NHS Thames Valley

We work in partnership to commission and provide services to support the needs of children and young people with SEND and their families, to meet our statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014.

We want to help to reduce health inequalities and improve the health outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We work in partnership with local authorities to contribute to the implementation of the SEND reforms (Children and Families Act 2014). This means we work together to identify the needs of the local population and any gaps in local provision and then jointly address them.

What is SEND?

A child or young person, aged up to 25 years, has special educational needs and /or disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support. We shorten this to SEND.

Why is this Important?

Some children and young people need more support than others to learn and develop. This might include help at school, support with health needs, or extra care at home.

What does the law say?

The Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2014 gives guidance to health and social care, education and local authorities to make sure that children and young people with SEND are supported.

What is an EHCP?

An Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) is a legal document that sets out the extra help your child needs in education, health, and care. You can ask your local authority for an EHCP if your child needs more support than their school or setting can normally provide.

Areas of special educational needs

The SEND Code of Practice 0-25 (2015) identifies ‘four broad areas of [special educational] need and support’

Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties
Sensory and/or physical needs

Support for children who have special educational needs and disabilities, and their families.

This is provided by local authorities across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. We call this the ‘Local Offer’. The Local Offer is also the name for the online information about SEND services that we publish.

Designated Medical/Clinical Officer (DMO/DCO)

The Designated Medical/Clinical Officer roles support the ICB to meet our statutory responsibilities for children and young people with SEND. The DMO/DCO provides a point of contact for the ICB, local authority, schools and colleges when specialist health advice is required.