To consider the SEND Local Area Strategy and make recommendations to the Cabinet.

(Note:  the key partners responsible for delivery of the Strategy and members of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board who are not members of the main Board have been invited to contribute towards the discussions on this item.)

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services – Councillor Law, the Divisional Director for Education Learning and Skills – Rachael Williams and the Chief Nurse Officer from the Integrated Care Board presented the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Local Area Strategy which set out a shared vision that had been co-produced with SEND Family Voice, children, young people and partners centred around the following five key priority areas:

·                     Priority 1: SEND is everyone's business - embedding our values through education, health and social care, changing culture and reforming our workforce.

·                     Priority 2: Identify and act on children’s needs at the earliest opportunity, through valuing lived experience and expertise.

·                     Priority 3: Understand the needs of our children, young people and families and make sure joint commissioning supports service delivery and we make best use of all resources.

·                     Priority 4: Make sure that all early years’ providers and mainstream educational settings support an inclusive approach to education.

·                     Priority 5: Improve transition planning for young people moving into adulthood.

The Board asked the following questions:

·                     How do we ensure buy in from all schools.

·                     Would each school be required to sign up to the Strategy.

·                     What was being done to ensure identification of needs happens at an early stage and what was being done to ensure that those who had previously slipped through the system are supported later in their life.

·                     The date on the draft Strategy says 2022 should this be 2023.

·                     Have the views of young adults been taken into account in developing the Strategy.

·                     How was the Strategy going to be communicated with all partners, health, social care and education etc. to ensure that SEND is addressed across all partners and agencies.

·                     Did the Strategy cover helping people to access financial support and benefits such as Disability Living Allowance.

·                     How can the role of the community and voluntary sector be referenced more within the Strategy or emerging action plan.

Mike Cook, Imagine This Partnership and non-voting co-opted Member of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board took part in the discussions and supported the proposals put forward by the Board.

Resolved (unanimously):

That the Cabinet be recommended that the Overview and Scrutiny Board supports the priorities in the draft Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Area Strategy subject to:

1.         making clearer the work and engagement with the voluntary and community sector within Priority 1 and making sure this is also reflected in key performance indicators (KPIs) and Action Plan;

2.         including a KPI as a measure to ensure all schools are signed up to delivering the Strategy to ensure a consistent offer to all children for SEND;

3.         including a KPI around ensuring that social care and health is in place as well as educational support;

4.         the Key Performance Indicators being reviewed by the Overview and Scrutiny Board before they are finalised; and

5.         performance against delivery of the Key Performance Indicators for the SEND Local Area Strategy to be monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Board annually so that they can see what a difference to people with SEND and their families has been made as a result of implementing the Strategy.