SEND brief · Local support and national recommendations
In Your Corner SEND brief — 5 October 2026
Medway has announced a free SEND drop-in for 12 October. A national expert panel has published recommendations on neurodiversity and employment. Neither development changes existing SEND or EHCP legal duties.
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Medway SEND Team drop-in — 12 October 2026
Monday 12 October 2026, 12 noon–6pm. Parkwood Youth Centre, Parkwood Green Shopping Centre, Parkwood, Gillingham ME8 9PN. Free; no booking required, according to Medway Council.
Medway Council says parents and carers can ask its SEND Team questions, discuss concerns and find out about support. This could be useful for understanding a local route or clarifying whom to contact.
Practical step: take a short chronology, key letters and two or three specific questions; ask who will respond, by when, and how the answer can be confirmed in writing. If an issue needs a formal decision, make the appropriate written request as well.
A conversation at a drop-in does not pause or replace statutory assessment, appeal or complaint deadlines. The date above is a single event; after 12 October it should be treated as past unless Medway announces another event.
Official source: Medway Council's event notice.
Neurodiversity and employment: recommendations, not a change in SEND law
These are policy recommendations and commentary on existing programmes. They do not create a new two-week legal deadline for an employer to decide a reasonable-adjustment request.
The Department for Work and Pensions' expert panel recommended more support based on a person's needs rather than diagnosis alone, more accessible communication, sensory-aware and universally designed workplaces, and changes to employment support.
Among its proposals were a two-week employer response deadline for reasonable-adjustment requests and changes to Access to Work. These are recommendations; they must not be presented to parents or young people as already enforceable requirements. The government published a response at the same time.
Why this may matter to SEND families: when discussing preparation for adulthood, education, training or employment, families can ask for a concrete, needs-led plan rather than waiting for future reforms. For current legal rights, check the Equality Act 2010 reasonable-adjustment duty and relevant existing education and EHCP duties, not a proposal in a report.
Official sources: DWP expert-panel report and recommendations, 2 October 2026 and government response.
Kent's next area SEND plan: still a watch item
Kent County Council's September response to the Ofsted/CQC area SEND inspection said that the local area would finalise a Local Area Strategic Plan around six priority areas. As at this 9 October check, we did not locate a published final plan in the official sources reviewed. That is a limit on this review, not proof that no plan exists.
The inspection findings are useful background for understanding patterns, but a family should still pursue its child's own current needs, provision, assessments, decisions and review or appeal routes. Do not wait for a system-wide plan to resolve an individual case.
Official sources: Kent SEND Ofsted/CQC inspection page and Kent's inspection response.
What has not changed for families
The developments above do not replace existing duties around EHC needs assessments, provision specified in EHCPs, SEN Support, reasonable adjustments or suitable education. Continue to seek a written decision or action from the responsible body, with the relevant evidence and applicable deadline.
Existing duties and practical routes
Children and Families Act 2014, section 36 — EHC needs assessmentChildren and Families Act 2014, section 42 — provision in EHC plansEducation Act 1996, section 19 — suitable educationEquality Act 2010, section 20 — reasonable adjustmentsBriefing date . Added to this website . Based on the linked public sources; event details and policies can change. How we check guidance.