Edward Timpson MP appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Children and Families)

1. Achieving a Personalised Approach to Short Breaks Conference SEN and disability reform and the pathfinder programmePeter Gibb and Angela Overington, DfE7 November 2012

2. Key policy developments • Edward Timpson MP appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Children and Families) • Draft legislation published for pre-legislative scrutiny in September 2012; • Select Committee ‘call for evidence’ and two hearing taken place • £3m announced for supported internships trial in 15 colleges (4 in pathfinder areas), which will create opportunities for young people to demonstrate to employers what they are capable of achieving • Changes to safeguarding guidance: consultation on revised statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and Managing Cases: Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families • A new VCS grants prospectus launched on 26 October offering up to £30 million pa in 2013-14 and 2014-15 for VCS organisations, social enterprises and others bidding on a not-for-profit basis.  One of the five priorities is to attract proposals ‘to develop and reform services that support children with SEN, disabilities and other health needs’

3. Draft legislation - highlights • New requirement for local authorities, health and care services to commission services jointly, to ensure that the needs of disabled children and young people and those with SEN are met • LAs to publish a clear, transparent ‘local offer’ of services, so parents and young people can understand what is available • More streamlined assessment process, which integrates education, health and care services, and involves children and young people and their families • New 0-25 Education, Health and Care Plan, replacing the current system of Statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments, which reflects the child or young person’s aspirations for the future, as well as their current needs • Option of a personal budget for families and young people with a Plan, extending choice and control over their support • New statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in FE and a stronger focus on preparing for adulthood • Academies, Free Schools, Further Education and Sixth Form colleges to have the same SEN duties as maintained schools

4. Timetable for legislative reform (indicative) Allows the provisions to be informed and improved by the views and evidence of stakeholders, and to continue to learn from the experience of the Pathfinders September to December 2012 Period of pre-legislative scrutiny led by the Education Select Committee December 2012 Education Select Committee publishes a report of its findings Early 2013 Children and Families Bill introduced into Parliament. Early 2013 IndicativeDraft Regulations and a Draft Code of Practice published for consultation, informed by pathfinder learning. Spring 2014 Royal Assent (subject to Parliamentary process) September 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

5. But it’s not just about the legislation….. • Draft clauses are the high level architecture – there will be more detail in • Regulations and the new Code of Practice. There are wider changes • happening in the ways that professionals work with children, young people • and Families, for example: • Change in local practice • Pathfinders • Delivery Partners • Supported Internships • Achievement for All • Improvements in professional development • SENCO training • Initial Teacher Training • CPD & scholarships • VCS • Wider reforms • Health and Social Care • Early identification through 2 year old progress check; investment in health visitors • School funding reforms

6. SEND Pathfinders: 20 SEND pathfinders (representing 31 LAs and health partners) were set up in October 2011 to test reforms around: • the 0-25 single assessment process and plan; • how the voluntary and community sector can offer expertise and independence; • engaging young people and families, schools and colleges; and improving choice and control through the use of personal budgets and direct payments Mott MacDonald are supporting pathfinders with online resources; regional events; tailored support and challenge; policy development workshops and action learning networks; and access to additional support from delivery partners and grant holders www.sendpathfinder.co.uk provides a hub for those interested in the pathfinders, including case studies produced by delivery partners and pathfinder leads

7. Evaluating the pathfinder programme • A formal evaluation isunderwaybased on monitoring data; parent and practitioner surveys, and intensive case studies in selected areas. The first interim report was published on October 18 and the final report will be published by summer 2013 • Early findings suggest that: • Good progress has been made in setting up partnerships and engaging families • There are a range of approaches to the single assessment process, from bringing together the results of separate specialist assessments to a single assessment event. • More family and young person centred processes are in place, using key working to improve communications • The capacity of health and education and VCSproviders to engage remains a concern in some areas • A challenge remains about how to scale up approaches to a whole area in a sustainable way e.g. key working

8. Pathfinder learning: cultural change • In many areas, pathfinders are successfully integrating education, health and social care assessment functions and administration to develop a more coherent offer for children, young people and their families • Bromley and Bexley: • Children and Young People Services and Adult Services integrated to become the Education and Care Services with a single commissioning division. • A shared vision for young people developed - through a visioning day, attended by a wide range of stakeholders (including LA services, schools, colleges, health, families, young people and the voluntary sector). • Devon: • Major training programme aimed at 1000 Integrated Children’s Services staff, 360 schools and other key stakeholders, including parents and children and young people. • Working with In Control to set out a new framework for Person Centred practice • Aiming to align all their current Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and multi-agency working training to a more personalised agenda.

9. Pathfinder Learning: single assessment process and plan Most pathfinders have now developed and agreed the pathway and format of their single assessment and planning process Families have been recruited for testing and a significant number of completed plans are now in place In Manchester, plan co-ordinators from a range of professional backgrounds have been trained to work with one or two young people each to develop person-centred single plans. In Calderdale, a draft plan has been developed by parents and practitioners from health, education and social care, focusing on what children or young people feel is / is not working for them and what they want to achieve. There is an emphasis on developing links with the local community and building family resilience. Families work together in groups to develop their i plans, to develop peer support. Group sessions are facilitated by person centred planners, who are also parents of disabled children.

10. Pathfinder learning: Local Offer The Local Offer means that LAs will have to make available information on services for the full range of children and young people who are disabled and those with SEN Pathfinders are actively developing their Local Offers, with many focusing initially on schools and colleges. In some areas, VCS organisations or parent partnerships services are leading on development of the offer • Northampton & Leicester City and Manchester • Development of the local offer is led by parent partnership services and parent carer representatives. • SE7 • A working group of parent carers and parent partnership services has consulted with parent carers and practitioners to a agree a common set of principles for its local offer framework, covering all seven pathfinder authorities. Nottingham NAVO (an umbrella organisation for local VCS) has the lead.

11. Pathfinders are testing the scope of a personal budget; the impact on families (including their engagement in the planning process and designing outcomes); and the impact on the commissioning, planning and cost-effectiveness of services Testing is at an early stage but most pathfinders have now developed accessible ways of communicating with young people and families about personal budgets. Direct Payments are being offered for some services, particularly around transport and short breaks Pathfinder learning: Personal Budgets • Hartlepool and Darlington • A workstream has been set up to investigate how personal budgets might work across Education, Health and Social Care. • A small budget has been set aside to help to develop this for pathfinder families and there is a presumption that parents will be offered a personal budget in the resource element of their plan. Devon, Trafford, Greenwich and Southampton are testing specific brokerage functions to support families. Bromley & Bexley, Wiltshire, Devon and Medway are developing ‘easy read’ guides and holding workshops with families and practitioners. 11

12. Pathfinder learning: engaging the VCS and parents, children and young people Examples of innovative good practice are beginning to emerge Manchester • Parents are involved in each of the Pathfinder work streams, and have their own representation group. • The Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People have a Young People’s Forum which has been commissioned to consult young people in the Pathfinder cohort and more widely Devon • Parents and voluntary sector representatives have been involved in all design work streams through the Pathfinder Reference Group • Using briefing notes, newsletters, Twitter, a pathfinder website, conversation events and briefing sessions to engage with stakeholders Gateshead A key working function is being provided by Children NorthEast. Skills for People are leading on person-centred planning and advocacy support

13. Pathfinder learning: preparation for adulthood We are proposing new arrangements which will allow plans to continue until age 25 for young people in further education or training. Plans will be much clearer about young people’s own ambitions for what they can achieve, and what outcomes they are seeking. Young people will have the right to ask to attend a particular FE college, and to appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal if they are unhappy with their arrangements. A number of pathfinders are undertaking excellent work with mainstream colleges and specialist providers to develop more flexible packages for young people. Hertfordshire are piloting a ‘supported employment’ model to help a group of college leavers including NEET young people find sustainable employment.  Feedback from providers is that they need CPD support around preparing young people for work and engaging employers.  Bromley are working with Special Schools, FE and Specialist Colleges and third sector partners to develop post-16 education provision and facilities for young people with more complex needs. Children and Young People’s Services and Adult Services have been integrated to become the Education and Care Services. A small pilot group of 10 to 15 young people with higher support needs is developing more flexible learning and support packages which will enable them to remain within their local community and access the local FE college.

14. Next steps for pathfinders Pathfinder learning events and case studies are informing practice and policy on an ongoing basis Pathfinder learning and evaluation are feeding into the pre-legislative scrutiny phase, the drafting of Regulations and a new Code of Practice DfE is working with Delivery Partners and pathfinders to develop some emerging principles of good practice We are accelerating learning on key areas of reform among smaller groups of pathfinders We are beginning to map out a ‘change pathway’ to support scaling up and the move towards national implementation

15. Short Breaks and SEN and disability reform • All 152 local authorities have published their short breaks statements Impact continues to work with local authorities on reviewing and improving their statements, and by collecting and disseminating examples of good practice • Lessons learned from the development of short breaks statements are • feeding into our thinking about the Local Offer • Short breaks are leading the way in pathfinder testing of direct payments, giving • greater choice and control to disabled children, young people and their • families

16. Short Breaks: Funding and TSD standards • ۠۠The Government is continuing to fund short breaks services in local areas by • providing £800million over the four year spending review period through • unringfenced grants • £40m in capital funding for short breaks was once again made available to • local authorities in September of this year. Funding is unringfenced but is • intended to support and develop short break provision between now and • August 2014 through capital expenditure • TSD Standards - The online workbook closed at the end of October. • Refreshed versions of the workbook and other supporting materials are now • available in Word and PDF formats on the Department’s short breaks • standards webpage at • http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/send/ahdc/ • a0070553/short-breaks

17. Peter Gibb and Angela Overington • Pathfinders and short breaks • Special Educational Needs and Disability Division • Department for Education • peter.gibb@education.gsi.gov.uk • 020 7340 8086 • angela.overington@education.gsi.gov.uk • 020 783 8517