Decision

Salford City Council - Record of Decision

I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, in exercise of the powers contained within the City Council Constitution do hereby approve:

the delegation of authority, for defined operational decisions in relation to the allocation of the SEND Reform Grant funding and the additional Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies grant funding, to support SEND activity for 2026 to 2029 to the Executive Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Children and Young People’s Services and the City Mayor, to enable the delivery of the local SEND Reform plan in Salford.

The Reasons are:

As part of the national SEND Reform Programme, the DfE has established funding to support the delivery of the SEND reforms;  the Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund.

The guidance published in April 2026 confirms that that funding of £429 million will be allocated nationally in 2026–27, the first year of the grant. An additional £750 million will be allocate in 27/28 with a further £850 million in 28/29.   

Salford has been allocated £2,093,810 as its share of this funding for 26/27 and we anticipate that in 27/28 and 28/29 additional funding will be allocated broadly in line with the increases in funding nationally. The grant is intended to be used flexibly to build specialist capacity that settings ( early years, schools and Post 16) cannot commission individually, support earlier intervention, and reduce reliance on reactive and statutory provision, while aligning with the other areas of focus set out in the wider Local SEND Reform Plan.

This report sets out Salford’s high level proposals for implementing the Experts at Hand offer as a core element of the Local SEND Reform Plan and seeks approval to accept the associated grant funding.

In addition, the report outlines the additional Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies grant funding of £1.56 million of funding to support SEND activity for 2026 to 2029.

Approval is sought to delegate authority for its allocation to ensure swift mobilisation, partnership delivery across the local system, and continued progress towards improved outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Options considered and rejected were: Not applicable

Assessment of Risk: Low

The source of funding is: Department for Education

Legal Advice obtained:

Provided by Hugo Hollingsworth, Principal Solicitor, Community Services (Legal) Team: The Council has a statutory duty under section 14 of the Education Act 1996 to secure sufficient school places and under Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to keep SEND provision under review and ensure delivery of provision specified in EHCP’s. This decision aligns with those duties and has regard to the SEND Code of Practice (0-25).

Financial Advice obtained:

Provided by Natalie Mannion, Finance Manager.

The report outlines two separate streams of grant funding to support the delivery of the:

• SEND Reform funding (Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund) totalling £2,093,810 for 2026/27, with indicative allocations expected for 2027/28 and 2028/29 in line with national funding increases.
• Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies funding of approximately £1.56m  over the period 2026–2029 to establish and sustain the local Best Start Family Hubs offer for Children and their families, including establishing the role of Best Start Inclusion Practitioners in each Best Start Family Hub.

Both funding streams are ringfenced and time?limited, and must be applied in accordance with the relevant Department for Education grant conditions.

The SEND Reform (Experts at Hand) funding is subject to specific requirements, including:

• A minimum of 80% to be spent on direct delivery of the Experts at Hand offer
• Up to 10% on administration
• Up to 10% on local authority transformation costs

This funding is intended to build specialist capacity across education and health systems, supporting earlier intervention and reducing reliance on reactive, high-cost provision over time.

The funding presents an opportunity to support the delivery of the SEND Reform Programme and, over time, may contribute to reducing demand for high?cost placements and mitigating pressures within the High Needs budget.

The Best Start Family Hubs funding is allocated to support the development and delivery of an inclusive Best Start offer, including the establishment of Best Start Inclusion Practitioners within each hub. This funding will support earlier identification and intervention for children with additional needs and strengthen support to families.

All funding will be held within dedicated cost centres and monitored separately to ensure compliance with grant conditions and to provide a clear audit trail. Expenditure will be subject to the Council’s financial regulations, contract standing orders, and governance arrangements, including regular budget monitoring and reporting.

Procurement Advice obtained: Not applicable

HR Advice obtained: Not Applicable

Climate Change Advice obtained: Not Applicable

The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: Not applicable.

Contact Officers:  Cathy Starbuck Director of Education and Inclusion.

The appropriate scrutiny panel to call-in this decision is Children’s Scrutiny Panel.

Signed:  Paul Dennett                              Dated:          26.05.26                               .

                        City Mayor

For Democratic Services use only

This decision was published on  26.05.26.        

This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 02.06.26                                                   unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.