Watch this Let's Talk SEND were we looked back of the work of the SEND partnership over 2025, and take questions from families.
We agree it’s positive that the government is rolling out Mental Health Support Teams in Dorset schools, with the aim of full coverage by 2029. Locally, we’re working in partnership to transform emotional wellbeing and mental health services so that support is available early, not just for children in school, but also for those who are unable to attend.
Currently, schools and local authorities must follow Department for Education (DfE) guidance on attendance: Working together to improve school attendance (effective from 19 August 2024). This guidance asks schools, trusts, and local authorities to work together and use the full range of legal interventions, rather than relying solely on penalty notices or prosecution.
In Dorset, we issue fewer fines and prosecutions than many neighbouring authorities because we take a relational approach. This means we focus on understanding the reasons behind non-attendance and work with families to find solutions. For example, one option might be a joint attendance contract rather than moving straight to a fine.
At present, we do not expect the DfE guidance to change. However, we continue to share Dorset’s experiences and feedback with elected members and MPs so that the challenges families face are heard at a national level.
Dorset Council uses a commissioning cycle to make sure services meet the needs of local residents, including children and young people. This involves:
- Identifying and monitoring needs across Dorset.
- Reviewing current services to check they meet those needs.
- Commissioning new services or updating existing ones where needed, or stopping services that no longer meet needs effectively.
- Following a procurement process that meets legal requirements and Dorset Council rules.
Where appropriate, engaging with providers to help shape service specifications and understand how providers can meet them.
In Children’s Services, we sometimes make spot purchases for urgent needs that can’t be met through existing contracts. However, most commissioning focuses on developing services and managing contracts at scale.
If you’re interested in becoming a provider, we recommend visiting the Doing Business with Dorset Council page on our website and registering for notifications about new contract opportunities.
Settings and other education providers may also work directly with local suppliers, so you might want to engage with settings in your area to explore opportunities.
Funding for learners with SEND is provided to schools and colleges to help them make reasonable adjustments and deliver the support outlined in each student’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This funding comes either directly from the Department for Education (DfE) or from the local authority (LA). It is not paid to families because it is intended for the setting to provide the agreed support.
It’s important to note that EHCP funding is not a ring-fenced amount for each child. Instead, schools and colleges receive a combination of core funding and top-up funding from the LA. Their accountability is for delivering the provision set out in Section F of the EHCP, rather than itemising spend per pupil. We monitor this through the Annual Review process and through quality assurance checks. If support specified in the EHCP is not being delivered, we work with the setting to make sure the correct provision is put in place.
Core funding usually supports the school’s overall capacity to meet needs, while top-up funding can be used for specific interventions such as one-to-one support, small group work, teaching assistant support, or emotional literacy support (ELSA). This list is not exhaustive, as schools have flexibility to meet needs in the most effective way.
We understand how frustrating it can be when communication takes longer than expected, and we’re sorry for the stress this causes families and settings.
Demand for SEND services has grown significantly, and many of our SEND Provision Leads now support around 270 families each, receiving hundreds of emails and many calls every day. Some staff also work part-time, which can add to delays. This year we’ve also faced challenges such as staff sickness and turnover, which means time is needed to recruit and train new team members. Despite these pressures, our team works hard to respond as quickly as possible, and we are committed to improving this.
To help, we’ve trialled an appointment booking system in East and Purbeck, allowing families and settings to book time directly with a SEND team member, which was well received. As we develop our Family Hubs across the county, we are planning to offer opportunities for parents, carers and practitioners to meet with Dorset Council staff regularly in these spaces so look out for further communication around this.
We also introduced a new Case Management System in summer 2025. While it has taken time to learn, it will make processes more efficient and ensure decisions are transparent to all parties.
You can also reach out to Dorset SENDIASS, which provides free, confidential advice to families in Dorset. The Dorset Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service, provided by Family Action, offer free, confidential, accurate and impartial advice and support to families living in Dorset.
You are welcome to contact the SENDIASS team directly. Their response time is up to five days, and they work on a triage system. When you contact them, please provide further information. Include any urgent deadlines or need, phone number and email plus availability.
Contact them directly via:
Website contact form: Dorset SENDIASS - Family Action
Email: dorset.sendiass@family-action.org.uk
Phone: 01305 595477 (answer machine service)
We understand that waiting for panel decisions can feel frustrating and unclear. Here’s what happens behind the scenes:
Our panels are designed to make sure decisions are consistent and fair. Each week, we consider more than 100 children and young people’s situations. Panels include senior representatives from the Local Authority, Health, Education, and Social Care. All members receive the necessary reports well in advance and are required to read them before the meeting so they are fully prepared.
Panels follow a formal Terms of Reference, which is currently being reviewed along with other decision-making processes in Children’s Services. Chairs always aim to include the voice of the child or young person, this could be through written documents, pictures, videos, or other contributions, sometimes provided by parents/carers. For young people over 16, we take every opportunity to hear directly from them.
The number of discussions per panel is managed carefully to allow enough time for each child’s situation to be considered in detail. However, this can mean there is sometimes a wait before a request is heard. During this time, our teams should keep in touch with you.
If you would like a further individual conversation about this question, please contact letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk with further information and we would be happy to arrange this.
Thank you for raising this important point. Yes, panels often consider children who are unable to communicate verbally, and our staff are very aware that this can be due to trauma or other factors. In these cases, we look for alternative ways to hear the child’s voice, such as through trusted practitioners who know them well, or through written, visual, or creative contributions.
Dorset schools and services have been working for several years to embed trauma-informed and relational approaches into practice, not just as a one-off session but as part of whole-school culture.
- Attachment Aware Schools Programme: Since 2018, Dorset Council’s Virtual School has delivered whole-school training on trauma-informed practice. This led to the creation of the Dorset Relational Practice Schools Network, supported by Educational Psychologists and Specialist Teachers. So far, 53 schools have received this training as part of our core offer.
- Therapeutic Thinking Training: Since 2021, schools have been encouraged to take part in this programme, which focuses on a relational approach to supporting behaviour. Senior leaders from 92 schools have completed the training and are embedding it in their schools, supported by Education Challenge Leads, Educational Psychologists, and Specialist Teachers.
- Ongoing support: A dedicated network helps schools develop a whole-school culture that reflects these principles. Many schools now have a Relational Policy in place, and we continue to support leaders to embed this work across Dorset.
Both approaches aim to promote inclusion, belonging, and emotional wellbeing, while removing barriers to learning. We recognise that parents often need to act as advocates for their child, and we encourage schools and services to work closely with families in these situations.
If you would like to have a conversation with us about your individual circumstances, do please email us at letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
We think that this question is related to ADHD medication as we are emerging from a national shortage of some of the medications required to manage ADHD. This shortage is being overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS England’s Medicine’s Supply Team.
We would like to reassure you that the shortages are being monitored weekly within NHS Dorset and a system wide plan involving primary and secondary care clinicians is being developed to allow initiation of therapy for new patients once the national shortage issues have been fully resolved. We would also advise that if you have any questions about your child or young person's individual treatment to seek a view from your health care practitioner.
With regards to waiting times, Dorset has seen a significant and sustained increase in referrals for both ASD and ADHD assessments across all age groups.
This rise reflects a positive shift toward greater awareness and recognition of neurodiversity. At the same time, this has placed unprecedented pressure on services, resulting in long and growing waiting lists.
We, together with our partners have implemented the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) pilot, which has recently been extended. This is a national initiative aiming to support the facilitation of early interventions at school level, upskill school staff, and strengthen local partnerships, and ultimately help improve outcomes for neurodivergent children, including those with ASD and ADHD.
In addition, we have completed an All-Age Neurodiversity Review. One of the key outcomes of the review is the launch of our co-produced Dorset Neurodiversity Hub, which is a dedicated website offering local resources, information and support for individuals who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ASD and ADHD, as well as their families and carers. We know that many people have used this new website since it was set up.
Another key recommendation from the review is a shift towards a needs-led model of care, rather than a diagnosis-first approach. Since the review concluded, a Neurodiversity Working Group has been established to guide the development of this model.
A central component of the new model is the development and implementation of the Neurodiversity Exploration and Strengths Tool - Dorset (NEST-D). Building on profiling tools developed initially in Portsmouth and expanded by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, NEST-D aims to support earlier identification of strengths and needs, leading to a personalised support plan. Where appropriate, individuals may then progress for a full diagnostic assessment.
The Neurodiversity Working Group also recognise the need to expand therapeutic interventions beyond medication, ensuring broader, more holistic support. It is anticipated that this new model will include a needs-led, single point of access, improving navigation and accessibility for individuals and families.
If you would like further information about any of this, please drop us an email to SEND@nhsdorset.nhs.uk
We agree it’s positive that the government is rolling out Mental Health Support Teams in Dorset schools, with the aim of full coverage by 2029. Locally, we’re working in partnership to transform emotional wellbeing and mental health services so that support is available early, not just for children in school, but also for those who are unable to attend.
Currently, schools and local authorities must follow Department for Education (DfE) guidance on attendance: Working together to improve school attendance (effective from 19 August 2024). This guidance asks schools, trusts, and local authorities to work together and use the full range of legal interventions, rather than relying solely on penalty notices or prosecution.
In Dorset, we issue fewer fines and prosecutions than many neighbouring authorities because we take a relational approach. This means we focus on understanding the reasons behind non-attendance and work with families to find solutions. For example, one option might be a joint attendance contract rather than moving straight to a fine.
At present, we do not expect the DfE guidance to change. However, we continue to share Dorset’s experiences and feedback with elected members and MPs so that the challenges families face are heard at a national level.
Thank you for this question. We should include information from both private and NHS provided reports when creating/updating EHCPs. We know that the quality and content of private reports can vary, so we would usually seek a view from NHS colleagues if we only have private reports.
If you would like to have a conversation with us about your individual circumstances, do please email letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or SEND@nhsdorset.nhs.uk
You can also reach out to Dorset SENDIASS - Family Action, which provides free, confidential advice to families in Dorset. The Dorset Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service, provided by Family Action, offer free, confidential, accurate and impartial advice and support to families living in Dorset.
You are welcome to contact the SENDIASS team directly. Their response time is up to five days, and they work on a triage system. When you contact them, please provide further information. Include any urgent deadlines or need, phone number and email plus availability.
Contact them directly via:
Website contact form: Dorset SENDIASS - Family Action
Email: dorset.sendiass@family-action.org.uk
Phone: 01305 595477 (answer machine service)