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Written evidence from John Henderson

1. The best example is our Open Door programme; it is not specifically for people with SEN, but has had some in it.  It was started as an ex-offender programme (we have 7 prisons in Staffordshire) to get people into work, giving 12 week work experience in the county council and partners, but has extended into the Care Leavers among our Looked-After Children, ex-service personnel, graduates and people with SEN.  The beauty of the programme is that now, with the diverse backgrounds, we can’t assume where people come from.  We recently celebrated the 1000th person in the programme, with a remarkably high conversion rate to permanent employment.  Sadly, I do not have specific statistics of what proportion are SEN. 

March 2019