SEND childcare and early years

Your health worker may have talked to you about notifying the Education team at Buckinghamshire Council about your child’s possible additional educational needs.

The Children’s Act 2014 (Section 23) gives a duty for health bodies to bring certain children who are under compulsory school age and who have (or probably have) special educational needs or a disability, to the local authority’s (Council’s) attention.

This legal duty is to enable your child to receive any necessary support to help with their development. This support can be provided by their:

• nursery
• pre-school
• childminder (early years setting)
• in the home, for example; by the Portage Service.

If you feel your child may need support in school, and an early years notification has not been made please discuss this with your health visitor.

The Integrated Special Educational Needs and Disability (iSEND) Team will work with you and others to see what support your child is getting already and whether there is anything else that might be helpful.

The iSEND team will consider how your child’s needs may develop over time but are mindful that children can change and develop differently. They will write to you, the early years setting and your health worker about how they feel your child’s needs are being met now, and whether they recommend any further action at this time. This will usually be within 6 weeks of the referral being received.

If your child is not currently in a nursery or pre-school, a member of the Early Years Brokerage Service will contact you to discuss options you may wish to consider. They will also contact professionals who know your child to see if they are confident that they are meeting your child’s needs.