A new foundation which will enable practitioners to join together to provide multi-disciplinary specialist services for children with special educational needs is being launched next month – and could transform the present fragmented and bureaucratic system.

 The Clarity Foundation hopes to attract health and social care providers, as well as education specialists, to join as members who can be referred to families and local authorities as approved providers meeting statutory guidelines. 

 The foundation is the brainchild of speech and language therapist Janet O’Keefe and Robert Ashton, best selling business author, social entrepreneur and campaigner, who are passionate about providing a new joined-up efficient system which supports children and their families with educational support, while at the same time eliminating unnecessary duplication and bureaucracy.

 It will be launched at a conference entitled, Towards a Positive Future, aimed at parents and professionals, to inspire, share experiences and discover how they can achieve more for children with special needs. The conference is being held on October 14-15 at Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury, which is based at the Mary Hare School for deaf children.

 There are currently 1.7 million children with special educational needs in England who require support for wide ranging conditions, from dyslexia, dyspraxia and Down’s syndrome, to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

 Janet says: “We believe that having a one-stop shop is the best way to enable parents and local authorities find all the support services desperately needed by children with special needs, and that our foundation is the most practical and efficient way of ensuring that those services are integrated and coordinated.  We need to bring practitioners from health, education and social care together and plan for the future while the present guidelines for new contract arrangements is under review.  Our foundation will be a valuable database of all heath and social care providers, as well as education specialists.

 “Additionally, we can streamline time consuming and expensive administrative processes. For example, we can help with criminal bureau checks and professional indemnity insurance.  At the moment, if a practitioner is not directly employed by a school or local authority, every school they visit should conduct its own CRB check.  Many practitioners regularly visit 20 schools a week sometimes in several different counties and are therefore checked 20 times.”

 Robert says it makes good sense to become more efficient during the present changes:

 He says: “However you feel about the Government’s “Big Society” agenda, the fact is that the worlds of education, health and social care are undergoing massive change. The Clarity Foundation is being formed to help parents make sense of those changes, and in parallel to help practitioners create their own enterprises. That way both groups can connect, create opportunities and meet the needs of young people striving to overcome disadvantage.”

 Specialist speakers include educational psychologist and former head teacher Charlie Mead, who has worked with children with severe emotional and behavioural problems and special needs for 20 years. He has grave concerns about the present system and highlights failures he has observed, leading to neglect in some cases for vulnerable young people.

 He says: “Charities are afraid to stand up for their clients in case their funding is withdrawn. Academies are afraid of further failure by taking on exactly those students who would benefit most from their resources. Children and Family Services have neglected the vulnerable due to bureaucratic inertia and a lack of consistency. All these situations can be changed if the interests of the child are put first.

 “When working with highly vulnerable children in care, many of whom have been sectioned, it is clear that the recession is having a considerable impact on the young people and their families – especially those who cannot cope emotionally, are addicts, are sexualized early and have been abused.  They need expert consistent provision – not piecemeal services from organisations who are threatened by lack of funding.”

 Other key speakers are Kevin Geeson, CEO of Dyslexia Action, who will highlight the impact of the SEN Green Paper; speech and language specialist Prof Heather van der Lely, who will highlight her simple test for an early diagnosis of specific language impairment; and both Sandy Burbach and Alex Kelly, who will describe the importance of developing social skills and self esteem in children.

 Janet is also launching a book she has edited at the conference also called Towards a Positive Future which includes stories, ideas and inspiration from children with special educational needs, their families and professionals.

 Full details about the conference can be found at their website, Towards a Positive Future: http://towardsapositivefuture.wordpress.com/

 There is a range of ticket prices: parent £90 (one day) £155 (both days); second parent £60 (one day) £120 (both days); professionals £200 (one day) £385 (both days).

 Media requests can be made to press consultant Ellee Seymour on 07939 811961, email ellee.seymour@btopenworld.com

“Update on Special Educational Needs and DISability Tribunal Regulations”

28th July 2009 at 9.30am – 4pm

Location: Anthony Collins Solicitors, 134 Edmund Street, Birmingham, B3 2ES, (within walking distance of New Street Train Station)

Speaking will be:

John Friel, Barrister of Hardwicke Building

“…good technical knowledge.” – Chambers UK (2009)

“…achieves success in cases that may not appear so strong on paper.” – The Legal 500 (2008)

John is featured in Legal 500 and Chambers UK as an Education Law specialist.

Inez Brown, Solicitor of Anthony Collins

Inez leads on the educational support for individuals. She has vast experience in educational matters providing support on statutory assessment of children with special educational needs and admission/exclusion issues arising from maintained schools.

Melinda Nettleton, Solicitor of SEN Legal

Melinda qualified as a solicitor in 1980 working initially for a local authority and then for the Crown Prosecution Service. She specialized in litigation (evidence and advocacy).  Melinda has three children, one of whom has dyslexia, dyspraxia, and a severe language disorder.

Janet O’Keefe, Speech and Language Therapist, Wordswell Ltd and Chair of the MLSIG

 Janet has specialised in working with children and adults with hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and dyslexia.

If you would like to attend, please email MLSIG@wordswell.co.uk to register your interest.

  You can pay in advance by posting a cheque for £25, made payable to “MLSIG” to Wordswell, 82 Cannon Street, Little Downham, Ely, Cambs, CB6 2SS.

For further information, please do not hesitate to get in contact.