Supporting young people with a special education need or disability

Sammy Jay Powell

By Sammy Jay Powell

Young people are important. They need and deserve the best start in life; helping children and young people to fulfil their potential should be a key ambition for all services, organisations and councils. However we know that for some young people this is not happening, and this is more common when a child or young person has a special education need or disability (SEND).

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service Herefordshire) aim for a service that is impartial, free to access and confidential and work towards empowering young people. Helping them to better understand the system and in turn make the system work better for young people seems a no- brainer and something that the growing number of SENDIASS YPAs work towards across the UK, and more locally in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

It was a revelation to hear about the Point of View (P.O.V.) project with its emphasis on creatively capturing the thoughts and views of its young people living rurally in Herefordshire, which seemed fitting to fall within the census year.

The P.O.V. project really demonstrates the need to capture the views of young people, allowing them to explore the experiences, challenges and general feedback - shining a spot light on the journey that young people with SEND have had. It is a pleasure to observe the style in which the project has been delivered so far, and highlight the need for appropriate consultation methods to be inclusive and pitched to suit the needs of all those that choose to engage, especially how consultation can be done to ensure it meets different needs.

SENDIASS YPA’s in Herefordshire works primarily with young people as they move through education as they aim to get closer to the world of paid work or volunteering. It’s important to figure out an individual’s hopes and aspirations as they make choices and decisions about their next steps towards adulthood. It’s also important to understand what is available in your area is important and to consider what is realistic.  

There are many varied impacts of the pandemic and we know the crisis has worsened the situation for many young people. Experts indicate that we are facing the worst jobs crisis in a generation with young people aged 18–24 likely to be hit particularly hard. What started as a health crisis will now become an economic and employment crisis with young people and those with SEND being the most disadvantaged. Young people with SEND have told us that they feel they already have limited opportunities, which are magnified when trying to move closer to paid employment.

In Herefordshire there are lots of opportunities, such as the IN2 project delivered by one of the partners HVOSS, that allow young people who are not in education, employment or training and are neuro-diverse to access bespoke support. This is a vital step in a positive direction and a much needed employment pathway.

By working together more in the future it can only strengthen the opportunities and experiences for young people across the county.  

SENDIASS provides free impartial information, advice and support on matters relating to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Read more about the work of SENDIASS here.