15 December 2016

Consultation on the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill

Purpose of the consultation

The Children, Young People and Education Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the general principles of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill. Further details about the Bill and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum can be found on the Bill page.

Terms of reference

To consider:

• the general principles of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill and whether there is a need for legislation to deliver the Bill’s stated policy objectives;
• any potential barriers to the implementation of the key provisions and whether the Bill takes account of them;
• whether there are any unintended consequences arising from the Bill;
• the financial implications of the Bill (as set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum, and
• the appropriateness of the powers in the Bill for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation (as set out in Chapter 5 of Part 1 of the Explanatory Memorandum.

Alongside the terms of reference, respondents may wish to consider specific issues raised by the Bill, in particular:

• whether the Welsh Government’s three overarching objectives (listed at para 3.3 of the Explanatory Memorandum) are the right objectives and if the Bill is sufficient to meet these;
• whether the Welsh Government’s ten core aims for the Bill (listed at paras 3.5-3.16 of the Explanatory Memorandum) are the right aims to have and if the Bill is sufficient to achieve these;
• the provisions for collaboration and multi-agency working, and to what extent these are adequate;
• whether there is enough clarity about the process for developing and maintaining Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and whose responsibility this will be;
• whether Bill will establish a genuinely age 0-25 system;
• the capacity of the workforce to deliver the new arrangements;
• the proposed new arrangements for dispute resolution and avoidance.

It would be helpful to the Committee if respondents could identify how the Bill could be amended to improve any aspects which they identify as inadequate.

Code of Practice

The draft Code of Practice that will underpin the provisions of the Bill is anticipated to be published in February. The Committee will consult separately on its scrutiny of the Code.

Invitation to contribute to the inquiry

To assist with its consideration of the Bill, the Committee would like to invite you to submit written evidence on the terms of reference and the specific issues highlighted above. General information regarding consultation procedures, which should be considered carefully before submitting evidence to the Committee, is set out in the Annex.

Responses should be submitted by 3 March 2017.  It may not be possible to take into account responses received after this date.  If you have any queries, please contact Gareth Rogers, Committee Clerk on 0300 200 6565.

Yours faithfully

Lynne Neagle AC / AM
Cadeirydd / Chair

Annex

Submitting Written Evidence to the Committee

Disclosure of Information

1.  The Assembly’s policy on disclosure of informationis available; please ensure that you have considered these details carefully before submitting information to the Committee.  Alternatively a hard copy of this policy can be requested by contacting the Clerk.

Submitting evidence

2.  If you wish to submit evidence, an electronic copy of your submission should be returned to: SeneddCYPE@assembly.wales.

Alternatively, you can send it to:

Children, Young People and Education Committee
National Assembly for Wales
Cardiff Bay
CF99 1NA.

3.  Submissions should arrive by 3 March 2017.  It may not be possible to take into account responses received after this date.

4.  When preparing your submission, please keep the following in mind:

• your response should address the terms of reference; 
  
  
• the National Assembly normally makes responses to public consultation available for public scrutiny and they may also be seen and discussed by Assembly Members at Committee meetings.  If you do not want your response or name published, it is important that you specify clearly this in your submission; and
  
  
• please indicate whether you are responding on behalf of an organisation, or as an individual.
  
  

Guidance for witnesses providing written evidence for committees

5.  The Assembly is committed to providing accessible information to the widest audience possible.  This short guide is to assist witnesses who produce written information for committees.  This will enable the Assembly to provide information submitted by third parties in an accessible manner.

· Use plain English and plain Welsh – avoid unnecessary jargon.

· Use a minimum of font size 12.

· Use a clear sans serif typeface, such as Lucida Sans. 

· Do not have writing over graphics, pictures or watermarks.

· Colours and contrast - writing should have maximum contrast to the background: dark on light, light on dark.

· Do not use block capitals, and minimise use of bold, underlining and italics.

· If you wish to refer to a published document, please include a hyperlink to that document, rather than the document itself.

6.  Where possible, information should be provided in Microsoft Word to ensure accessibility.  Where a scan or Pdf is provided, particularly in the case of signed letters or tables of information, the original Word document should be provided along with it.

General

7.  The Committee welcomes evidence from those with an interest in this subject.  If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, please provide a brief description of the role of your organisation.  The Committee welcomes contributions in English and Welsh and we ask organisations with Welsh Language policies / schemes to provide bilingual submissions, in line with their public information policies.

8.  The Committee will consider responses to the written consultation and hold oral evidence sessions.

9.  For your information, the Committee has invited submissions from a wide range of organisations, a list of which is available on request.  A copy of this letter has also been placed on the National Assembly’s website with an open invitation to submit views.  However, the Committee would be grateful if you could forward a copy of the consultation letter and Annex to any individuals or organisations that you believe might wish to contribute to the inquiry.