14th April 2014

• September 2014 is an important date for families with children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. It’s when the government’s SEN reforms – dubbed the “biggest overhaul of the SEN system in 30 years” – will be introduced.

  While local authorities and health services are busy getting ready to implement the changes, many parents remain completely unaware of the reforms. Our “Countdown to the SEN reforms” conference aimed to give parents an overview of the reforms, and to start them thinking about some of the key concepts. Around 120 parents and 15 professionals attended the event on 14 March 2014 at St Mary’s.

  Participants attended presentations by representatives from Sheffield City Council and the Department for Education and took part in workshops on person-centred planning, outcomes, and legal rights. 14 local and national support organisations provided information stalls, and Irwin Mitchell solicitors ran a popular legal advice surgery.

  Missed the event? You can use the links below to access information from the presentations and workshops.

  Conference evaluation: download report
  Questions from parents: download Q&A document

  Presentation about the SEN reforms by Alasdaire Duerden (Department for Education): download presentation | watch video
  Presentation about the local implementation of the reforms by Mary Collins (Sheffield City Council): download presentation | watch video
  Q & A session: download transcript

  Workshops on key concepts of the SEN reforms:
  The tools and principles of person-centred planning (Chris Harlan-Marks, MacIntyre): presentation to follow
  What we mean by “outcomes”, and why they matter (Jon Ralphs, Helen Sanderson Associates): download presentation | watch video part 1 – part 2
  The legal rights of parents, children and young people in the new system (Angela Sandhal, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors): download presentation | watch video part 1 – part 2