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This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

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Petition Provide all care-experienced children with a right to be assessed for an EHCP

This petition calls for all care-experienced children to be provided with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment as an automatic right, upon request. This would provide all care-experienced children with an equality of opportunity, following a disadvantaged start in life.

More details

• Approximately 50% of care-experienced children have recognised SEND, compared to 15% of their peers (DfE 2020)
• Children who enter care experience delayed identification of SEND (EPI 2021)
• Care-experienced children are less than half as likely to achieve grade 9-5 in English and Maths (DfE 2019)
• Looked after children are nearly five times as likely to be suspended from school than their peers (DfE 2019), & adopted children are up to four times as likely to be suspended (Adoption UK 2019)

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

3,773 signatures

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10,000 signatures required to get a government response

MPs discuss SEND and alternative provision improvement plan

On Monday 6 March the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about the Government's new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan.

The Minister updated MPs on the Government's progress to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or alternative provision in England.

She said the Government will:

  • Develop new national special educational needs and disabilities and alternative provision standards to set out what support should be available.
  • Establish local SEND and AP partnerships.
  • Train thousands more early years special educational needs co-ordinators and 400 more educational psychologists.
  • Invest £2.6 billion by 2025 in new special and alternative provision places, and improve provision.
  • Publish guidance on ensuring effective transitions between all stages of education, and an effective transition into employment and adult services.
  • Invest in supported internships.
  • Expand school and college mental health support teams.

Following the statement the Minister was questioned by MPs.

What are Ministerial statements?

Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.

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