Apr 22, 2015 - reforms Conference, and 'I need to know how to help my child nowâ¦' Roadshows ... Best Practice: How Som
Welcome to spring 2015 edition of the;
Somerset Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Newsletter “No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances and, if children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action” Working Together to Safeguard Children, A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, March 2013
In this edition of the Somerset SEND newsletter we will focus on: News: Update on local events, including One Year on, Somerset SEND reforms Conference, and ‘I need to know how to help my child now…’ Roadshows, as well as Somerset’s transitional arrangements for children and young people moving to an EHC Plan, EHC Plan myth busting and information on updating your schools information on Somerset’s Local Offer. Special Feature: Information on the Care Act, the biggest shake up of the care system since 1948 and we explore local accountability of the SEND forms. Best Practice: How Somerset Parent Carer Forum have got schools and parents talking together and how you can be part of it. Resources: New resources from across our networks nationally and locally, including links to Somerset’s Education, Health and Care Plan paperwork.
Dear Friend of SEND As we enjoy the spring sunshine, we reflect on the last six months and all that we have achieved. For some it has been a challenging time as we develop new ways of thinking and working. However, the real change is happening on the ground, in every local service, and every school and college and in every child and families life experience. Like the spring, we are beginning to signs of hope and new life; together we have the opportunity to improve the lives of those children and young people and families we support.
Please forward this to anyone who you think maybe interested. If you would like to join the mailing list to receive regular SEND newsletters and updates, just click on the link on our webpage https://bit.ly/SomersetSEND.
We are keen to hear and share your good news stories and best practice happening in Somerset. If you have any relevant information you would like to share, please send it to
[email protected].
News SAVE THE DATE Beyond compliance… One year on Conference ‘On 29 September 2014, I promised that we would meet again, one year on, to share how we are implementing the SEND Reforms and moving from compliance to business as usual for the Children and Young People with SEND and their Parent Carers in Somerset.
I am pleased to say that the implementation is gathering pace and we want to celebrate and share these successes with you and work with you to plan for how we move forward.
Please save Tuesday 29 September 2015 in your diary for this very purpose and expect an invitation by the end of April.’
Dave Farrow Head of Improving Outcomes Commissioning 2
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS AND DISABILITY (SEND) REFORMS ROADSHOWS ‘I need to know how to help my child now…’ Roadshow Are you a parent, carer, administrator or supporting children and young people, with a special educational need and/or disability?
Have you been searching for information, advice or support? Join us for coffee, cake and a chat and a meet a parent carer, an independent supporter, a young person and hear from others working to support the SEND reforms. You will find out about:
What we are doing in Somerset to support 0 to 25 year olds with a special education needs and disability?
Where to go for further information, advice and support Where
When
What time
Conference Room, Buckland House, Yeovil, BA21 5EA
Thursday 23 April
11am to 12pm repeated at 1pm to 2pm
SCIL, Cheddon Road, Taunton, TA2 7QP
Thursday 30 April
11am to 12pm repeated at 1pm to 2pm
Canalside, Marsh Lane, BridgwaterTA6 6LQ
Wednesday 6 May
11am to 12pm repeated at 1pm to 2pm
Orchardleigh Golf Club, Frome, BA11 2PH
Wednesday 13 May
11am to 12pm repeated at 1pm to 2pm
To book your FREE place contact
[email protected] In partnership with; Somerset Parent Carer Forum Somerset SENDIAS Somerset Reforms Training and Support Team
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Learning about how to understand and support children in the Early Years who have Autism Spectrum or Severe Social Communication Conditions A two day training course for parents and practitioners DATES/TIME: Wednesday 29 April and Tuesday 2 June 2015, 9.30am – 3.30pm VENUE: The Red Brick Building, Glastonbury FEE: £55 for parents and £90 for practitioners. The cost has been kept to a minimum to encourage parents and practitioners to take advantage of this excellent opportunity. CLOSING DATE: Wednesday 22 April 2015 Please contact
[email protected] for more information and a booking form.
Calling all Schools to update their SEND report on Somerset’s Local Offer Somerset’s Local Offer has received feedback saying that some of its information on Schools is missing details, website links, or website links that are not working. Are your school details, web and SEND report links displayed, up to date and working? To check, go to the Local Offer website https://somerset.local-offer.org/ and link to your school. You will see a small box with a summary of your school, is this complete and up to date? If not, you can easily remedy this by updating your information; this is called the ‘service card’ by following the Summary Card Guide: Click here to go straight to the Summary Card Guide Alternatively, you can access the Summary Card Guide from the following link; the guide is listed under ‘Useful Documents’. https://bit.ly/SomersetSEND.
Schools – don’t delay, update today! 4
INDEPENTENT SUPPORTERS IN SOMERSET What is Independent Support? Independent Support is a national programme. In Somerset it is provided through Careers South West and Somerset SENDIAS (Special Education Needs and disability, Information, Advice and Support) working together.
An Independent Supporter can support parents, carers, children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) who are:
requesting an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment or converting from a Statement or Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA) to an EHC plan.
An Independent Supporter can offer information and individual support to parents, carers, children and young people (aged 0-25) with Special Educational needs and Disabilities (SEND). They offer a range of support including;
impartial advice, information and support for EHC assessments and plans, and help with the completion of Appendix As- the section where the parents/carers and children’s/young person’s record their views
information about the Local Offer and Personal Budgets
preparing for mediation, SEND tribunals and signposting to legal services for representation
signposting to other appropriate support services
What do I do if I would like this support? You can contact us on: 01823 281 250 Or
[email protected] You will be contacted by an Independent Supporter who will discuss with you how he/she can help.
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Education, Health and Care Plans Section Moving from Statement of SEN to the new EHCP By Somerset Parent Carer Forum If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN), how will it be transferred over to the new Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP) you may have been wondering... well there is a plan and by the end of this feature you will know a bit more! The new SEND Code of Practice 2014, which came into effect from 1 September last year, requires the Local Authority to make arrangements to transfer all children/young people who currently have a Statement of SEN to the new SEN and disability system (EHCP). The deadline for conversion is 1 April 2018. The new Code of Practice also states that this plan should include arrangements for young people in further education and training who have special educational provision as a result of a Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA). The deadline for this group is 1 September 2016. In order not to overwhelm the system in the first year of implementation, between September 2014 and September 2015, Local Authorities will only be required to transfer:
young people who receive support as a result of an LDA who request an Education Health Care (EHC) needs assessment
young people moving into further education or training from school in September 2015 (in 2014/2015 this must be completed before 31 May 2015, and by 31 March in subsequent years)
Local Authorities are not restricted to transferring only these groups, should local capacity allow. During the transitional period local authorities and educational providers (early years settings, schools and colleges) will have to manage both systems (statutory SEN processes under the old SEN Code 2001 and EHC process under the new SEND Code 2014). As the definition of SEN provision is not changing, no child or young person will lose their Statement of SEN and not have it replaced with an EHCP just because the system is changing. It is likely that most children and young people with a Statement of SEN will be transferred to an EHCP. Somerset's Plans for Conversion By the end of May 2015 every school will receive a letter advising them of the year in which each child/young person within the school with Statements will have a Transfers Review that will manage the process for transferring the Statement to EHCP. SEN and LDA Assessments in Progress (either under consideration or already under way) All assessments, which are already in progress on 1 September 2014, will be completed under the previous legislation. Find out more about the conversion process and view a form detailing groups of children/young people and the year in which they will be transferred here. 6
The first step in conversion A Transfer Review meeting must be held when considering transferring a Statement to an EHCP. Parents/carers and children or young people will be informed at least two weeks in advance of the Transfer Review meeting, most likely to be held in the education setting. During the intervening period Annual reviews of the Statement will continue and the Statement will remain in place until the child or young person has either:
an EHCP
the LA decide the child/young person does not require an EHCP
the LA decide to cease to maintain the Statement following an Annual Review
the Statement ceases because the young person leaves education
LDAs to the new SEN system Young people in mainstream or specialist colleges who receive support as a result of an LDA will receive information, support and advice about future options. The options are:
to continue to receive additional support as a result of their LDA (where required) until 2016
post 19, if appropriate, will need to request and EHC Assessment
More information on the Education, Health and Care Assessments and Plans can be found on Somerset’s local offer - https://somerset.local-offer.org/information/4-ehc-plans and on the Education Support Services web page https://slp.somerset.org.uk/sites/ess/SitePages/Education%20Health%20and%20Care%20Plans.a spx.
Education, Health and Care Plans – Myth Busting! Somerset’s SEND Training and Support Team have developed a paper to dispel some of the myths around EHC assessments and plans, below we share just three, to read more follow the link https://bit.ly/SomersetSEND and click on ‘SEND Myth busting’. Myth “My SENCO has told me that I have greater chance of getting an EHC Plan for my child if I (the parent/carer) apply for one” Fact Somerset Council receives a very high numbers of requests for EHC Assessments. Currently 90% of them are made by parent carers and between 40 to 50% of them are turned down. Please remember that requests for an EHCP is only one step on the graduated response, discussion with your school / college and the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCo) is very important to explore all the options available to provide support and help. The vast majority of children and young people with SEN or Disability will have their needs met by the resources already available in educational settings (early years, schools and colleges). The EHC needs assessment process is normally relevant only to a very small group of pupils (nationally about 2.5% of the whole school population) whose needs are most complex and 7
severe. This assessment is carried out to investigate the impact of needs on learning therefore educational settings will always hold crucial information. Discussion with your child’s school will help to clarify if such assessment is needed. An assessment under the SEND Code of Practice is normally agreed if:
child’s/young person needs are significant and long term; and
despite appropriate interventions already provided by the educational setting, the child/young person is not making progress
Myth “As a parent you must let me make the decisions for my child” Fact All young people have the right to have their views taken into consideration about decisions that affect them. However, an important change is that when they reach 16 certain rights transfer from, their parent carer to the young person themselves. A young person can:
ask for an EHC needs assessment
make decisions about the support in their EHC plan
ask for a personal budget
appeal directly to tribunal about a decision relating to an EHC assessment or plan
Myth “There is no one to help me through any of this” Fact The Code of Practice states that Local Authorities must arrange for children with SEN or disabilities for whom they are responsible, and their parents, and young people with SEN or disabilities for whom they are responsible, to be provided with information and advice about matters relating to their SEN or disabilities, including matters relating to health and social care. In Somerset this is offered by SENDIAS and Somerset’s Independent Supporters who provide advice and support for parents of children with special educational needs and disability, and young people with SEND, through the statutory assessment and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes. The contact details for support in Somerset can be found below: Somerset SENDIAS Website: www.somersetsend.org.uk and Careers South West Website: www.cswgroup.co.uk Tel No: 01823 281250 Email:
[email protected]
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Special Feature We have had the Children and Families Act now for the Care Act 2014 Part 1 of the Care Act 2014 came into force on 1 April 2015. The Act pulls together threads from over a dozen different Acts into a single, modern framework for care and support. It reforms how the law works, prioritising individual wellbeing for adults with care and support needs over the age of 18, with a particular focus on person-centred practice and outcomes, putting people in control of their care and support. The intended outcome of the new legislation is that people’s wellbeing, needs and goals are prioritised so that individuals will no longer feel like they are battling against the system to get the care and support they need. It highlights the importance of preventing and reducing needs, putting people in control of their care and support and for the first time, it puts carers on a par with those for whom they care. For disabled young people aged 18-25 there will be an impact from the Children and Families Act and the Care Act. This is a period of time which can be particularly challenging for young people and their families. It is therefore vital that when local authorities and partners are planning for implementation of the reforms, in both the Children and Families Act and the Care Act, that they are considered together with an emphasis on joining up processes where there are links between them. To support the changes Preparing for Adulthood have produced a factsheet on the links between the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014: http://bit.ly/ChildrenandFamiliesActandCareAct The Care Act will change care and support services for the better in Somerset. If you want to find out more specifically about the Care Act and what this means for you, visit http://www.somerset.gov.uk/careact For a quick overview of the Care Act, and the changes you can watch this short animation http://bit.ly/CareActAnimation
Special Educations Needs and Disability Local Accountability for Implementation of the SEND Reforms It’s everyone’s business… but why? Since September 2014 The Department for Education has been working closely with local areas to implement the SEND reforms that came into force as a result of the Children and Families Act. The components of a successful SEND system include: 9
A person-centred and joined up approach to identifying and meeting the needs of children, young people and their families
Engagement and participation of young people and families so that they have greater choice, feel that they are in control and are being listened to and their concerns are resolved quickly
A clear understanding of what support , services and provision are available and how to raise concerns or seek redress when there are concerns
Use of effective practice, data and wider intelligence and independent assessment to drive improvement
Clearly-defined and understood roles, responsibilities and accountability
A Framework for SEND To this end a framework for SEND has evolved, it has three parts (Local Authority Roles and Responsibilities, National roles and Responsibilities, Independent assessment), which when they work together, provide the structure for improving outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families. See diagram below.
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The SEND Framework therefore shows that the SEND Reforms are everyone’s business… and that there will be consequences for not getting it right…
How will we know when we get it right? Measuring success will be in three ways with varying timescales:
Positive experience of the SEND system for children, young people and their families
Positive outcomes for children, young people and their families
Effective preparation for adulthood
The short/medium term impact is expected to be measured and seen from September 2014 to September 2017 and is based around a positive experience of the SEND system for children, young people and their families…
So what does that mean? We will be successful when…
Parents, children and young people get the right support, at the right time and they feel they are listened to and in control
There are planned and well managed transition at key points
A joined-up transparent and accountable system
The Department for Education tasked with measuring the implementation of the reforms will measure Somerset’s success through:
The number of SEN Appeals
The number of Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) completed on time
Local authority and parent survey data
Children and young people’s Personal Outcomes Evaluation Tool (POET)
Feedback from independent supporters
Ofsted inspections
What is your role? To find out more have a look at the guide to accountability or visit the SEND Reforms webpage
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Good Practice Educarers By Somerset Parent Carer Forum We have been excited by the number of schools contacting Somerset Parent Carer Forum to set up support groups between parent carers and school staff in their schools, and we have been delighted to help out! The support group ‘Educarers’ focuses on building bridges and developing a conversation between schools and families of children and young people with additional needs. It builds on communication and understanding and provides an opportunity for parents, carers, and other family members to drop into school at an agreed time and meet with schools staff including Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), Headteachers, Governors and classroom teachers. With the promise of coffee and croissants, the first support group was held at a secondary school in Somerset, and it was an amazing event. We asked the parents why they were there, what they would like to discuss and whether they had any questions – what they said surprised us all. They were keen to discuss strategies for doing homework at home, what apps are available to support their kids learning, whether siblings could meet with other young carers, what is Asperger's, what support was their child was getting at school and about concerns about transitions to a new key stage/college. As the parent carer questions were popping up, something amazing happened; parents were supporting each other, there were lots of parent sharing strategies and laughing about something that they would usually have found difficult to discuss with the school. All of a sudden the room was filled with people who 'Got it'. We had a room full of people helping, sharing tips and who no longer felt isolated. Together they were able to share solutions with each other but were also able to share with the School what their children did well, what their interests are and how to get the best out of them. In turn, the school staff were able to answer some of those questions parents and carers often pondered on but feel they haven’t got the energy to find out, including:
What exactly is a SENCO?
What are all these acronyms you are talking about, eg why a child with ADHD and ASD who clearly has SEND should speak to their FSW or SENCO and discuss having an EHC assessment – it is confusing just writing it, let alone saying it and understanding what it means!
To sum up the event, one Somerset parent said ‘I don’t feel isolated anymore’ Are you or your school interested in doing something similar? Somerset Parent Carer Forum has secured funding from Somerset County Council to introduce Educarers to an additional 25 schools, including primary, secondary and specialist schools. If your school would like to find out more or if you are parent carer hoping something like this could be offered in your school, contact SPCF on 01749 699397 or
[email protected] . 12
Resources Disabled Children online resources and Department for Education guides and supporting information as well as specific information produced by Somerset County Council. Special educational needs and disability: supporting local and national accountability. Department for Education A publication written to support long term local and national accountability for SEND Report on the Personal Outcomes Evaluation Tool (POET) for Children and Young People with SEND. In Control Report on how the POET tool has worked in providing a national benchmark of the impact the new education, health and care plans and personal budgets have on families’ lives. A series of brief guides to the Code of Practice. Department for Education These are aimed at: parents; health partners; social care; early years settings; schools; and further education colleges. New SEND Guide for parents and carers. Department for Education This guide explains how the system that supports children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) works. The document covers: the law and guidance on which the system is based; places to go for help and further information; details about changes to the system from 1 September 2014. In addition to this guide there is an easy-read guide for parents and carers and for children and young people.
Somerset Specific resources Somerset’s EHC Assessment and Plan Paperwork NEW Education, Health and Care paper work is available you can view all of Somerset’s EHC assessment and plan paperwork at https://somerset.local-offer.org/information/4-ehc-plans and https://slp.somerset.org.uk/sites/ess/SitePages/Education%20Health%20and%20Care%20Plans.a spx. Somerset SEND Information leaflet This useful leaflet explains what the SEND reforms mean for children, young people and families in Somerset. The leaflet covers; information on the reforms, what the changes mean, and places to go for support and further information. Somerset SEND resource directory Somerset’s Training and Support team have developed a directory full of useful resource’s from generic information on the reforms to specific information, resources and you tube clips on keyworking, co-production, participation, aspirations and outcomes, transitions, person centred planning, EHC plans, personal budgets, deaf/blind children and young people, young people in custody and joint commissioning.
SEND and You Tube There are lots of informative You Tube clips out there to explain the SEND reforms in a quick and easy way, here we have picked some of our favourites and share some powerful stories. Overview of the SEND reforms, Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3N9d-WRD3Q 13
Building Better Lives (with captions and British Sign Language), Gloucestershire County Council https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMkSyBJcd5c&feature=youtu.be Supported Internships at Somerset College, Somerset College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2knF9D-WK4&feature=youtu.be Working Together our experience of co-production, Contact a Family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze-gFplpKFw Involve young people with a learning disability, Mencap, Raising Your Game Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI1EsYNWpFg
Other Useful Links
Somerset Parent Carer Forum
Council for Disabled Children
SEND pathfinders
Somerset Parent and Young Peoples Partnership Service
Local Offer Careers South West
Contact a Family Early Support
Preparing for Adulthood
National Network of Parent Carer Forum
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Contact the SEND Training Team The SEND training team are responsible for the development of the workforce, which includes communicating, supporting and facilitating implementation of the SEND reforms. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your teams and share the key messages from the reforms. You can contact any of the below through
[email protected] Heather Burton Training & Support Coordinator
Hannah May Training and Support Officer
Jane Cooke Local Offer Support
Jackie Markham Training and Support Officer
Jemma Lang Engagement and Participation Officer
Ellen Collard Young People’s Champion
Rachel Manson Person Centred Planning Trainer
Shane Dangar Young People’s Champion
Claire Nutall Business Support
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And finally… If you would like a bi of fun, or some downtime – have a go at our Co-production word-search, a useful tool that reminds us of some of the keys aspects of working with others.
Co-production word-search S
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