Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of wraparound services for special educational needs children in educational settings.

Ensuring that all children and young people, without exception, have access to the right educational support, so that they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives is a priority for the government, and the department recognises the important role that wraparound childcare can play in providing this support.

For this reason, we have outlined measures in the SEND Review: Right support, Right place that will help to create a more inclusive education system to ensure that children and young people with SEND thrive, details of which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-ap-green-paper-responding-to-the-consultation.

The department does not hold a central register of wraparound providers from which an accurate assessment of wraparound services for children with SEND in educational settings can be made. However, all local authorities have a legal duty to ensure that there are sufficient childcare places, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents in their area for children aged 0-14, or up to 18 for disabled children.

Local authorities must also publish and maintain a clear, accessible local offer of services to support children and young people with SEND and their families and keep education and care provision under review and consider if it is sufficient to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND in their area. Parents also have the right to request that the school their child attends considers establishing wraparound and/or holiday childcare if this is not already the case. More information about how to request wraparound childcare can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778997/Rights_to_request_guidance-2019.pdf.

Other services may also be of help to parents of children with SEND concerned about access to childcare. Local Family Information Service can give advice on childcare providers in their area that may be able to accommodate specific childcare requirements. Relevant contact details can be found by using the childcare finder available here: http://finder.familyandchildcaretrust.org/kb5/fct/childcarefinder/home.page.

Advice on services for disabled children can also be obtained from local information, advice and support services, the contact details for which can be obtained through the Information, Advice and Support Services Network available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/about-us-0/networks/information-advice-and-support-services-network.