Introduction
Somerset’s SEND Local Offer brings together information about the support and services available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families.
You do not need an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan to use the Local Offer. It is for all children and young people with SEND who Somerset Council is responsible for.
You can use the Local Offer to:
- understand SEND and the support that may be available
- find out what help education settings should provide
- find local services and support
- understand Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
- prepare for changes, such as starting school or moving into adulthood
- find advice if you need help or something is not working
The Local Offer is also for professionals. It can help you understand the support available in Somerset and direct children, young people and families to the right information.
Making the Local Offer accessible
We want everyone to be able to find, understand and use the information they need.
Our Local Offer Accessibility Strategy explains how we work to remove barriers. This includes helping people to:
- find the Local Offer
- find their way around the website and SEND services
- understand the information we provide
- access and use services
- tell us what could be more accessible
We know that people access information in different ways. Some people may also need support to find or understand information. Our Accessibility Strategy explains the different ways we are working to help.
Working together on the Local Offer
We work with children and young people, parent carers, education, health, social care and community organisations to develop and improve the Local Offer.
This helps us make sure the information reflects the experiences of families and the support available in Somerset.
We work with parent carers through groups including:
- Somerset Parent Carer Forum
- Somerset SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS)
- the Support Group Forum
We hear from children and young people through Somerset Council’s SEND Participation Team, Young Person’s Champion and the Unstoppables Young Person’s Forum.
We hear from professionals through Early Years SENCO Networks, SEND Network groups, the Neuro-Affirmative Forum and other working groups.
Their experiences and feedback help us understand what is working and what we need to improve.
Keeping the Local Offer useful
We regularly check and update the Local Offer. Children and young people, families, professionals and services help us understand what is working and what we can improve.
Find out how we keep the Local Offer up to date and use your feedback.
How the Local Offer started
Local authorities have had to publish a Local Offer since 2014.
Somerset’s Local Offer was first published on 1 September 2014. It was developed with Somerset Council, NHS Somerset, Somerset Parent Carer Forum and groups of children and young people from Somerset schools and colleges. Compass Disability also supported its early development.
The Local Offer has continued to develop since then as services, guidance and the needs of children, young people and families have changed.
How we plan and improve SEND services
The Local Offer is one part of how organisations across Somerset work together to support children and young people with SEND.
You can find out about our priorities, plans, how we review our work and the improvements we are making on our SEND Strategy and our plans page.
