SEND Pathfinder – NW National and Regional Champions Conference

1. SEND Pathfinder – NW National and Regional Champions Conference 25th March 2014

2. Welcome • Your hosts – Manchester Trafford and Wigan welcome you to our 3rd conference. • Supported by Mott MacDonald, DfE, CDC, Early Support, NNPCF, PfA • Who is in the room today? • No expense spared name badges! • Post – it notes for questions

3. Agenda

4. Further Information • All presentations from today will be made available on the SEND Pathfinder website: • www.SENDpathfinder.co.uk • This website is also where the Information Packs can be found. • Evaluation forms – will be sent to you via email

5. Geraldine Hills, Manchester Andrew Robinson & Keelie Right, POINT, Oldham Andy Simpkins, Stockport,& Sherann Hillman (Stockport& NNPCF) Nicky Montes, Trafford Louise Reecejones, Wirral Dr Cathy Hamer, Early Support Engagement and co-production with parents and carers

6. To provide participants with tools, tips and practical examples of engagement and co-production with key stakeholders focusing on engagement with parents and carers To provide an opportunity for networking and sharing learning, experience and practice Workshop outcomes

7. Pre 2000 models of parent partnership considering relative roles of parents and professionals: Expert, transplant, consumer, empowerment, negotiating Early 2000s: Support partnerships, Team around the child 2006: Parent participation in partnership with practitioners – an evolved model Putting co-production in context

8. METHODOLOGY: SHARP St Helens Action Research Project Wishing on a star Stakeholder event Questionnaire Parent researcher training Research activity: Service audits Interviews. Visits. Case studies Action Learning Set Service model Second Questionnaire Focus group Interviews ALS records Research activity: Evaluating Early Support

9. THE JOURNEY TO PARTICIPATION Engagement Partnership Contribution Empowerment Involvement

10. THE JOURNEY TO PARTICIPATION Partnership Contribution Empowerment Engagement Involvement Hamer, 2006

11. Involvement: By association rather than choice Engagement: A level of activity either something is required or want to find out more Empowerment: Sharing of knowledge and skills – respected as equals Contribution: Lived, personal and acquired experiences Partnership: Reciprocal collaboration. Joint ownership of service design An evolved model:Key constructs

12. A partnership process where parent carers are valued members of a team shaping and delivering services for families of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. ‘Effective parent participation happens when parents have conversations with and work alongside professionals in order to design, develop and improve services’.

13. Local authorities must ensure that parents, children and young people are involved in discussions and decisions about every aspect of their SEN, planning outcomes and making provision to meet those outcomes, and in: Planning and reviewing the local offer Reviewing special educational provision and social care provision Drawing up individual EHC plans, reviews and reassessments Draft sen code of practice

14. Co-production is when all team members together agree outcomes, coproduce recommendations, plans, actions and materials as a collective. It is an approach which builds upon meaningful participation and assumes effective consultation and information sharing. In its essence, co-production is a dynamic group process and happens in the room when there is equal value for each participant’s contribution and when there is a meaningful proportion of participants who are service users (in this case parent carers) present. Ref: Co-production with parents carers: the SE7 experience. www.se7pathfinder.co.uk Co-production

15. What are your 3 key challenges in relation to co-production with parent carers? Co-production:Activity

16. Capacity of parent/carers. Time and capacity. Funding Managing parent expectations/perceptions with limited resources Establishing clear communication channels. Cultural change of working together Ensuring that a wide range of parents are involved consistently Personal vs group agendas. Communication barriers between parents Equal representation. Rather than own agenda remain ‘open’ Expectations. Confidence to join in . Breadth of involvement (to get different perspectives) Knowing how a parent can be involved. Broad prepresentation. Each parent has their own agenda but must remain mindful of others’ agendas Time constraints / Responsibilities. Range of engagement. Different requirements Turnover of staff who may not be used to partnership working. Parents to get more involved where possible Tension between personal agenda and wider focus. Fair representation. Reality vs expectations. Equality of opportunity Appropriate times for communications (meetings etc). Accessible information. Genuine trust in partnership How do you include the view of all parents equally. As priorities are so different. Time to get everyone together. Getting all professionals in one meeting. Being listened to! Understanding that our children are not a one size fits all Co-production may fall down on funding / time Cherry picking. Hiding behind confidentiality. Patronising – not giving credence to parents. Not listening/manipulation Managing change in context of range of previous experiences Trust. (parents of professionals and vice versa). Knowledge of what’s available Change – services not wanting to change. All services not understanding the meaning of co-production. Local Authorities are too slow to react to individual or family needs Priorities for health, schools and social care. Who would ensure that parents are heard equally Parents needs to consider restrictions of the Local Authority. How can we measure ‘equal value’ Closed shop history. Do, then ask (false consultation). Mutual respect. The distance is takes for everybody to get together. Time! Structures that promote co-production (or lack of). Lack of enough parent carers participating considering how huge our area is. Lancashire is a huge are with 12 districts so this causes problems in terms of everybody getting together. Challenges identified

17. Workshop 1: Understanding this unknown world Workshop 2: Changing relationships Workshop 3: The child beyond the disability Workshop 4: Ordinary lives? Workshop 5: Growing up, moving on Delivering Earlysupport parent carer workshops - Louise Reecejones

18. The workshop made a big difference to my life, I am able to go to school meetings and understand what’s happening. I feel so much more confident and proud of myself for not crying any more. Thank you so much, you will never understand how much you have changed my life. Quote from a parent

19. Expert parent programme: http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/work-themes/health/practice-and-projects/expert-parent-programme You’re the expert

20. The Expert Parent Carer Toolkit Unique knowledge of your child Knowledge and information about condition Respectful and effective partnership with professionals A clear vision of what you want for your child and the outcomes you hope will be achieved Confidence to question, share concerns and inform professionals Knowledge of where to go and who to ask Strategies to get the most out of time spent with professionals Knowledge and understanding of the rights of your child within the NHS Understanding of use of language, terminology and how to get heard

21. Education Health Care Plan Working Together Geraldine Hills, Manchester

22. Working Together:Boundaries and expectations • What’s mine is yours • You’re not my mate • don’t put yourselves/parents in a difficult position • Help parents/professionals to understand

23. Working Together:Dealing with difficult relationships • Think about what you want to say • Think about how the person is going to hear what you say • Then rethink what you want to say... ...so they will hear what you want them to hear no jargon please!

24. Working Together:Communicating • Even if you don’t like what a parent/professional is saying, listen, because being patient and allowing them to finish shows respect • Expect the same for yourselves

25. The Formula Clarity + Brevity = Impact • Clarity: Message easily understood • Brevity: Get to the point • Impact: What you say will be remembered

26. Information • We all know something you don’t! • Don’t assume parents/professionals know • Pass it on

27. Consultation and Influencing What you can do • Be understanding - this is new for parents/professionals as well • Manage parents fear & expectations • Communicating your own concerns What parent have been doing • Parent Forums (Manchester Parents for Change) • Drop ins / Resource centre • Conference What Manchester has been doing • Training for parents: • Getting your message across • confidence & resilience • Some school s have also commissioned this training • Co- talks and training with parents and Parent Partnership

28. Our Co-production Journey Andrew Robinson & Keelie Rigby Chair & Vice Chair Parents of Oldham in Touch

29. A BRIGHT FUTURE DEAD END Achievement Mutual Agreement Frustration Shared Plan Collaboration Apprehension Mis-trust RISK

30. Learning Disability Partnership Board Pathfinder Management Board Oldham Parent Partnership Sevice SENDirect Pathfinder Board Members Short Breaks Steering Group Autism the way forward Group 0-25 Decision Making Panel CCG Equality and Diversity Board Members SEND Partnership Board

31. OUR TOP TIPS TO ACHIEVE CO-PRODUCTION • Be confident… Honest… and Direct! You have a lot to offer and know your stuff! • Be prepared to understand the opportunity and take risks! • Accept everyone has their strengths… and not everyone can do everything. • Be willing to compromise where necessary. • But most of all… challenge… revisit… and remind everyone that co-production is KEY if we are going to deliver better life chances, aspirations and a person centred approach.

32. Parents in Partnership Stockport PIPS Sherann Hillman PIPS& Andy Simpkins SMBC

33. Stockport’s Parent Carer Forum is a parent led constituted group for parents, carers & family members who have children or young people in Stockport with disabilities or additional needs. We work with parents, Carers and local organisations in Stockport (statutory, voluntary, private and independent ) to assess, develop, maintain and improve what their children and young people receive.

34. Founded in 2007 Constituted group since 2013 Steering Group Parent Representatives Ambassadors Membership & Associated Members

35. SEND Reforms non pathfinder Second phase 0-25 transformation programme . History First phase Programme managers Currently rolling out of the second phase Design authority Project Leads Dedicated work streams PIPS & wider family involvement

36. Stockport’s Work streams: 1. CAF/ TAC/ EHC One Common Process 2. Education Design Schools and LA 3. Vocational and Employment Pathways 4. Aspirational Early Years Offer 5. Personal Budgets 6. Travel Assistance Policy 7. Local and Community Offers 8. Health and Care Pathways

38. Next Steps Work streams Blue Print Consultation

39. Lessons Learnt over the last 2 years Don’t rush into things - co-production takes time. joint parent carer and professional training to challenge legacy working. Ensure commitment of staff at all levels. Ensure parent representative sit on each work stream and are included in all meetings. Don’t make decisions and progress work outside of meetings without buy in from all partners. It is important to contextualise coproduction and think of ways to work together within the existing boundaries, for example, everyone can’t always be sat round a table,

40. “Coproduction is about working together to find new ways of working. It is about hearts and minds and embedding the process in design, development and delivery” … “It is important to take a step back and understand what it actually means to co-produce and how you know when you have successfully done so. It is not about having lots of meetings with lots of different people, it is about the outcome of those meetings and the benefits it brings to ensuring parents carers, children/ young people are at the heart of what you do”. Sherann Hillman Stockport PIPS

41. Something to take from today Can you really sense it Can you see it Can you feel it Can you touch it

42. What Co-Production means to us Sherann Hillman Co-Chair & North West Representative

43. The National Network of Parent Carer Forums • Membership - NNPCF is made up of all local parent carer forums in England, and have a remit to ensure strategic parent carer participation at a national level. We act as a conduit between local forums, the regional networks and national strategic partners. • Steering Group - is made up of a selected regional representative from forums across the England regions who participate nationally in the same way that local parent carer forum representatives represent locally. • Constituted -parent led and managed organisation and work closely with Contact a Family who are contracted to provide support to parent carer forums.

44. NNPCF are involved in working with a broad range of partners NNPCF are involved in working with a broad range of partners, which include: • Contact a Family & Contact a Family Health Project • Department of Education & Health, DfE Programme Board & Implementation group • Council for Disabled Children, National Parent Partnership Network, Preparing for Adulthood, Every Disabled Child Matters, Early Support, Special Educational Consortium (SEC), Achievement for All • Short Breaks Network • National Link Group • British Academy of Childhood Disability • James Lind Alliance • Mott MacDonald – Pathfinders • IPSEA • In Control

45. Here is a glimpse of who we are co-producing and working in partnership with currently • CDC Partnership board & CDC Council, EDCM • SEND Strategic Advisory Group (SEND SAG) &Implementation Board • Early Support Advisory Group • National Delivery Partner Meetings • Parent Carers Rights – Amendment to the bill, working on guidelines • E-Learning Disability Portal • Code of Practice • Mott – ALN meetings – All • National Voices • SEND Task & Finish Groups –writing national guidance & Challenging behaviour • SEC Parliamentary, Steering group & Post 16 • British Association of Childhood Disabilities • POET

46. Participation in the Children & Families Act and SEN Code of Practice Ensuring the participation of parent carers is an underpinning principle of the Children and Families Act. It is helpful to consider this as two distinct aspects • 1 – the individual participation of children, young people and their parent carers in their own assessments, plans and support and subsequent reviews of these. • 2 – the strategic participation of children, young people and parent carers in local (and national) service design, delivery and evaluation.

47. Recognition-The importance of Parent Carers • Validation -Individual parent carers and forums. • Strength -Our strength comes from our shared experience

48. Responsibility

49. New Beginnings

50. Where to find more information • Ref: Markers of good practice in building Parent Carer Participation: Working effectively with parent carers www.nnpcf.org.uk • You can find the details of local parent carer forums, by going to www.nnpcf.org.uk • You can find out more information about the work of the National Network of Parent Carer forums by going to www.nnpcf.org.uk/ email: info@nnpcf.org.uk • Follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/NNPCF and twitter @nnpcf