The SEND Local Area Improvement Partnership Board has created an action plan to address the areas of concern highlighted in Torbay’s recent SEND inspection report.

As a result of the inspection outcome, the partnership has been issued an improvement notice and will have 18 months to address the findings before a monitoring visit from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

This will be followed by a full inspection within three years.

The Ofsted and CQC report, published in June, highlighted four priority areas for action.

These will be addressed in the action plan, known as a priority impact plan. This will focus on:

• Strengthening partnerships and improving communication with families
• Ensuring services meet the needs of children and young people
• Improving early identification and the quality of support plans
• Reducing delays in accessing health services and support without a diagnosis.
• Helping young people with SEND prepare for adulthood, education and employment.

The Torbay SEND local area partnership is made up of Torbay Council, including school representatives, the Devon Integrated Care Board and SEND Family Voice Torbay (SFVT), Torbay’s parent carer forum.

SFVT worked with parents to co-produce the impact plan. During the summer, SFVT held engagement events and ran a survey to gather parents’ views about what improvements are needed across the whole SEND system in Torbay. These views fed into the final plan.

Alison Hurley, Chair of the SEND Local Area Improvement Partnership Board, said: “It’s essential we have robust arrangements in place for delivering the necessary improvements needed for children and young people with SEND in Torbay.

“I was delighted so many parents and carers made their views known during the summer. They played a vital role in co-producing the plan. It means their voices are at the heart of all the work that the partnership is doing to improve outcomes for Torbay’s children and young people.”

“It is clear there is a great deal that needs to be done to tackle the issues, and I am encouraged by the commitment and determination from across the partnership to deliver these changes.”

Rebecca Box, of SFVT, said: “We feel encouraged that parent carers were able to share their concerns, experiences and ideas to shape the impact plan.  We will continue to hold Torbay’s SEND Partnership to account wherever family voice is missing from the decision-making process, championing inclusive, co-produced solutions.”

Read full, summary and easy read versions of the priority impact plan

Read the Ofsted / CQC inspection report

Learn more about SEND Family Voice Torbay