Send reforms programme-2014

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Reforms Programme

Compiled by Janet Johnson, Special Educational Needs Manager. January 2014Intended for disseminating and sharing

The Code of Practice will be statutory guidance for:

• Local authorities (education, social care and relevant housing and employment services)

• Early years providers • Schools • Further education colleges • Sixth form colleges • Academies • Pupil referral units • Independent special schools and

independent specialist providers • NHS Commissioning Board • Clinical commissioning groups • NHS trusts • NHS foundation trusts • Local Health Boards • SEN Tribunal

The indicative Code gives an indication of what to expect.

The final Code and regulations are likely to be available by April 2014.

Recent announcements about resources

January 2014New £30 million fund for more than 1,800 independent supporters to help parents navigate the new special educational needs process. (Approximately 12 per area).

On 9 December, the Minister for Children and Families announced that the pathfinder champion programme will be extended until March 2015. This will ensure support is available for all local areas during the critical period running up to September 2014, and beyond.

December 2013£70 million SEN reforms grant to local authorities…. to support the new infrastructure required and to ensure the new SEN system is a success when it starts in September 2014.

Next Steps for education providersSpring/summer• Key staff and governors become familiar with the SEN Code of Practice • Training for staff on key changes: single SEN stage; focus on outcomes;

increased participation of parents and children and young people with SEN; increased awareness of most effective interventions

• Preparatory work for new information requirements

Autumn• Implement SEN Code of Practice: review provision for pupils on school

action/school action plus, put in place SEN support for them and for pupils with newly identified SEN

• Implement SEN information requirements • Develop partnerships with post-16 providers to support transition planning • January 2015 school census: record all pupils receiving SEN support, both

those who have an EHCP and those who do not

Local Offer • One place to go for all information needed • Signposting to support and services • Providing clear, relevant and current information

Early Years Schools Post 16 education,

employment and training

SEN Support Services

Leisure and recreation

Health Social Care EHC Plans

Money matters Transport Complaints and

compliments

Information, advice and guidance

LOCAL OFFER What does it feel like when searching for information?

How should the local offer help?

• One place to go for all information needed • Help users to easily navigate their way through very complex information from a range of sources• Help users quickly and easily find what they need

– by linking information– by filtering out information that is not relevant

• Signposting to support and services • Provide clear, relevant, transparent and current information in a way that can be understood,

accessed by all and trusted.

The challenge• Navigating the systems• Categorising information to

make sense • Making the links• Producing new content and

updating existing information.

The vision

LOCAL OFFER

LOCAL OFFER Example from the public website

LOCAL OFFER Example from the Family Information Service

LOCAL OFFER Guidance for settings and schools (in development)

Information and guidance on identifying and supporting children and young people with special educational needs

1. Contents 2. Introduction and purpose 3. Introduction for parents 4. Inclusive Quality First teaching and learning 5. What to do if you think a child or young person has SEN needa? 6. Identification and Provision Organised by age related stages and by category of need 7. Further advice and guidance

Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans

• EHC Plans will replace Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulties Assessments.

• The plan will be a legal document describing a child or young person’s needs, the provision to meet those needs and the suitable educational placement.

• EHC Plans will continue into further education and training, this could be up to the age of 25 for some young people.

Under the current system there is additional help and support for children at school without a Statement of SEN, through School Action or School Action Plus.

Under the new system, SEN Support will be available in school for children and young people who have special educational needs but do not have Education, Health and Care plans

Will there be help for children without an EHC Plan?

EHC PLANS Assessment and planning should be an on-going process which builds on previous assessments and continues to identify and meet the needs of children, young people and families as they develop.

Plan

Do

Review

Assess

EHC PLANS Children, families and young people are at the centre of the assessment and planning process and should be partners in making decisions throughout, making it a co-produced process.

.

All about me

EHC PLANS EHC plans should be person centred, evidence-based and focussed on outcomes (both short term outcomes and longer term aspirations for children and young people). Outcomes need to be specific, measurable, achievable and time-bound.

EHC PLANS EHC plans should be clear, concise, readable and accessible to parents, children and young people. They should be able to be used on a daily basis, especially where high or complex support is required to meet the child’s/young person’s needs.

EHC PLANS Progress so far

• A draft EHC Plan template has been produced

• The draft has been trialled as a paper exercise

• Aiming to test by February/March

• Aiming to train EHC Plan champions in each area

Personal Budgets

All families whose child has an EHC plan will have a right to request a personal budget. The personal budget will allow young people or parents to buy support identified in the plan directly, rather than relying on the local authority.

A personal budget is an amount of money identified by the Local Authority and Health to deliver all or some of the provisions set out in an EHC plan.

Personal budgets will not be agreed if the necessary funding can only be obtained by taking the money from an established service needed by other children to achieve positive outcomes.

Sources of funding

Personal Budgets

Parents or young people will be given a choice about how the personal budget is managed:

Personal Budgets Emerging Principles

• Personal budgets should be based on agreed outcomes

• The process for obtaining a personal budgets should be transparent and challengeable

• Personal budgets should support greater family resilience

Parents of children who have continuing health care needs will have the right to request personal health budget from April 2014.

Further informationOxfordshire County Council’s public website continues to improve and it will contain further information about the SEND Reforms as the programme progresses. Special educational needs (SEN) | Oxfordshire County Council

The Family Information Directory contains a dedicated section for families of disabled children/SEN and additional needs. It contains information on services, advice and guidance, and is still developing. Disability, SEN & additional needs | Family Information Directory

Mott McDonald, Pathfinder Support Team: information on the SEN reforms in Pathfinder areas, resources to support implementation, including Information packs that are updated regularly: http://www.sendpathfinder.co.uk/

Council for Disabled Children, Strategic Reform Partner: information on key aspects of the reforms; support to the disabled children's sector to develop new and sustainable approaches. http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/strategic-reform-partner-work

Preparing for Adulthood: http://preparingforadulthood.org.uk/ Early Support: http://www.ncb.org.uk/earlysupport Early Language Development Programme: http://eldp.talkingpoint.org.uk/ Achievement for All: http://www.afa3as.org.uk/ National Network of Parent Carer Forums: http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/ National Parent Partnership Network: http://www.parentpartnership.org.uk/ Department for Education: Information on organisations providing support to implementation: http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/send/changingsen/