Know your rights
In your feedback to us, you have said that you would like to better understand "your rights". We have therefore created this web page to highlight some keys laws, legislation and codes of practice in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
- National policies
- Surrey County Council strategies, guidance and policies
- Guidance and policies
- Designated Clinical Officer (DCO)
National policies:
- Children and Families Act: is a number of laws related to the protection and support of vulnerable children and their families. The third section relates specifically to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
- SEND code of practice: This explains what local authorities (such as Surrey County Council), Health Services and education providers must or should, provide for those with special educational needs.
- The Equality Act: is a law which protects people from discrimination or unfair treatment on the basis of certain characteristics which might include disability.
- SEND Green paper: In 2019, the Department for Education (DfE) commissioned the SEND Review to understand the challenges faced by children and young people with SEND, and those educated in alternative provision. In 2022, a Green Paper was produced with proposals about how to meet these challenges. These are summarised in the film below:
SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper executive summary
Surrey County Council Strategies, Guidance and Policies
We have listed below some reports regarding Surrey County Council, along with some of its key policies and guidance documents
Inspections:
OFSTED inspect Children's Services across the United Kingdom. This includes the most recent inspections of Surrey's Children's Services and its SEND services.
Strategies:
- Surrey Inclusion and Additional Needs Strategy (2023 to 2026) describes Surrey County Council's (and others) ambition for all Surrey children and young people with additional needs and/ or disabilities and their families.
- Surrey's Joint Commissioning Strategy 2022 Joint Commissioning across the NHS and County Council enables us to work together to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families in a seamless, yet targeted way. It also maximises the use of our resources and reduces duplication. When we get this right as public sector agencies, we see it making a real difference to Surrey families.
Although this strategy is for at all children, young people and families in Surrey aged 0 to 25 years, it's prioritised for those cohorts who are vulnerable or have additional needs or disabilities, who are a priority for both the local NHS and council. These include children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND); who have mental health difficulties; or are Children in Need (CIN). Commissioners have a statutory mandate to work together and commission services for these children and young people. - Surrey County Council's Sufficiency Strategy provides an important overview as to how the council intends to respond to increasing demand for services and provision for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.
- Surrey's All-Age Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026: details the plans for Surrey to be a more autism friendly county in education, health, social care, work and in its communities. It also describes how services supporting autistic people will be improved. This video clip was created to underline how the strategy could help:
Surrey's All-Age autism strategy webinar
Guidance and policies:
- Ordinarily Available Provision this guidance sets out how settings, practitioners, families, and carers should work together to ensure that children's additional needs are met at the earliest opportunity.
- Travel Assistance in some instances children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan are entitled to support with their transport arrangements from home to school or college. There are separate policies for school-age children and a post-16 policy .
- School Admissions Surrey County Council have a separate School admissions policy for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
You can find further Surrey County Council policies and strategies on the SEND resources for practitioners page.#
Designated Clinical Officer (DCO)
What is a DCO?
A Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) plays an important role implementing SEND reforms within the Integrated Care Board (ICB). ICBs are NHS organisations responsible for planning health services for their local population; they replaced Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2022. In Surrey, there are two ICBs: Frimley ICB and Surrey Heartlands.
The DCO works closely with healthcare providers and the local authorities to support children and young people (up to 25 years) with additional needs and disabilities to ensure they live well and thrive.
What are the main functions of the DCO?
- Oversight - is the Intergrated Care Board (ICB) getting it right?
- Assurance - scrutiny, accountability, Education Health Care (EHC) plans, audit, support, local offer.
- Strategic - meeting the ICB statutory duties for SEND
- Championing - co-production, support, liaison, co-working and engagement.
How does the DCO do this?
The DCO works with health professionals, social care, education, Family Voice Surrey, ATLAS, voluntary sector and other colleagues across Surrey and the Southeast, who support children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.