Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the information below relating to households with dependent children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and who have been accepted as homeless and/or placed in Temporary Accommodation by the authority.
If exact figures cannot be provided, please supply the nearest available data or confirm that the information is not held. Aggregate data only is requested; no personal data is sought.

1.
a) For the last year, please supply the number of households with dependent children placed in Temporary Accommodation: 80
b) For the last year, please supply the number of those households known to include at least one child with an EHCP: We do not routinely record this information
c) If the authority does not routinely record whether homeless households include children with EHCPs, please confirm this and explain where (if at all) this information would be recorded within housing needs assessments or homelessness systems: as part of our homelessness assessment, we ask for information about support needs for all household members, but we do not ask explicitly if children in the household have an EHCP in place.

2.
a) For the last year, please supply the number of households with children – with no EHCPs – were placed in Temporary Accommodation outside the local authority area: We do not have this data; we placed 51 households with children outside of the borough during the last 12 months but we do not know how many of these households had an EHCP.
b) For the last year, please supply the number of households with children – with one or more EHCPs – were placed in Temporary Accommodation outside the local authority area: We do not have this data.

3. Please confirm whether the authority routinely records information on children’s SEN or EHCPs when completing Section 208 notifications?
No we do not.

4. When a household with a child who has an EHCP is placed in Temporary Accommodation, including out of area:
a) what procedures are in place to notify the current and new SEND service; and
b) what procedures are in place to ensure transfer and continuity of EHCP provision in line with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.
Where a child moves between local authorities, Sections 9.157 to 9.162 of the SEND Code of Practice applies. However, where the move is due to temporary accommodation due to arrangements made by the LA, the home LA will continue to make arrangements for the child or young person. For example, where a child lives in WBC, and family pays council tax to WBC, but they are placed in temporary accommodation in another LA, WBC will continue to hold responsibility until a permanent residence is determined. Where possible, the Child or Young person will continue to access their current education arrangements. Should this not be possible, due to the distance being considered too great, the LA will make alternative arrangements for the interim period.

5. Does the authority record or monitor whether children with EHCPs experience any interruption or delay to the provision specified in their EHCP following placement in Temporary Accommodation? If yes, please describe the monitoring approach.
This would be monitored through the Annual Review process.

6. Does the authority have a policy or protocol for maintaining or funding home-to-school transport for children with EHCPs who are placed out of area due to homelessness?
The policy does not have a standalone entitlement to maintain transport to an EHCP named school if homelessness results in accommodation outside the borough. If the child is placed outside Wokingham’s area, the receiving Local Authority becomes responsible for determining eligibility and providing the transport under its own policy, and may reclaim the cost from Wokingham as the placing authority. These rules apply to all children, not only those with EHCPs.

7. Are housing suitability assessments adapted or given additional consideration where a household includes a child with an EHCP or other SEN?
Please provide a brief description of any such adjustments or guidance.
Statutory guidance is followed regarding suitability assessments for all households; as part of this we will take into consideration relevant information about the households to determine if the accommodation being offered is suitable.

8. What training (if any) is mandatory for housing officers in relation to:
a) SEND and EHCPs: No this is not mandatory
b) safeguarding children: Yes this is mandatory