CACHE Endorsed - Recognising and Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Introduce yourself to special educational needs (SEN) and disability, and learn to appreciate the importance of the subject in relation to equality and inclusion. Every child deserves to have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of what issues they may face. As a training early years practitioner, you need to be aware of the legislation that is in place, and learn how to recognise and support those with SEN who visit your learning environment. Child Led Service Delivery Previously, care and support for SEN children was service-led, which created problems when various services were required. Nowadays, there is more emphasis on child-and-young-person-led delivery, so that the services that are needed can be accessed with ease. After all, it’s important that children have the opportunity to have an opinion – or, if unable to communicate, advocates should be able to represent their wishes and opinions for them. Making Meaningful Observations It is essential that early years practitioners work alongside other agencies, to ensure continual support for every child and their family. Every child is different, with individual needs, so the development of a strong relationship and the provision of a good support network is a must. This can start from something as simple as making an observation in order to assess a child’s needs, but can go on to mean a solid relationship that can be trusted wholeheartedly.