Brighton and Hove City Council 
The SEND White Paper – Every Child Achieving and Thriving
Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) recognise that the SEND Reforms are a concerning time for families in the city. The Government have released the SEND White Paper and a consultation alongside this. Information about the proposed SEND Reforms can be found here and the consultation was open for responses until the 18th of May. We are looking forward to seeing how ours and others’ feedback supports the Reform as it develops. For more information on the SEND White Paper and what it might mean for parents and carers, see the Webinar created by Amaze which explains what might change and how to have your say here.
Even though the proposals are still in the consultation stage, Local Authorities have been asked to submit local plans about how we will travel towards the systems described in the SEND White Paper and the SEND Reforms. This communication sets out the responsibilities of the local authority in submitting our plan to the Department for Education.
What Brighton & Hove is working on
Our SEND Reform Plan is about putting strong foundations in place so that SEND provision in Brighton and Hove can genuinely improve over time. The main areas we’re focusing on are:
- Making everyday support stronger in mainstream settings, so schools and settings are better equipped to meet children’s needs without families having to push hard for help.
- Developing our new ‘Experts at Hand’ approach, giving schools and settings clearer, more consistent access to professional advice (like educational psychologists, Speech and Language and Occupational therapists, and specialist teachers), working alongside staff in teams rather than relying only on individual referrals.
- Identifying and focusing on needs earlier, especially in early years, so children get the right support sooner.
- Planning and resourcing local provision better, so fewer children have to travel long distances to get the support they need.
- A renewed approach to working together as partners, with education, health, social care, the council and families all sharing responsibility for improving outcomes for all children and young people.
The SEND Reform plan covers children and young people aged 0–25 and brings together work across early years, schools, further education, access to employment and training, alongside health and council services.
Co-production and the voice of families
The Department for Education is clear that real change won’t happen unless parents, carers and children and young people are genuinely involved. Our plan recognises PaCC (Parent and Carers Council) and Amaze as key partners in helping to shape decisions, to keep track of progress, and challenge where things aren’t working as they should. As the Department for Education has set a deadline of May 19th for our first draft, and June 19th for the final submission, opportunities for co-production have been limited due to timeframes.
However, PaCC and Amaze have been invited to co-production meetings and have been involved where time and capacity have allowed. PaCC have also met with the Director for Education and Learning and the Programme Lead for briefing sessions as the work has progressed. They have also had access to review BHCC’s developing plans and had opportunity to provide feedback, where they have had capacity to do so. PaCC have shared feedback with the Department for Education advisor, noting that the tight deadline for BHCC’s SEND Reform draft plan compromises co-production.
The Department of Education want to ensure that co-production with PaCC and the parent carer community is embedded and resourced over years 1- 3 of the plan, and our plans state how we will co-produce with parent/carers throughout the longer-term process. BHCC want to understand what it’s really like for families using the system, and where change needs to happen.
Where we are now
BHCC are currently in the final stages of pulling the full SEND Reform Plan together. This includes:
- Bringing together work from the different task and finish groups, including groups on:
- Experts at Hand
- SEND Sufficiency
- The Universal Offer (or Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice)
- Early Years and Post-16
- Effective Partnerships
- Co-Production
- Mediation
- Data
- Working to develop the Experts at Hand workforce plan (see more information on Experts at Hand within this webpage by the Education Hub)
- Reviewing the plan with senior leaders and advisers, e.g. Service Leads of inclusion services, the Family Hubs, the Department for Education Advisors, ICB, Amaze, and PaCC
- Working with nurseries, schools, and FE colleges
- Making sure our plan meets national expectations while reflecting Brighton & Hove’s local priorities
The final plan will be submitted to the Department for Education on 19 June 2026. After that, it won’t sit on a shelf — it will be used locally as a live delivery plan, reviewed and updated regularly.
What happens next
Once the plan is submitted, the focus will move onto delivery and ongoing review. BHCC will look to improve timescales for joint working and resource to work closely with PaCC, Amaze and wider partners, to enable BHCC to
- Share progress regularly and openly
- Listen carefully to feedback from families
- Change our approach when things aren’t working as intended