SEND Pathfinder National Update

1. Kerry Hancock, Programme Manager Pathfinder Support Team 8th October 2013 SEND Pathfinder National Update

2. A reminder: the case for change The current system is not working for families and children: • Too many children with SEN have their needs picked up late; • Young people with SEN do less well than their peers at school and college and are more likely to be out of education, training and employment at 18; • Schools and colleges can focus too much on the SEN label rather than meeting the child’s needs, and the current Statements/ Learning Difficulty Assessments do not focus on life outcomes; • Too many families have to battle to find out what support is available and in getting the help they need from education, health and social care services; and • 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.

3. Government vision • Children’s SEN are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly; • Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled; • Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, college, LA & local services to provide, without having to fight for it; • Aspirations for children and young people are raised through an increased focus on life outcomes, including employment; • For more complex needs, an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan are in place from birth to 25; and • There is greater control for parents and young people over the services they and their family use.

4. Pathfinder and Reforms: the story so far Feb-June 2013 Mar 2011 Sept 2012 Sept 2011 Feb 2013 May 2012 Oct 2013 Green Paper: Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability Draft provisions published for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Education Select Committee Support and aspiration: Progress and next steps Gov’t response to pre-legislative scrutiny; and Children and Families Bill published Bill progresses through House of Commons to House of Lords National consultation: Code of Practice transitional arrangements SEND Pathfinders (Sept 2011 – March 2013)

5. The SEND Pathfinders

6. Pathfinders core objectives • To develop a new 0-25 assessment/planning process and a Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) • Person centred • Improving outcomes • Bringing together services and support which families rely on Develop a multi agency local offer To ensure the full engagement of children, young people and their parents and families, schools and colleges To explore how the voluntary and community sector could explore access to specialist expertise and introduce more independence to the process To explore how the option of a personal budget could offer more choice and control for children, young people and their families To explore how the joint commissioning across agencies can support the new processes and improve outcomes

7. Different for all but with common elements PathfindersGovernance structure Lead/Chair Majority - Local Authority Some - Health, Parent Carer Forum/Council Representation from: Local Authority, health (commissioners & providers), parent carers forum/council, VCS, schools, colleges, parent partnership services, children and young people groups/forums Strategic decision making & co-production Work streams / Task groups

8. House of Commons timetable Begins on 5th March – 23rd April (subject to passing of the Programme Motion) 1-2 days 4/5 Feb 25 Feb 1 hour Second Reading Committee Report 1st Reading 3rd Reading Public Evidence sessions, followed by line-by-line scrutiny of the Bill (including selected amendments) Debate of whole House; all MPs can lay amendments & vote Short debate; no further amendments; final vote Motion/vote: 2nd Reading Money Programme for Committee House of Lords timetable Grand Committee or Committee of the whole house Second Reading Report Stage Third Reading Introduction/ 1st Reading All Lords have a further opportunity to consider all amendments. Amendments can still be made at Third Reading in the Lords Detailed line by line examination. We are here

9. Timetable for reform (indicative) March 2013 IndicativeDraft Regulations and an outline Code of Practice published. mid 2013 Further discussions on Code of Practice to inform production of full draft late 2013 Formal consultation on full draft Code of Practice To inform debate on the primary legislation – subsequent steps allow significant further engagement and formal consultation to get these right before Spring 2014 Royal Assent of Bill (subject to Parliamentary process) by Spring 2014 Parliamentary approval of regulations and Code of Practice (following Royal Assent) 2014 Implementation of provisions (meeting original Green Paper commitment to have reforms in place by 2014) • From now until Enactment: • 1996 Education Act and current Code of Practice still applies • Transition arrangements will be clarified by DfE

10. Legislation - key highlights

11. Legislation - key highlights (2)

12. Legislation – current position

13. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-0-to-25-special-educational-needs-sen-code-of-practice-draft-regulationshttps://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-0-to-25-special-educational-needs-sen-code-of-practice-draft-regulations Open consultation

14. SEND Pathfinder Champions

15. Regional SEND Pathfinder Champions Champion Role: • Face-to-face support for non-pathfinder areas, both through one-to-one support and events • Case studies • Proactive sharing of information across region • A regional conference, thematic workshops and seminars • Additional national responsibilities for some champions The champion role should include a range of parties with experience to offer, including parents, young people, education providers, VCS partners, the LA and health partners

16. Funding for non-pathfinderJuly 2013 - £9million funding for non-pathfinder areas announced Q: When will local authorities receive their allocation? A: The SEN Reforms Grant 2013-14 will be paid to local authorities in October. Q: How much will each local authority receive? A: The City of London will receive £20,000. All other non-pathfinder authorities will receive £75,000. Q: Does the funding have to be spent on special educational needs in 2013-14? A: The grant is not ring-fenced. It has been made available, as part of a wider package of support, to develop SEN systems and services within this financial year but it is for each local authority to determine how to use the funding. No conditions apply, a certification of expenditure is not required and any underspend will not need to be returned to the Department.

17. Participation and engagement of Parents, Carers, Children and young people Multi agency approach • At the centre • Developed with • Coordinated • Tell us one approach EHC plan Option of a personal budget Local Offer Joint commissioning Workforce development

18. Hartlepool Case Study An example coordinated assessment process • Overarching process above is broken down into the component stages, in the following slides. • The family is at the centre of the new process and involved at all stages • this has changed professionals’ approach to meetings • the feedback received from all parties is overwhelmingly positive

19. Hartlepool Case Study:Coordinated Assessment • The family is at the centre, involved at all stages • Maximum process of 20 weeks • Aim to make a meaningful difference to children, young people & their families

20. EHC plans

21. SE7- Local Offer • SE7 as a region: • set out principles that should be followed when completing the Local Offer (LO) locally • worked with relevant groups (e.g. parents, professionals, providers) to help shape the principles, guidance and any recommendations • developed/developing framework and guidance for each individual strand: • Social care • Education • Health • Preparing for Adulthood

22. Local OfferSE7

23. SE7 Case StudySpecific Questions from the Parent/Carer & Young Person

24. Darlington Local Offer Case StudyApproach • Development of offer at incremental stages to ensure sustainable approach • Darlington’s local offer can be found at: http://darlington.fsd.org.uk

25. Hartlepool Case StudySt Hild’s Local Offer Front Page Ability to click through to specific areas of the offer, such as achievement support. • St Hild’s has a local offer front page, which is part of the school website. This provides information on the key SEND contacts within the school, contact details, and useful links including information on: • How the school creates an individual SEND plan • Staffing and relevant qualifications • Special Education Provisions • Achievement and support

26. In Focus: Learning from Pathfinder WorkThree Mechanisms for Control of an EHC Personal Budget Taken from Indicative Draft: SEN Code of Practice (section 6.11 Personal Budgets in EHC plans)

27. In Focus: Learning from Pathfinder WorkFunding EHC SEN Personal Budgets • Where a pupil or student’s individualised needs exceed the level of provision the school or college normally provides, additional funds can: • definitely come from funding provided by the LA from their high-needs block • possibly come from funding managed by a school or college, if the head or principal agrees. • It is normally these additional funds, beyond the normal provision as set out in the local offer, that would be offered as part of an EHC personal budget.

28. East Sussex Case Study:Support for the Schools

29. East Sussex Case Study:Harbour School - Child T Case Study • Background: • Child T is 5 years old & an only child. He has autism with SEN, & has a ‘Band B’ statement. He enjoys swimming, going to the playground, playing on the computer and owns an iPad. • Both parents are Lithuanian & the family live locally having moved to the area 2 years ago. Both parents work long hours but are a close family, maintaining links with extended family members. • What happened that was different? • Deputy Head teacher set up 3 meetings with family to discuss the pathfinder & reformed process, discuss the plan & planning, & complete the single plan/complete T’s annual review. • Involved a range of professionals

30. East Sussex Case Study:Harbour School - Child T Case Study • Key Outcomes: • Communication between home and school is excellent • After School Clubs are very successful • Lunchtime support is working well for T • T is now having weekly swimming lessons • What is the key learning to share with others? • Importance of personalisation as an approach to SEN PBs • Need to be clear about the funding available for an SEN PB • Importance of looking at a family’s resources & ‘real wealth’ as a valid & important contribution • Importance of understanding outcomes & having the confidence to lead conversations away from identifying the need to access services as an outcome • Supporting schools to develop solution focused approaches as examples of good practice

31. Hartlepool Case Study: Prezi: The Path to a Personal Budget • Interactive presentation • Simple step-by-step explanation of how parents and carers can access a Personal Budget • http://youtu.be/U4UhRqnykvI

32. Key challenges for the programme and areas for further development: • Running two systems in parallel amid wider change programmes • Workforce development and culture change • Further testing of paperwork ensuring its robustness when used as a statutory document • Scaling up testing • Increase the number of families involved • Ensure coverage across the age range • Including more new cases • Testing the full end to end process e.g. reviews, disputes, transition • Sharing learning more widely with non-pathfinder areas

33. Keeping in touch