The role of voluntary agencies

The voluntary agencies often have charitable status and certainly have an impor tant role to play in helping to meet the needs of pupils with special or additional educational needs, whether they are locally or nationally based. They can offer support, advice, training, library resource loan services and, in some cases, their own provision to practitioners, parents/carers and pupils. They can provide an advocacy service, research databases, links to other agencies and can represent groups on committees. According to the SEN Code of Practice:

It is essential that schools and local authorities seek to work actively in partnership with the voluntary sector to meet pupils’ needs. LEAs and schools should demonstrate a willingness to work with and value the contribution they can make. (DfES, 2001: 142, 10:38)

It is therefore useful for a school to have contact with local voluntary agencies and to welcome their input, even if the advice given means alternative practice or resources might need to be put in place. It is also essential for perhaps the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO) to have leaflets and names and addresses of voluntary agencies to give to parents so that they can be correctly informed about the needs of their child. This can only add to openness between the various parties that encourages discourse and thus hopefully a better provision for pupils. Importantly voluntary agencies can offer their services to practitioners, parents/carers and young people and therefore can gain a broad overview of how support or resources can be both gained and then maintained.