Claire Coutinho, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, joins the SENDcast to discuss the newly published SEND and AP Improvement Plan.
Thousands of responses were submitted following the SEND Review Green Paper consultation last year. Following this, the government have just published their 101-page ‘SEND and AP Improvement Plan’ which reflects the views shared in the public consultation and sets out the plan for the next two to three years.
We are delighted to welcome Claire to the SENDcast to discuss the SEND and AP Improvement Plan! Listen to the 20-minute podcast to hear first-hand from the Department for Education and responses to Dale’s most pressing questions.
“Ultimately that’s what we want for children and young people, we want them to get the right support early on enough so they can have an excellent childhood and go on and have a great adulthood.”
Claire Coutinho
Since becoming an MP, Claire spends a lot of her time speaking to parents and families who are struggling with the system and feels passionately about trying to get this right. Before this role Claire was also Minister for Disabled People so she could see what was happening in adulthood. Find out more about Claire…
About Claire
Claire Coutinho was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education on 26 October 2022.
She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 21 September to 27 October 2022.
Claire was elected Conservative MP for East Surrey on 12 December 2019.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing)
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including high needs funding
- alternative provision
- children’s social care
- children in care, children in need and child protection
- adoption and care leavers
- early years and childcare
- family hubs and early childhood support
- disadvantaged and vulnerable children
- children and young people’s mental health
- policy to protect against serious violence
- freedom of speech in education
- online safety and preventing bullying in schools
