Serving the people of Cumbria
Local Area SEND Inspection Preparation Update • The partnership • The journey • Self Evaluation headlines Serving the people of Cumbria
The partnership • Inspections of Local Area SEND partnerships started in Autumn 2016 • Inspections last one week, and look at three broad areas of SEND practice across the partnership : 1. Identification of SEND 2. Assessment and Meeting Need 3. Outcomes for Children Serving the people of Cumbria
The partnership • The ‘result’ of an inspection comprises a letter, addressed jointly to the Director of Childrens’ Services and the CEO of relevant CCG(s) highlighting areas of good service, and identifying areas for development. • In some cases, where inspectors have found very poor practice, a joint written statement of action may be required by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI). Serving the people of Cumbria
Risks • Results have been mixed, with approximately half of all inspections culminating in a requirement of a written statement of action. • Leadership and Governance of reforms is a common theme in Local Areas which have not done well. There is a serious reputational risk, in addition to principal risks to services for vulnerable young people. Serving the people of Cumbria
“Children and Young People are not at the heart of the implementation of reforms” (Lancs.) “ Leaders have failed to work together to deliver reforms” (Lancs.) “Leaders have a limited understanding of the effectiveness of the Local Area’s arrangements for identifying young people’s needs” (Hull.) “There are significant weaknesses in the strategic leadership and governance of reforms since 2014” (Middlesborough.) Serving the people of Cumbria
The journey • In March 2017, a Peer Review of the Local Area SEND partnership was commissioned by the DCS. • The resultant action plan has been overseen by the Children With Disabilities subgroup of the CTB. • Concurrently, a LA SEND preparation group, chaired by the AD – Learning and Inclusion, was created, with the purpose of establishing an accurate self-view, and developing an ongoing action plan. Serving the people of Cumbria
Self Evaluation • In October 2017, the new AD – Learning and Inclusion embarked on a refresh of the Self Evaluation Form (SEF), with a view to establishing a balanced and accurate self-view, drawing from the partnership • The process for developing the SEF began with the OFSTED evaluation schedule • A very large a detailed working document has been produced, answering each of the assessment criteria in turn Serving the people of Cumbria
Self Evaluation • The wide-ranging self-evaluation from this process has been synthesized into the following broad headlines in the SEF Executive Summary (*the self-evaluation is a live process, and headlines will be subject to change over the course of time as actions resulting from the self evaluation lead to improvements and changing priorities). Serving the people of Cumbria
Identify Strengths 1. Mechanisms across the partnership for capturing and using data to identify SEND within timescales are well established, and there is good evidence of interagency collaboration around assessment. 2. Positive partnerships which have been established across the system have led to collaborative practice and reduced delay in the identification of SEND. Areas for Development 1. There is a need for improvement in the quality of work in social care screening for children and young people with SEND as part of the assessment process – quality is variable and the link with Social Care is underdeveloped. 2. Highly complex need for some children leads to a need for Continuing Health Care assessments to be completed. This leads to delays in the assessment process, and more work is needed across the Council – Health partnership to improve collaboration in these cases. Serving the people of Cumbria
Assess and Meet Need Strengths 1. There is evidence of frequent engagement of parents in the co- production of EHCPs. Parental satisfaction is improving, and feedback from schools is positive around the suitability of EHCPs. 2. Advocacy in Cumbria through the SENDIAS service is strong. Areas for Development 1. Children are less involved in co-production of EHCPs and there is a need to formulate a clear strategic plan around the engagement of children and young people at all stages of the process. There is also a need to work strategically with parent groups around engagement. 2. There are challenges around joint commissioning across education, health and care services, which have a negative impact on the delivery of the full range of services to some children with the most complex cases. Serving the people of Cumbria
Improve Outcomes Strengths 1. Destination outcomes relating to Cumbrian children and young people with SEND in Education, Training or Employment are positive in comparison with national figures. 2. Children with EHCPs generally do well in school in comparison with their peers nationally as a result of the quality of support received. Work is underway on the delivery of the Inclusion Strategy, which is delivering a wider range of learning environments for children with SEND. Areas for Development 1. There is some inconsistency in the offer of services to children and young people due to pressure of demand and work is needed to improve the quality of the offer and manage demand strategically (i) Short Breaks – although recognised to be of good quality; (ii) CAMHS). 2. Children with unidentified or less serious SEND do not achieve as well at school as their peers nationally. Work is needed across the partnership in schools to improve the offer to this cohort. Serving the people of Cumbria
Next Steps Action Plan Implementation Continuous Review Serving the people of Cumbria
Serving the people of Cumbria
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