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Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey, whose son is severely disabled, says "it's too early to say" whether the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms announced by the government will help children and families, but adds that it is a "step in the right direction". Report by Ketchs. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00It's too early to say whether the government's reforms will help children and families.
00:03I think they're a step in the right direction.
00:05They have consulted widely and there's further consultation.
00:08And we want to engage in that.
00:10There is this huge crisis in this end.
00:12There was the underfunding.
00:14There was the profiteering by private equity companies.
00:16There was the exhaustion of parents as they fought the system.
00:20There was a hostility.
00:21That's all got to end.
00:23That was promised by the minister yesterday.
00:25And taking her at her word, we want to engage to make sure we have the best reforms possible.
00:32One thing that I don't think they address is the need for much earlier intervention.
00:36There is something there, but I'm not sure if it moves the dial sufficiently.
00:40The truth is, unless you have early intervention, you can't change the life chances of children and young people.
00:46And you won't make the system affordable.
00:48And so we will be pressing for things like universal screening.
00:51So we can identify children with special needs much earlier and take action.
00:55Much earlier.
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