Government launches Lamb Inquiry implementation plan

Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Schools Minister Diana Johnson published plans to implement all the recommendations from the Lamb Inquiry on parental confidence in special educational needs (SEN) system on 24 February 2010.

Some of their actions include:

• £4 million for the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to develop advanced level SEN training around the five main SEN areas, which includes autism
• the TDA will also run projects engaging parents in the training and professional development of teachers
• a set of initiatives focused on embedding SEN knowledge with school leadership
• consultation on early intervention framework, including parents’ access to multi-agency teams
• A new training package on SEN law for school governors so governors are clear on their school's responsibilities to support children with SEN
• consultation on amending how information on SEN is given to parents
• a review of educational psychology services provided at arms length from local authorities and their impact on parental confidence and children's outcomes
• launch a dedicated helpline to provide information and advice to parents of children with SEN in April 2010

TreeHouse welcomes all of these steps. They include many of the recommendations we have made over the years to improve education for children and young people with autism and their families. TreeHouse will be following closely the implementation of the Lamb Inquiry’s implementation to ensure that it leads to real improvements across the country.

TreeHouse is also delighted to be welcoming Brian Lamb to talk about autism for a live chat on Thursday 25 March 2010 at 10am.  Please visit talk about autism for the details on how you can take part.

You can view the implementation plan for the Lamb Inquiry on the DCSF website