The SEND Local Area Partnership held a Local Offer Live event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families on Friday 5 December, supporting their Preparation for Adulthood.
The event was developed in response to feedback from young people and parent carers, working in partnership with the Council and the wider SEND Partnership. Young people were central to the delivery of the event, supporting areas such as video making, aspiration workshops and photography.
Engagement from key partners gave young people access to a broad range of advice and guidance, including from DWP and MIND, further education providers including Learning and Enterprise College Bexley (LECB), and professionals from social care, engineering, finance, the emergency services, hair and beauty and other industries.
These insights informed conversations with on-site careers advisers, who supported young people to create bespoke career plans.
The event was attended by both Leader of the Council, David Leaf and Cllr Caroline Newton, Cabinet Member for Education and Corporate Services, who spoke with young people and their families.
Cllr Newton said:
This event brought the Local Offer to life for our young people, providing guidance and helping them towards their best possible outcomes.
Experienced professionals and career advisors shared important advice with our young people and helped them plan their futures.
This is just the latest step in our work to ensure we deliver the brightest future for our young people, with another pathways event planned for the Spring focusing on community inclusion, health and independent living.”
A total of 17 schools and settings brought cohorts of young people to attend the event. In total, 340 people attended Local Offer Live, with 72% aged between 13 and 25.
