The Connexions personal adviser:

• provides information and guidance for young people between the ages of 14

and 19 and for disabled young people up to the age of 25;

• attends and contributes to the annual review and transition planning meetings

in schools from Year 9 (age 14);

• offers young people and parents/carers advice about post-school and posteducation

options; and

• is responsible for overseeing delivery of the overall transition plan, liaising with

others who have agreed to carry out actions, but is not responsible for arranging

the specific provisions of other agencies.

From April 2008, responsibility for providing information, advice and guidance (IAG)

services to young people passes to local authorities; schools and colleges will have

the right to commission IAG from local providers including Connexions.

If you require further copies of this title quote 284732/Transition: moving on well and contact:

DH Publications Orderline

PO Box 777 London SE1 6XH

E-mail: dh@prolog.uk.com

Tel: 08701 555 455

Fax: 01623 724 524

Textphone: 08700 102 870 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday)

284732/Transition: moving on well may also be made available on request in Braille,

in audio, on disk and in large print.

www.dh.gov.uk/publications

All funds being transferred to Local Authorities which are linked to learning support for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities will be transferred with an established funding allocation system – this will be based on the Every Child Matters RAS developed for Eastern Region – there will be funding set aside for a ‘transition / learning broker’ who will based within independent connexions services – the RAS will be completed at 14 and will then inform the future pathway in to post-16 learning – there will be an emphasis on using this money alongside other funding streams – pilot areas have all been agreed and it is likely (fingers crossed) that in Control will have a stake in the development of the RAS and the accompanying system to support the use of the allocated ‘Individual Learning Support Fund’ and the brokerage support – there is already discussion about pre-16 learning funds being allocated in a similar fashion (i.e. where there is an identified additional learning support need

Take care

Nic Crosby

Consultant – Paradigm

Taking Control – Programme Lead

nicrc@paradigm-uk.org

07792 405 976

Dimensions is hosting their 2nd regional seminar at UEA Sportspark in Norwich on the 17th April 2008 for parents with children who have learning difficulties aged 14-19. We invite parents to learn more about good practice measures from Dimensions Transition Service and the tools that help make this happen, such as person centred approaches and self-directed support. The day will be a good opportunity to network with other parents and share information about experiences. We have a limited number of 30 guests per event for parents only, so please do book early to avoid disappointment as it will be on a first come first served basis. Our first seminar was held in Derby for thirty parents from the local area "Chaired by Kevin Walters, a parent and a member of our board, the day included presentations from Cally Ward, a parent whose own son has been through a number of transitions and Kevin Stanner, a young person talking about his own real life experiences of transition. The afternoon session was dedicated to group discussions, where we talked about at what is and isn't working locally, and what we could do as a result of today."

For more information about the Norwich event visit our website

http://www.dimensions-uk.org/transitions

To book your place go to

http://www.dimensions-uk.org/Filestore/Transitions/Seminar_flyer_Norwich.pdf

Regards

Kate Jackson

Dimensions Transition Development Manager

To view consultation documents please see http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conDetails.cfm?consultationId=1520

Alternatively try: http://snipurl.com/22pjl

The government's £10.4bn skills agency, the Learning and Skills Council, is to be closed down - with most of the funds to be transferred to local authorities. The plans have been announced by the government in a White Paper setting out the funding mechanism for the raising of the school leaving age to 18. Local authorities will now be responsible for commissioning courses and training for older teenagers. Source and full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7300852.stm

Can anyone advise me on the implications of the closure of the LSC on such colleges/courses for those aged 19+? The local colleges do not meet the needs of young people with severe learning difficulties adequately. Part - time courses plus a combination of day centres and leisure activities do not meet my son's needs. The LA fiercely opposes any out borough provision and therefore, I feel the loss of the LSC will result in this group being overlooked and receiving minimum provision.

Thank you for taking the time to read my question and hopefully reply.

My lad has finally been given a laptop to use in school to help him The fight was worth it :)

Thanx 4 all the info PAT have aPAT on the back

--- Truecolours 

Click on the link for detailed, impartial and informed advice about the SEN code-of-practice. You can download it for free from the government website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/SpecialEducationalNeeds/DG_4000690

--- Truecolours 

Hi,

The issuing of a statement of special educational needs is an area subject to statute. This means that the rights, responsibilities, obligations, duties and powers of all the parties involved are set out in a statutory instrument and the SEN Code of Practice. Very briefly the answer to your question is as follows:-

Where a child has been identified as having special educational needs by the school then the coordinator in each school (the SENCO) should react by implementing a process called the graduated response. The child's needs should be assessed and an appropriate response should attempt to meet the child's needs. The first level of the graduated response is called 'School Action. ' The school makes appropriate adjustments to the way the child is taugh and this allows for the curriculum to be differentiated in an appropriate way for the child's needs.

If, after a period of monitoring and evaluation the child has not been able to progress and the gap between the child's attainment and that of her/his peers continues to widen then further suuport is indicated under the graduated response which is called 'School Action Plus.' Usually the school will implement some 1:1 support for the child or sometimes small groups are taught more intensively. The child should have an Individual Education Plan which is designed jointly involving the child, the parents, the SENCO and the class teacher (as a minimum), sometimes the school will ask for helps from an educational psychologist and from specialist teachers employed by the local authority.

If, after a further period of monitoring the desired results have not been obtained, the school can progress to the next level of the graduated response called 'School Action Intensive.' If the resources within the school need augmenting it is also possible for the school to apply to the LEA funding panel for some money to employ a support person for the child or to invest in more training for staff or for specialist equipment if that is needed.

If none of the adjustments, differenetiations, investment or additional support have been sufficiently effective then the child may require either, specialist teaching within a mainstream school with dedicated resources suitable and appropriate for the child, alternatively the child may require specialist teaching within a special school environment.

At this stage, the parent, the school or the the lEA may request that a statement of special educational needs be prepared.

A parent simply needs to write to the SEN unit at the local authority to request a statement. The statute and the code-of-practice specify a series of actions and timetable of events involved with the preparation of a statement. Essentially the process involves collecting evidence from everyone qualified to express a view about the childs needs. The LEA will usually request evidence, information and advice from doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, specialists and educational psychologists. The law says that parents must also be asked to provide their own views. The LEA is also obliged to refer the family to a local 'Parent Partnership' service. The Parent Partnership service in sefton is located at 80 Sterrix Lane, Litherland, L21 0DA. Their telepone number is 0151 291 0551. Parent Partnership have specialist knowledge, expertise and experience in advising and supporting parents. I have found them to be very helpful, knowledgable and supportive.

Let us know how you get on.

Good luck and best wishes!

The process took over a year to complete. We found out that the school SENCO, headteacher and even STEPS staff could not always be relied upon to be straightforward, supportive or helpful.

However, we did get lots of expert help and support from Parent Partnership. You can contact them on 0151 291 0551. We also attended a training course run by Parent Partnership that was absolutely brilliant.

If you have any questions about applying for and obtaining an SEN Statement then feel free to post them here and we'll do our best to provide honest, accurate and impartial information.