I’m pleased to see significant new investment in SEND support in Devon, which will make a real difference for families in Exeter who have been waiting far too long for help.
Devon County Council will receive almost £5 million to launch a new “Experts at Hand” service, designed to give children earlier access to specialist support like speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and educational psychology, without families having to go through lengthy assessments first.
This approach will support children sooner and closer to home, helping schools put help in place before issues escalate. Many parents have told me how delays in the SEND system have pushed situations to crisis point, so earlier intervention really matters.
This funding follows a more than £12 million investment to create new specialist SEND places in Devon, plus additional funding to train up teachers to meet a range of needs.
The aim of these changes is simple: to make sure children get the right support at the right time, without parents having to fight for it. This new service will open up access to specialist help that has too often felt out of reach for families in Exeter, so that every child can achieve and thrive.
