If she will invest in data infrastructure to better understand where and when disabled children need support.
The department collects and publishes information on disabled children, including through the school census, the SEN2 survey and in the children in need census. These returns provide multiple insights on disabled children and young people such as need and provision type, information recorded as part of the education, health and care (EHC) processes, children receiving support for their disability as a child in need and spending on services for disabled children.Local authorities have clear statutory duties to provide support for disabled children including Section 17(1) of the Children Act 1989 which places a general duty on local authorities to provide services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need (which includes disabled children). The provision relating to the child or young person's specific needs can be recorded in an EHC and/or a family help plan which covers non-statutory targeted early help support and services provided to a child in need where requirements are set out in the department’s 2023 ‘Working together to safeguard children’ guidance.This national and local data infrastructure enables government and local authorities to plan and deliver more effective services and support for disabled children and young peopleThe department keeps the content of all our data collections under review, including those which collect information on special educational needs and disabilities, whilst ensuring that the data we collect is necessary, feasible and minimises the data collection burden placed on the sector.