Children with SEND experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, school avoidance, trauma, emotional dysregulation and neurodevelopmental differences than their peers. Delays in identification and support often contribute to poorer educational attainment, family stress and increased demand on CAMHS and other specialist services.
The SEND landscape in England is entering one of its most significant periods of reform since the Children and Families Act 2014. The Government has confirmed that the proposed Education for All Bill will introduce “generational reforms” to the SEND system, signalling a shift towards earlier intervention, greater inclusion within mainstream education and a new approach to accountability and support. The proposed reforms aim to improve early identification and inclusive support within mainstream settings, making the mental health implications especially important.
For professionals working with children and young people, these reforms have significant potential implications—not only for education, but also for children’s mental health, neurodevelopment, family wellbeing and multi-agency practice.
West Midlands ACAMH is uniquely placed to bring together education, health, social care, educational psychology, CAMHS and the voluntary sector to explore these changes through an evidence-informed, child/young person-centred lens.
This evidence-informed practice-focused event will provide delegates with a clear understanding of the emerging policy direction, while critically examining what the reforms may mean for practice, service delivery and outcomes for children and young people.
Register for the Event & Pricing
Sign up at this link or on the Book Now buttons, and complete the form that follows. You’ll then receive an email confirmation and a link to the webinar, plus we’ll send you a calendar reminder nearer the time.
Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. Plus you will get a personalised CPD/CME certificate via email. Recordings from the session will be available to delegates from 5 working days after the event.
- ACAMH Members MUST login to book onto the webinar in order to access this webinar and get a CPD/CME certificate.
- Non-members: this is a great time to join ACAMH, take a look at what we have to offer, and make the saving on these sessions.
| Ticket Type |
Price |
| ACAMH Members (Print, Online, Concession) |
£5 (until 23/089/26 then £10)(Join now and save) |
| ACAMH Learn Account Holders |
£10 (until 23/09/26 then £20)(Join now and save) |
| Non Members |
£10 (until 23/09/26 then £20)(Join now and save) |
| ACAMH Undergraduate/Postgraduate Members |
£5 |
| LIC Members |
Free |
Don’t forget as a charity any surplus made is reinvested back as we work to our vision of ‘Sharing best evidence, improving practice’, and our mission to ‘Improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 0-25’.
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This event will equip delegates with the knowledge, insight and practical strategies needed to navigate the most significant changes to the SEND system in over a decade. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of the emerging policy framework, the proposed legislative reforms within the Education for All Bill, and what these changes are likely to mean for children and young people with SEND and their families.
Importantly, delegates will explore the intersection between SEND, inclusion and children’s mental health, enabling them to understand how effective early intervention and inclusive practice can improve emotional wellbeing, reduce escalation to specialist services and support better long-term outcomes. Through expert speakers, case studies and multidisciplinary discussion, delegates will leave better prepared to lead change, influence practice and support colleagues across education, health and social care.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this event, delegates will be able to:
- Understand the changing SEND policy landscape: Critically evaluate the proposed reforms within the Education for All Bill, the evolving national SEND policy framework and their implications for schools, health services, local authorities and multi-agency working.
- Apply evidence-informed approaches to inclusion and mental health: Identify practical strategies that promote inclusive practice, improve children’s mental health and wellbeing, and strengthen early intervention for children and young people with SEND, including those experiencing neurodevelopmental differences, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) and other complex needs.
- Lead and influence system change: Develop greater confidence in implementing policy changes within their own organisation, strengthening collaboration across education, health and social care, and contributing to more effective, accountable and inclusive services for children and families.
Why should my organisation fund my place?
The SEND reforms will have implications across education, health and social care. Attending this event will ensure our organisation is informed, prepared and able to respond proactively, improving outcomes for children and young people while strengthening our inclusive practice and multi-agency working.
The event is a timely, multidisciplinary and evidence-informed forum that helps professionals understand not only the policy changes introduced through the Education for All Bill, but also their implications for children’s mental health, inclusion and effective practice across education, health and social care.
The intended audience includes CAMHS clinicians; Educational Psychologists; School leaders; SENCOs; Social workers; Local Authority SEND teams; Paediatricians; Clinical psychologists; Family support practitioners; Voluntary sector organisations; Commissioners; Researchers; and Parent/carer organisations.
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Professor Christopher Robertson is an independent academic and author, policy analyst and adviser to educational organisations with a particular interest in special educational needs and disability (SEND) policy and implementation. He is also a visiting professor (inclusion and SEND) at the University of Derby.
His previous roles include lecturing in SEND at the University of Birmingham (with lead responsibility for developing and introducing the National Award for SEN Co-ordination) Canterbury Christ Church University, and the University of London’s Institute of Education. Christopher is a member of the Special Educational Needs Policy Research Forum’s lead group. He also chair’s the SENCO Forum national e-community and engages in lobbying government to define and regulate the role of special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) more carefully, and to ensure that SENCOs are appropriately trained and deployed in schools, early years settings and post -16 provision.
Dr Sheena Ashford is a qualified educational psychologist and a registered health psychologist. The first eleven years of her post-doctoral career were spent in academic research working on large scale research initiatives in health and education, principally the ESRC Economic Life Initiative, the World Values Survey, the British Social Attitudes Survey, and the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales.
Sheena subsequently became a Project Manager for the European Commission where she designed and implemented quality standards procedures for companies participating in collaborative international initiatives, oversaw quality assurance and was responsible for co-ordinating and scheduling the partners’ deliverables and for progress reports for the EC.
Following this Sheena became Research Manager at Relate Head Office where she provided annual organisational statistics to the CEO for the annual review and set up an in-house research department. Sheena initiated a new Research Forum to provide a locus for discussing the research needs of centres and to provide centres with basic training in research and evaluation methods, worked closely with the Media and Communications team and set up a joint Information Group which allowed Communications to have fast, easy access to the latest facts and figures and enabled more rapid response to inquiries from the press and other external sources.
To improve client services and make research accessible, relevant and responsive to current issues Sheena publishes regular updates in Relate’s newsletter. She also designed a new client record system, provided consultancy to Centres wishing to undertake research and advised on the evaluation of Relate’s new relationship education programme.
Following Sheena’s interest in applying psychology to practice she completed professional training, then held posts as educational psychologist and senior practitioner psychologist in Warwickshire and Leicester. In Leicester Sheena became part of the multi agency BEST Plus (Behaviour and Education Support Team) initiative which took on the most challenging cases before moving to Coventry as Head of Service for its TAMHS (Targeted Mental Health in Schools) team. TAMHS provided schools with a new tier 2 mental health service delivered in the community. The work involved developing systems for reviewing young people’s mental wellbeing, setting up interventions, providing schools staff with training, and working with health, social care and CAMHS partners to create a new care pathway. TAMHS also worked closely with the police to look at how best to provide mental health support to young offenders, and with the local authority to develop a Risky Behaviours and Healthy Relationships intervention.
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| 13:00 |
Dr Sheena Ashford – Welcome & Introduction |
| 13:15 |
Professor Christopher Roberstson – The Future of SEND in England: Understanding the Education for All Bill and System Reform |
| 14:00 |
Break |
| 14:15 |
Question & Answer with audience participation for discussion – Chaired by Dr Sheena Ashford |
| 15:30 |
Close |
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