Residents invited to have their say on proposals to improve the Home to School Transport Service for children and young people aged 0 –25 with SEND.
Warwickshire County Council is inviting residents to have their say on proposed changes to the Home to School Transport Service for children and young people aged 0 –25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Plans to improve the way that families access specialist transport for travel to and from school or college will be open for public consultation from 5 December 2022 to 26 February 2023. This will include both face to face events and online broadcasts to be held in January 2023, for anyone who would like to find out more.
The consultation forms part of a wider programme of work being undertaken to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire.
The proposals have been developed in response to feedback collected from engagement sessions that took place between March and June 2022 with parents and carers, children and young people and transport providers. Responses highlighted a need for assessments to be carried out earlier in the year so that parents and carers can better prepare their child or young person for the start of school, as well as a desire for the County Council to consider options that would help to build confidence and encourage more independence. These included increasing opportunities for young people to participate in Independent Travel Training and wherever possible providing them with a more sociable transport option, such as a bus rather than taxi.
Views are being invited on three proposals that aim to improve the way that the County Council support children and young people to travel to and from their educational setting:
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A simplified application process for parents and carers;
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A more consistent and transparent approach to determining transport options for children and young people who are eligible for home to school transport;
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Updates to the Home to School and College Transport Policy to make this clearer and easier to understand.
Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for education said:
“Home to school transport is a vital service for many of our children and young people across the county. It enables them to access their education which is a crucial part of their development.
“As part of the wider work we’re doing to improve the support we offer to families of children and young people with SEND, we are proposing changes that aim to deliver a more efficient, timely and consistent home to school transport service, focused on providing the right support according to individual level of need. We also want to ensure that we are maximising the opportunities to work with young people to build their confidence and independence, and to prepare them for adulthood.
“Feedback on these proposals is welcome from all residents across the county, but we would particularly welcome feedback from children and young people who travel to school or college using the service, their parents and the schools and colleges. So please take the time to fill in the consultation to help shape the future of SEND transport across Warwickshire.”
Feedback from the consultation will inform the future application and assessment process for home to school transport for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire, and the Home to School and College Transport Policy.
If approved, the different elements would be introduced according to the timeframe below:
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New application process - in time for parents/carers applying for a school place for September 2024.
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New assessment framework to identify travel options for children and young people eligible for home to school transport – in use from May 2023 and used to identify transport options for children and young people starting school in September 2023.
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Updated Home to School Transport Policy – with affect from May 2023 onwards.
To find out more and to respond to the consultation visit ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/. Details of the drop-in events and online broadcasts will be added to the main consultation page once confirmed. If you would like any further information, please email sendchange@warwickshire.gov.uk or call the Family Information Service on 01926 742274.
For information on school transport visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sendtransport.