Sefton Council’s Cabinet will next week consider the next phase of the improvement programme for the Borough’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Travel Support service.

Choice, flexibility & independence

The improvement programme focuses on offering greater choice, flexibility and independence for families. It has been co-produced with the Sefton Parent Carer Forum (SPCF). The SPCF and the Council facilitated engagement opportunities for families of SEND children and young people to have their say on the proposals through in-person events, online meetings and public consultations.

In July last year, Cabinet gave overall approval for the programme and its first phase of initiatives to go ahead. These included introducing a new Independent Travel Training offer, enhancements to the existing Personal Travel Budget offer and a new framework for commissioning transport from market operators.

Next week’s Cabinet meeting will consider the final phase of the improvement programme. It would mean a simplified, ICT supported application process for travel support while a specialist ICT system to support route planning will minimise journey times and distances. New technology is also proposed to improve communications between the Council, families, schools and providers.

Very best start every day

Cllr Diane Roscoe, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said: “These proposals are all about giving SEND children and young people throughout Sefton the very best start every day.

“They will improve the travel experience for students and will result in better communication for families, schools, the council and transport providers.

“And the added bonus is, that the new route planning will also reducing the environmental impact of those journeys.”

None of the changes affect pupils’ eligibility. They focus on how support can be made clearer, more efficient and better meet the needs of children and young people.

The introduction of advanced route‑planning technology designed specifically for SEND transport, will help ensure that daily journeys are shorter, more reliable and meet the needs of all children receiving support. It will improve environmental sustainability and, for many pupils who are able, create new opportunities to travel with their friends rather than in isolation.

We’ve listened

Cllr Roscoe, added: “Families have told us what needs to improve, and we’ve listened.

“If my Cabinet colleagues approve this next phase, and I hope they will, we will be putting in place delivering a service that is more reliable, more flexible and more responsive to every child’s needs.”

We will be in touch

She continued: “I fully understand that the prospect of changes will raise questions for families eligible for SEND Travel Support and can assure them that once these measures are approved, we will be in touch promptly to explain what the improvements will mean for them.”

You can find out more about SEND services in Sefton here.

You can find the  agenda and papers for next week's  Cabinet meeting here.