does, see below.