Investing in local provision to support more children closer to home

Devon County Council Cabinet Members have been told that the Dedicated Schools Grant, which funds special educational needs and disabilities services, is forecasting an overspend this financial year of £53.3 million, according to the council’s month four financial position.

But they also heard that month four is very early in the budget monitoring cycle and that much will change as the year progresses, with officers taking action to ensure spend is brought into balance by the year end.

Councillor Denise Bickley, Cabinet Member with responsibility for SEND, said:

“We understand that recent media coverage about Devon’s SEND budget may be concerning you, and we want to reassure you that our priority remains firmly on supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

“The challenges we are facing around rising demand and the significant financial pressures we are under due to increased costs are not unique to Devon. Many councils across the country are experiencing similar situations.

“Through our ongoing improvement programme, we’re taking action to reduce our overspend while continuing to improve the quality and accessibility of our SEND services. We are strengthening relationships with our health and education partners to ensure we are all pushing in the same direction to improve the entire offer for Devon’s young people.

“This includes investing in local provision so we can support more children closer to home, rather than relying on external placements, which are costly, and often require longer journeys for families.

“We’re also working closely with government and partners to push for the national changes that are urgently needed to make the SEND system more sustainable and effective.”