Agenda item

Donald Rae to report

Further to Minute No. 107 of 4^th June, 2014, Donald Rae, Special Education Needs and Disability Strategic Lead, presented an update on the implementation of the Reforms to support children and young people with special educational needs and a disability.

The ‘In It Together’ event held on 4^th July, 2014, had attracted over 500 parents and young people who were able to gather information from education, health and care providers and attend workshops to discuss how best to introduce a more personalised approach/how the new assessment model was developing.  It is expected that it will become an annual event not lease to ascertain the views of children, young people and parents about Rotherham’s SEND Local Offer website.

The 2 key tasks required to be in place by 1^st September had been met i.e.:-

-          Rotherham’s SEND Local Offer Website (www.rotherhamsendlocaloffer.org).  The site aimed to provide as much information as possible within the site and not a link to other sites

-          New assessment system for those with special educational needs and disability bringing together separate systems for early years, schools and colleges.  SEN Statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments had been replaced by Education Health and Care Plans and a timetable had been published showing how the Statements would transfer to the new EHC Plan

The report also set out a range of actions that had been agreed by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Transformation Commissioning Group.  Whist some of the actions would be delivered quickly others were more long term reflecting that the transformation of services would take up to 3 years.

Discussion ensued on the report with the following issues raised/clarified:-

·           The new working practice was much more focussed on what was best for the parent and the young person particularly those aged 16-25 years.

·           A further major change was how the plans the plans were reviewed, how schools were involved, care professionals working in a different way and how the plan was progressing particularly as a young child became a young person

·           The new model had to have the parent and young person at the heart and deliver what they wanted

·           There had been implications for the training and supporting of staff

·           The new care plans included input from all professionals that represented the needs of the individual

·           The CCG was fully engaged with the new way of working

·           There was an issue that health data tended to be 4-5 years out of date but work was taking place on how to gather information through the health system much earlier so that babies with complex needs and the implications thereof were known throughout the system

·           The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment had a particular section containing all the SEND details and was monitored as part of the regular scheduled updates

·           Rotherham’s SEND Local Offer website was continually updated with any links to organisations of interest some of which were suggestions from parents.  There was a danger of putting too many onto the website but if it came from a recommendation it was included

·           The website had been built on the same platform as Connect to Support

·           The new system allowed a much more open assessment with regard to how resources would be allocated and how much was available

Resolved:-  (1)  That the progress made be noted.

(2)  That an update be submitted in 12 months.