Safety Valve agreements: views on operation and impact
Report exploring the views of stakeholders in local special educational needs and disability (SEND) systems about the impact of Safety Valve agreements.
Applies to England
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This report presents findings from research carried out to gather the views of key stakeholders on how local strategic initiatives linked to Safety Valve agreements have operated locally and their impact on schools and other institutions, children, young people and families.
The research took place between November 2024 and May 2025 in 10 case study areas with Safety Valve agreements. It involved in-depth discussions with local SEND system leaders including:
- organisations representing parents and carers
- education settings
- health services
- local authorities
Safety Valve was a government intervention programme for local authorities in England. Local authorities were invited to participate based on having the highest deficits in their dedicated schools grant (DSG) at the time. No new Safety Valve agreements are now being made.