WELCOME Lynda Mitchell

Deputy Commissioner -Education

The Implementation of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reforms- Engagement Event

Aim of today To raise awareness of the National Context and

legislative changes in relation to SEND

To hear the from the voice of families

To understand what the reforms mean to Staffordshire

To share national best practice examples

To start the journey of working together to shape the future of SEND in Staffordshire

THE CASE FOR CHANGE Julie Forrest-Davis

County Commissioner –All Age Disability & SEND

The case for change

Families have to battle on different fronts to get the support they need from

separated education, health and social care

services

Current SEN Statements/Learning

Difficulty Assessments do not focus on life

outcomes.

When a young person leaves school for further education, they enter a

very different system which does not carry

forward the rights and protections that exist in

the SEN system in schools.

Education providers sometimes focus too

much on the SEN label rather than meeting the

child’s needs;

Children with SEN have their needs picked up

much too late;

OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

Nichola Glover-EdgeStrategic Transformation Lead SEND

The Children and Families Bill

Children & Families Bill

• Requires local authorities to publish in one place a clear and easy to understand ‘local offer’ of education, health and social care services.

• Requires local authorities to consult children, & young people with SEN and their parents in reviewing special education provision and social care provision.

Children & Families Bill • Introduce a more streamlined assessment process

for assessing the needs of those with more severe and complex needs, integrating education, health and care services.

• Replace statements and learning difficulty assessments with a single Education, Health & Care Plan.

• To implement a mediation service for parents and young people to resolve disagreements before they register a tribunal appeal.

Children & Families Bill

• Give parents and young people the right to a personal budget for their support.

• Give young people with SEN in further education and training aged 16-25 rights and protections comparable to those in school.

• Requires local authorities and local health services to plan and commission education, health and social care services jointly.

By When?

THE VOICE OF FAMILIESSue Miller

Parent Partner Co-Ordinator

The National Picture- Families response to the Green Paper

• Information and support• Involvement in decision making• Involvement in design of services• To give their information only once• For their children to be safe and happy• For transition to adulthood to be successful

The National Picture

• The Draft Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice for 0-25…. What it says about how to engage with families ……..

• Pathfinders Findings

The Pathfinders Four Key Areas

Engagement of individual children and young people

Engagement of individual parents

carers and families

Strategic participation of

parents and carers

Strategic participation of

disabled children and young people

Staffordshire so far

• SEN District Partnerships• Parent representatives on strategic groups• Involvement in commissioning of services• Consultation around services• Parent Participation Service (SPAN)• Parent Partnership Service (SUN)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SEND IN STAFFORDSHIRE ?

Nichola Glover-EdgeStrategic Transformation Lead

– SEND

Our approach to the reforms

• Working in partnership with parents/carers, children and young people, Health, Social Care, Education and other providers.

• Learn from Pathfinders-build on best practice• Follow Commissioning Framework• SEND 5 year development plan

Our approach to the reforms

• Children, young people at the heart of our approach

• Embedding personalised culture across SCC and partner organisations

• A clear ambitious programme of transformational change

What do we want to achieve?Vision

Staffordshire’s All Age Disability Strategy- ‘Living My Life, My Way-A Strategy for disabled people in Staffordshire (2013-18)

“All children and young people with SEN and Disability receive the right support at the right time and in the right way so that they are able to realise their aspirations and lead fulfilling lives”

What do we want to achieve?Outcomes

• Empowered to live as independently as possible and live the life they choose;

• Learn, achieve and make progress commensurate with their potential;

• Be safe and secure

• Live and thrive wherever possible in their local community

What do we want to achieve?• Focus on the child/young person not the service

• Think life not service, community not service, outcomes not services

• Think achievement , aspiration and independence not care and dependence

• Have ambition for our children and young people

• Ensure we all know what good looks like and can and do deliver personalised education, care & support

What do we want to achieve?

Shared Information

Joint Plan & decisions made with families

Single Plan

Integrated Deliverykey working

Ultimately we want……..

BEST PRACTICE

Nichola Glover-EdgeStrategic Transformation Lead

– SEND

The Pathfinders

The Pathfinders Testing Areas

The Pathfinders Evidence

YOUR VOICE

David BraybrookIndependent Educational

Consultant (SEN & Disability)

What have we heard so far?

o Due for a change

o We do need to change

o Change could provide a seamless process

o Working together to achieve better outcomes

o Current workforce is not cohesive-segmented into pockets

What have we heard so far?

o Need to break down barriers to budget ownership

o Need to collaborate and not fight

o Need to foster independence

o Currently not a structure that allows person centred working

Core principles

• CYP/family centred• Keep what works• Increase independence• Build a greater flexibility in the system• Principle of least intervention that is appropriate• CYP thrive not cope• Live and thrive in their local community where

possible

Core principles

• Create greater coherence• Partnership/cooperation/flexibility• Ensure capacity• Ensure progress of learners with SEND• Improve professional communication and dialogue• Ensure transparency• Ensure robust systems of monitoring and

accountability

Activity

• Each of you has had a pack of information given to you as you arrived

• We would like you to work through the 5 activities in small groups and record your discussions

• Each area for discussion and examples are from the pathfinder sites and we would like your views on the fit for Staffordshire