Agenda item

Candy Holder, Head of Pupil Services, introduced the report which evaluated the impact of SEND reforms.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         The SEND reforms introduced in 2014 were wide-ranging and changed the emphasis of support from assessment and identification to problem-solving and outcomes.

·         One challenge arising from the reforms was an increase in the number of young people eligible for support. Since 2014 local authorities had been required to provide SEND support up to age 25, whereas statutory responsibility had previously ended at 19.

·         The reforms had replaced Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulty Assessments with Education, Health and Care Plans. The council was in the process of converting existing statements and assessments to EHCPs. This represented a practical challenge as the council was required to convert approximately 850 statements by 2018. This service had converted around 29% of statements, which was better than the national rate of progress at 15%.

·         It was noted that SEND covered a broad range of additional needs, such as autism, physical disabilities, and sensory disabilities such as hearing impairment. Officers commented that one difficulty of the new system was its focus on successful outcomes in terms of employment and independent living. Whilst this was a positive approach for many young people with SEND, it was noted that this was not achievable for all young people, particularly those with chronic pain or a limited life expectancy. A discussion was had on children with life limiting conditions and the importance of access to education.

·         Local area SEND inspections were carried out by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission on a five year rolling programme. The Head of Pupil Services had acted as an inspector during the pilot phase which provided useful insight into the inspection regime.

·         It was advised that the council’s statutory responsibilities in regards to SEND started from birth and this had not changed from the previous regime, however previously support was provided in early years settings outside of the formal identification and assessment framework. Following the introduction of the SEND reforms the council had been engaging families in the formal processes earlier as this was beneficial within the context of EHCPs.

·         The Committee suggested that the service had identified too many priorities for 2016 and suggested that these be prioritised further. Officers noted that the most significant priority was improving transitions to adulthood, whether that be into education, employment, training, or social care.  It was explained that transitions would be improved through the ongoing service re-design which was expected to be completed by September.

·         Engaging young people was also a key priority; as although young people were successfully participating to develop their own support plans, greater engagement was being sought at a strategic level.

·         The service was working with parents to establish what they considered to be reasonable expectations of support in order to agree a baseline offering with schools.

·         The Committee queried if the service had identified any learning points from implementing the SEN reforms. In response, officers highlighted the importance of consultation, providing the right services at the right time, ensuring staff across the council were informed of SEND issues and the importance of specialist staff. As a result of the reforms the service was exploring the scope of satellite provision, where pupils were taught in a specialist setting linked to a mainstream school but the provision was staffed and managed by a special school. It was noted that one such provision was operated by The Bridge Special School in partnership with Ashmount School. This model accorded with parents’ wishes for provision somewhere between mainstream and special, which provided opportunities for inclusion at a manageable pace.    

·         Following a query on the number of new EHCPs being issued, it was advised that there had been no reduction in comparison to the number of Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulty Assessments previously issued.

·         A member of the public queried the number of EHCPs completed within the 20 week timeframe. It was noted that not all EHCPs were completed within this timeframe and it was thought that this was because colleagues in health and social care had not yet been able to adapt resources to the changes implemented through SEND reforms. It was advised that the previous regime was less resource intensive and required statements to be completed within 26 weeks.  The average EHCP took 40 hours to complete whereas previously statements required around 24 hours work. It was confirmed that parents were kept informed throughout the EHCP process.

·         Members noted parents’ concerns that more specialist CAMHS support was required and emphasised the importance of supporting the mental health of young people.

·         The Committee requested that a further update on progress and an action plan for implementing the service’s priorities be reported to a future meeting.

·         Officers noted the importance of developing pupil resilience. It was commented that previously schools had focused on providing one-to-one support from teaching assistants, however it was thought that this could perpetuate dependency and a focus on developing resilience could better prepare pupils for adulthood.

The Committee thanked officers for their attendance.

RESOLVED:
1) That the progress outlined in the report be noted; and

2) That a further update on progress and an action plan for implementing the service’s priorities be reported to a future meeting.