Guidance

Creating sustainable high needs systems

Information on how local authorities can manage their high needs systems and associated spending in a sustainable way.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 19 July 2021
• Last updated: 18 October 2022
  Show all updates

  1. 18 October 2022

     'Guidance on our intervention work with local authorities' document updated to reflect latest progress on the Delivering Better Value in SEND (DBV) programme including list of participating authorities and an updated list of Sector Steering Group (SSG) members.

  2. 23 June 2022

     Updated the page details section with a link to 'High needs budgets: effective management in local authorities' research report. Replaced 'Sustainable high needs systems: learning from the ‘safety valve’ intervention programme' with 'Guidance on our intervention work with local authorities' and added 'Sustainability in high needs systems: guidance for local authorities'.

  3. 24 March 2022

     Added 'March 2022 update' to the 'Sustainable high needs systems: learning from the ‘safety valve’ intervention programme' document.

  4. 19 July 2021

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Sustainability in high needs systems: guidance for local authorities

PDF, 292 KB, 31 pages

Guidance on our intervention work with local authorities

PDF, 309 KB, 16 pages

Sustainable high needs systems: 2021 case studies

PDF, 236 KB, 13 pages

Details

How local authorities can manage their high needs spending in an effective and sustainable way.

It includes:

• guidance for local authorities on how to manage their high needs systems effectively and sustainably, drawing on learning from the high needs budgets effective management in local authorities research report and the safety valve intervention programme
• guidance on our intervention work with local authorities, including updates on the delivering better value in SEND programme and the safety valve intervention programme
• case studies from local authorities highlighting examples of work to manage high needs systems sustainably seen through our intervention programmes, from 2021