Issue - meetings

Presented by Linda Harper, CYPS

The Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services presented the Rotherham Joint Commissioning Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). The Strategy provided an overview of how the joint commissioning of services for children and young people with SEND in Rotherham would be developed and implemented in line with the requirements of the Children’s and Families Act 2014 and the associated Code of Practice for SEND.

The Strategy, through a mapping exercise, consultation and a review of transitions with parents/carers and stakeholders, had identified nine priority areas of work that would be implemented over the next three years:- 

1.    Create a joint SEND Education, Health and Social Care Assessment hub at Kimberworth Place.  

2.    Review and re-model services that provided support for children and young people with challenging behaviour. 

3.    Develop a Performance and Outcomes Framework that would be applied across all local authority and CCG SEND provision.

4.    Align local authority and CCG Service Specifications for SEND Service provision, to facilitate commonality of practice and a consistent approach (thus reducing duplication, improving efficiencies and develop clearer pathways).

5.    Audit the Education, Health and Care Planning (EHCP) process to look at how the assessment process (including the decision making process/panels and allocation of resources) could be streamlined, so as to reduce the multiple assessments that young people and their families had to undertake.

6.    Ensure that there was a co-ordinated joint Workforce Development Plan.

7.    Develop and implement Personal Budgets.

8.    Develop pathways to adulthood.

9.    Develop approaches to improving life experiences which were person centred.

The Strategy had been previously approved by the Clinical Commissioning Group’s Operational Executive, the Council’s Children and Young People’s Services leadership team and the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board, and endorsed for sharing with the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The full implementation of the Strategy would require a phased approach to move from the current position.  Work had already commenced in taking forward a number of the priority areas, namely the creation of a joint SEND Assessment Hub, the re-modelling of services that provided support for children and young people with challenging behaviour, the development of personal budgets, the development of aligned Service Specifications for Education, health and social care services, and the development of pathways to adulthood.

Resolved:-  That the refreshed Rotherham Joint Commissioning Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) be noted.