This is one of 10 Hubs established by Government and it is operated for our region by Somerset. The DCFS wanted the Local Authorities to focus more on the ‘enjoy’ and ‘achieve’ focus of Every Child Matters. It also wanted to combine SEN and school improvement in order to progress this.
Part of the brief for regional Hubs is to
- Ensure that national policies, programmes and initiatives are embedded faithfully and consistently across LA settings in England
- Provide a tool to improve communication and feedback on the implementation of policies and programmes
- There are four ‘strands’ covering Inclusion Development Programme (IDP), Progression, Provision and Statutory Processes and Participation.
The Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) for example is an e-learning resource to support schools and early learning settings. It is linked to training teachers and staff at schools to feel confident about meeting the needs of children and young people with different types of SEN. You will find more information on the website and can link to further websites, which may be of interest to you.
You can find further details on what this pilot project involves, as well as newsletters and useful links, on the South West Hub website at www.swlahub.org.uk