‘Selby must do more to help people with special needs’ (From York Press)
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‘Selby must do more to help people with special needs’
8:23am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News
By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk
MORE needs to be done to help adults and young people with special educational needs in Selby , a specialist has claimed.
Jo Boardman works with charities and social enterprises throughout Yorkshire to help them find funding and investment, and is preparing a review of Selby’s provision for young people with special educational needs.
Ms Boardman said North Yorkshire County Council or Selby District Council should be doing more to address the issue and looking at their strategies for helping local organisations and the community.
She is due to appear at a first meeting of the Selby Development Workers’ Network Group on September 25, where she will discuss the issues she feels need work.
Ms Boardman said: “Selby is still a way behind other towns, cities with regard to social enterprise and collaborative working.
“The network has been set up to bring not-for-profit organisations and charities together, to help combine resources and increase collaboration between groups which can help each other.
“The town council want me to do a presentation about the national, regional, and local context around collaboration and social enterprise, and to hopefully get a few attendees thinking outside the box. I feel quite passionate about the potential opportunities for organisations in Selby if they begin collaborating more effectively and positively.”
Ms Boardman’s review will also look at current local and county council adult social care schemes and provision for special educational needs, to identify gaps in provision which could be improved.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire County Council said the authority worked closely with all partners, including Selby District Council, and other groups, and “therefore welcome the opportunity to extend our collaborative work to include the Selby Development Workers Network”.
The spokeswoman said the council would ensure they were represented at the first meeting of the group on September 25.
To find out more about the network, phone Jackie Smith at Selby AVS on 01757 291111, or email jackiesmith@selbyavs.org.uk
