Devon County Council has shared an update on a major programme aimed at improving support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The “Building Inclusive Learning Communities” initiative forms part of the council’s wider SEND Transformation Programme, which was refreshed last year to accelerate improvements and ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

The work focuses on providing help earlier, strengthening partnership working, and enabling more children to have their needs met in local mainstream schools.

The council says too many families currently face long waits for support, diagnosis-led processes, or placements in specialist settings far from home.

By improving local provision and ensuring education, health and social care services work more closely together, the programme aims to reduce stress for families and improve outcomes for children.

This latest update on progress was presented on Thursday, 22 January, to the council’s Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee. The report highlights steps taken to bring services closer together and to increase school capacity, allowing more children with additional needs to be supported within their own communities.

Councillor Frank Biederman, Chairman of the Children’s Scrutiny Committee, said every child in Devon “deserves the chance to learn, grow and succeed close to home.”

He welcomed the progress made so far, adding that the programme is about “making sure families get support earlier” and helping schools feel confident in meeting children’s needs.

He also stressed the importance of joined-up working, saying services must work together “rather than in silos.” While acknowledging that challenges remain, including rising demand and financial pressures, Councillor Biederman said it was clear the council was “absolutely committed to getting this right for young people.”

The report also recognises the environmental impact of children travelling long distances to school, noting that increasing inclusive education locally could reduce travel stress, cut carbon emissions and make services more sustainable in the long term.