Association of Educational Psychologists

UPDATE

SEN / PATHFINDER PROJECTS - Information required please

As we await the response to the SEN Green Paper we are aware that the SEN Pathfinder Projects have been set up across England.  There appears to have been no official reporting back on any of these projects to date but we are really interested to know they are developing. 

If you or your EP Service are involved in one of the pathfinder projects, please could you let us know what progress has been made and the nature of EP involvement.  

Please send any response to enquiries@aep.org.uk with SEN Pathfinder Projects in the title line. 

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The Government has announced that 20 pathfinders, covering 31 local authorities and their Primary Care Trust (PCT) partners, will trial the new assessment process and statements set out in the SEN and disabilities Green Paper.

All pathfinders will be required to test the following areas of reform:

• a single education, health and care plan from birth to 25 years old, focusing on whether outcomes for disabled children and their parents have been improved
• personal budgets for parents of disabled children and those with SEN so they can choose which services best suit the needs of their children
• strong partnership between all local services and agencies working together to help disabled children and those with SEN
• improved commissioning, particularly through links to health reforms
• the role of voluntary and community sector organisations and parents in a new system
• the cost of reform.

Optional areas to be trialed by the pathfinder include:

• whether a national funding framework would help parents understand what level of funding is available to support their child’s needs
• better support to help parents through the process
• support to vulnerable children through the new process
• the impact of reforms on children aged 16 to 25, or children in the early years.

Each pathfinder will receive up to £150,000 per local authority per year.

Local authorities in which the pathfinders will be trialed are:

South East- Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Medway, Surrey, West Sussex and Southampton

South West- Devon, Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Wiltshire

London- Greenwich, Bromley, Bexley and Lewisham

East of England- Hertfordshire

East and West Midlands- Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, Nottingham County Council and Solihull

North West- Trafford, Oldham/Rochdale, Manchester and Wigan

North East-Gateshead, Hartlepool and Darlington

Yorkshire and Humber- Calderdale and North Yorkshire