Additional Learning Needs Participation Programme

The new ALN system: Supporting children and families from SEN to ALN

Children in Wales have launched their Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Participation Programme. Following identification of a range of pioneering schools, CIW will develop and establish a robust Wales wide Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Children and Young People’s (CYP) Participation Ambassadors group.

The ALN participation programme will allow:

• Children, their parents and young people’s views, wishes and feelings to be listened to when decisions are being made about how to help children and young people.
• The right support is put in place quickly to help children and young people with ALN.
• Everyone to work together to help children and young people with ALN, including education and health services.

Children in Wales will:

• Provide a conduit for participation, for Welsh Government to hear from their insights and experiences of the SEN and ALN system, particularly through implementation of the new ALN Act.
• To engage and empower children and young people with Additional Learning Needs at all stages of their education so that they can influence decisions about their lives.
• To increase children’s rights to participation and the child rights elements of the Code.
• To take their views meaningfully into account in planning and delivering policy and services. To put children’s rights at the core of planning and service delivery.