Village of Bulmer in Essex

More than 60 new activities, clubs and groups have been added to the Essex Local Offer. This means even more children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and their families, can benefit from inclusive opportunities across the county. Families can find out more by visiting the Essex Local Offer at send.essex.gov.uk

The Essex Local Offer gives information about support available to children and young people aged between 0 to 25, and their parents and carers. Families can use the Local Offer to:

• understand what to do if they are new to SEND
• browse for local support such as support groups, fun activities or specialist healthcare
• find out what to do in a complex situation, for example if they need to appeal a decision
• get advice for young people with SEND, such as housing and employment support

The council is encouraging families to make full use of the Local Offer to help them in their daily lives. New SEND inclusive opportunities are being added to the Local Offer website all the time and the website is kept regularly up-to-date.

Councillor Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “We are continuing to improve the SEND system across Essex. Increasing the amount of inclusive clubs, activities and groups listed on the Essex Local Offer is an important part of ensuring families have access to the support they need, when they need it.

“We are pleased that the Local Offer is playing a part in connecting families to the breadth of services available. We’d also like to encourage people to suggest more opportunities that can be added to the online directory while using the free service to access the support they need.”

Families can find out more by visiting the Essex Local Offer at send.essex.gov.uk

Residents can suggest services or activities to be added to the directory by filling in this short form: https://forms.office.com/e/y2hY29srK1

SEND inclusive organisations and groups can request to join the Local Offer directory by visiting send.essex.gov.uk/get-listed