Sandwell Local Area Partnership Inclusion (SEND & Alternative Provision) Plan 2023-2026
Sandwell Local Area Partnership
Inclusion (SEND & Alternative
Provision) Plan
2023-2026
The Sandwell Local Area Partnership Inclusion (SEND & Alternative Provision) Plan 2023-2026 has been co-produced by partners across Sandwell including Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Black Country Integrated Care Board, Sandwell Children’s Trust, Sandwell Parents Voices United (Spvu), Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children (Spdc), Barnardo’s, Sandwell Special Education Needs Disability Information Advice Support Service (Sendiass)
and Sips Education. Sandwell Vision for Inclusion Our Sandwell Local Area Partnership’s vision for inclusion is predicated on the principle of providing the very best experiences leading to the best outcomes for all Sandwell children and young people, aged 0 - 25, and especially for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and everyone who attends alternative education provision, so that they:
• achieve their aspirations for a healthy and successful life through experiencing high quality education and support services during their learning, growth and development stage leading to adulthood and meaningful employment and fulfilling relationships within the community of their choosing. • have choice and control over decisions about their health, education, employment, care arrangements, friendships and relationships; and • successfully participate in the community and access meaningful occupation, employment and life-long learning opportunities. We believe that Inclusion is everybody’s business across the Sandwell Local Area Partnership - embedding the vision of our Inclusion (SEND and Alternative Provision) Strategy into the practice of everyone who works with children, young people and their families in ways that strengthen families. We recognise that our current SEND Strategy 2021-2024 does not go far enough to secure the very best experiences and outcomes for all children and young people with SEND. Too often they are placed in out of borough provisions which have taken them away from their families, their local community and friendship groups. We want to prioritise Sandwell children first, prioritising their placement into high quality education provision and support services, so they can truly thrive in Sandwell. Sandwell children and young people SEND background context:
• Sandwell has a long and successful track record of meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We are a very inclusive authority with many children and young people being educated within mainstream schools and settings.
• On the 26th of May, there were over 11,259 children and young people with SEND in Sandwell. Historically, about 1,300 children and young people had received Statements of Special Educational Need (2014). On this date, there were 3228 children or young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP/EHC Plan) in Sandwell across the 0-25 age range. This significant increase, 51% since 2019, is due to the rise of new EHCP assessments within school aged children and the inclusion of young people aged up to 25 years old entitled to have support through an EHC Plan. Our current predictions would suggest that if rate of growth continues, we will have over 3,500 C/Yp with EHCPs by 2025.
Sandwell Inclusion for All Strategy 2024-2030 We are publishing our new Sandwell Inclusion for All Strategy 2024-2030 to replace the current strategy, co-produced by the local area partners, Sandwell Council, Sandwell Children’s Trust, the Black Country Integrated Care Board (Icb), two Parent Groups in Sandwell, Spdc – Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children and Spvu – Sandwell Parents Voices United, Sips Education, Barnardo’s and Sendiass – Sandwell’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service, with our children, young people, their parents and carers. Our strategy is delivered through our Sandwell Inclusion for All Eco-System Transformation Programme. The workstream groups were launched in June 2023 to specifically re- engineer the way we work together as a partnership and with our children and young people, their parents and carers. We will co-create and deliver only the very best services to provide the very best experiences leading to the very best outcomes for them all. We have high aspirations for all our children and young people and want to ensure they have the right support, that is provided in the right place and at the right time so that they can thrive and be the best they can be. The Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan 2023-2026 is based on the following principles:
• Genuine co-production at a strategic and operational level with children and young people, their parents and carers in all decisions made about them or on their behalf. • A strong focus on high ambition and aspirations for securing high quality education and pastoral support experiences leading to good outcomes to enable them to be in the best possible place to have an independent future.
• A greater focus on support that enable those with SEND and everyone within alternative provision to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood, at all times promoting their independence. • An emphasis on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health and social care so as to provide best value and impact on service users. • Specific guidance for education and training settings to apply a graduated and inclusive approach to identifying and supporting children and young people with SEND and those who attend alternative education settings. • For children and young people with more complex needs, a coordinated assessment process which is timely and leads to high quality services and support provided to them and their families.
• To have a range of short breaks at universal, targeted and specialist levels that support children with SEND and their families including those available through the Local Offer up to those children with complex care needs. • Seamless transition of service from Children’s Social Care to Adult Social Care recognising the 0-25 approach
• Integrate our public duties under the Equality Act 2010, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 into the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and Children and Families Act 2014. We work in partnership by:
• promoting our shared vision and expectation of responsibility across all service providers who come into contact with children and young people with SEND and everyone within alternative provision that “Inclusion is everybody’s business” and not just the concern of the few. • ensuring that every service across the partnership is signed up to the principles of the Inclusion Strategy so that a multi-service integrated approach is used. • ensuring our workforce have the skills and knowledge required and access to appropriate training. • sharing and aligning our practice to have stronger joined up services working with families and carers in response to key areas of development. We co-produce with children and young people by:
• co-creating our vision and ambition for all children and young people in Sandwell, and especially those with special educational needs or disabilities, and those who are most vulnerable, at risk, or attend alternative education settings. • Ensuring children and young people are strategically and operationally engaged in our Inclusion Boards, and in our inclusion eco-system transformation programme through their membership and attendance in the workstream groups. The workstreams still include children and young people including co-chairing a workstream along with SEND representative from Sandwell Shape network and this group has tasked the other workstream groups with embedding ‘voice’ into their ambitions and delivery plans. • Routinely canvassing their ‘voice’ across all partnership activity so we are routinely informed how well we are designing and delivering our services to improve their experiences and life chances, how well we are responding to and meeting their needs, and how well we are delivering best value for them in terms of securing their pathways to success and into adulthood.
Sandwell Local Area Partnership for Inclusion
Following the 2023 Inspection of the Local Area Partnership for SEND by Ofsted / Care Quality Commission (CQC), three improvement priorities were identified:
1. Area leaders should strengthen multi-agency working across the partnership between education, health and social care, so that children and young people's needs are identified and assessed in a more efficient and timely manner. 2. Area leaders should develop co-production with children and young people with SEND at a strategic level, so that children and young people play a key role in developing improvement strategies and plans. 3. Area leaders should increase the number and range of short-break opportunities to support the needs of all children and young people with SEND, including those with complex needs and post-16 young people.
The Sandwell Local Area Partnership has therefore re-defined the areas for improvement as ‘outcomes’ to be delivered and set against the customer feedback we seek as a result.
The delivery model for the Sandwell Inclusion Plan 2023-2026 will be the Sandwell Inclusion Eco-System Transformation Programme and the associated workstream groups, which will be governed by the Sandwell Inclusion Boards (Strategic and Operational). Each workstream group has set their ambitions and deliverables for the next three years in order to deliver the improvements identified by Ofsted / CQC in the 2023 Asend inspection.
Inspection – Area for Improvement Sandwell Local Area Partnership
Outcome
Customer Feedback / How we will know we have achieved the outcome? 1. Area leaders should strengthen multi- agency working across the partnership between education, health and social care, so that children and young people's needs are identified and assessed in a more efficient and timely manner.
All children and young people with SEND, and those who access alternative education provision arrangements, have their needs identified and assessed in a timely way, with interventions that ensure best outcomes for then using the graduated approach. For those with an EHCP, they benefit from accurate and timely EHC assessments and good quality EHC plans which clearly set out how their needs will be met, which services they can expect to receive, and how these will help them to consistently achieve successful outcomes.
Children and young people, their parents, and carers routinely report their needs are being met, attend good schools and settings, achieve good outcomes, and that they are well supported by all service providers and are able to thrive in Sandwell.
2. Area leaders should develop co- production with children and young people with SEND at a strategic level, so that children and young people play a key role in developing improvement strategies and plans.
Children and young people with SEND, their parents and carers, are participating at a strategic level in local area partnership strategic and operational plans, including the design of services and the review of the delivery and impact of services supporting them.
Children and young people, their parents, and carers routinely feel very well supported and fully engaged, listened to, and responded to in a timely manner. They feel empowered by their participation in strategic and operational governance of inclusion (SEND and AP) across Sandwell.
3. Area leaders should increase the number and range of short-break opportunities to support the needs of all children and young people with SEND, including those with complex needs and post-16 young people.
Children and young people, their parents, and carers, including those with complex needs and post 16 young people, are able to access a wide and sufficient range of short-break opportunities as a result of high-quality joint commissioning arrangements. There are no barriers to accessing these.
Children and young people, their parents, and carers, including those with complex needs and post 16 young people, routinely report that they are able access and benefit from a wide range of short-breaks provisions provided and in doing so they are well supported.
Post 2019 Inspection Priorities – continuation plan.
In addition, following the 2019 inspection of the local area for SEND, there are some priorities for improvement, as previously monitored by the SEND Operations Board that remain ‘live’. They will continue to be monitored by the Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operational), which replaces the SEND Operations Board, within the scope of the Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan 2023-2026, as outlined below:
4. Quality assurance of our statutory responsibilities: ensuring that a multi-service integrated approach is used when working with children/ young people and their families to identify their needs and aspirational outcomes and provide the support required within a timely manner.
5. Workforce Development: to ensure that we have a well-led and properly supported multi-agency workforce development programme so that the whole workforce have the knowledge and skills to support children and young people with SEND to reach their potential and realise their ambitions.
6. Improving Provision: to promote alignment, collaboration and creative solutions across all services in the Local Area to make best use of available resources so that children and young people can be supported locally to achieve their aspirations
7. Improving Progress and Attainment: to identify and address key improvements in Sandwell that will help ensure children and young people are able to achieve their best possible educational outcomes leading to meaningful occupation, employment and life-long learning opportunities. 8. Improving the quality and consistency of alternative provision: ensuring that the very best outcomes are possible for children and young people who are not able to attend mainstream school for a variety of reasons.
Actions within the Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan are inextricably linked to these 8 main priority areas so that the progress towards our vision and strategy is transparent and embedded in our Sandwell Inclusion Eco-System Transformation Programme and the workstream groups. The Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operational) is responsible for co-producing, planning, implementing and producing the self-evaluation framework and subsequent Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan and ensuring that the pace of change will deliver the improvements identified. The Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operational) is accountable to the Sandwell Inclusion Board (Strategic) which is held accountable by Sandwell Local Area Partnership for Inclusion. How do we identify and prioritise our areas for development?
• Review national and local context and data that outlines trends in pupil population, additional needs, provision and progress. We look at data gathered across health, social care and education to provide a holistic picture e.g. Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). • Multi-agency audit of SEND and alternative provision and processes that contributes to our annual area Asend self-evaluation. • Conduct surveys, evaluations and participate in parent groups to listen to what families say they need. • Listen to what children and young people say through forums and workshops and co-production events. • Feedback from schools and other education settings through head teacher meetings, SENCo network meetings, inclusion leaders network meetings, school improvement adviser visits, quality assurance and contract monitoring reviews of service level agreements, evaluations, and
surveys. • Multi-agency quality assurance and auditing of statutory SEND processes leading to high quality EHC Plans to identify areas of improvement. • Review provision that has already been put in place and the impact that it has. • Keep abreast of any changes to legislation and developing good practice through national and regional meetings focused on children and young people with SEND and everyone who attend alternative education settings, are vulnerable or at risk of not thriving and achieving well.
Outcomes: Understanding the relationship between outcomes, co-production and local services.
The activities contained within Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan is undertaken within a local area partnership framework that is transparent and open to challenge. Good planning can provide an economy of scale by maintaining a joint monitoring process to reduce the degree of overlap and replication of services. Additionally, this ensures a collaborative advantage is achieved that benefits children, young people and adults with SEND or within alternative provision.
Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Partnership
There is a historically strong governance structure in place for the strategic and operational oversight of inclusion, most notably for children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities, including everyone who attend alternative education provision settings inside and outside of Sandwell.
In June 2023, and following discussions with school leaders, Sandwell Local Authority in partnership with the Sandwell Local Area Partnership for Inclusion (formerly Local Area Partnership for SEND) launched a new Inclusion eco-system programme of transformation with identified Inclusion workstreams. The eco-system is designed to re-engineer and re-set our ambitions and delivery plans for all children and young people with SEND, and those who are vulnerable and in alternative provision settings, prioritising them to be experiencing high quality services and provisions in Sandwell which meet their needs to enable them to thrive in our inclusive Sandwell borough first, and not to rely on out of borough provisions and services as we prioritise Sandwell Children First. Sandwell Inclusion Eco-system Transformation Programme 2023-2026 This programme is attended by all partners from across the Local Area Partnership for Inclusion, is a ground-breaking, innovative and transformational programme whereby the whole partnership are working together to co-design and co-deliver a new Inclusion eco-system for all children and young people, which is aimed at delivering ‘Inclusion for All’ and prioritising Sandwell Children First. The transformation programme featured in the recent Area SEND inspection is evidence that the local area partnership is addressing the priority areas it has identified and agreed through a model of co-production. The Ofsted and CQC inspectors had recognised the significance of the new transformation programme, including the robust infrastructure, governance, reporting and accountability mechanisms. DfE and Nhse colleagues are excited to see how we drive our response to the Asend inspection, and the improvements asked of us to make by Ofsted / CQC through our workstreams. Each workstream is chaired by a local area partnership strategic lead, and is co-chaired by a school leader, local area representative or a young person representative. The workstream groups meet monthly, are guided by a set of Terms of Reference which have been agreed by the Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operations). The workstreams all report back to the relevant boards and progress updated within this plan. Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Governance (Partnership)
The Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operational) monitors the Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Plan on a monthly basis which is chaired by the Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services at Sandwell Council, and updates are shared with the Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Board (Strategic), which is chaired by the Director of Children’s Services and Education (Dcs). Actions and decisions taken by both Boards are shared with the Local Area Partnership, and with the Integrated Care System (Ics) and the Integrated Care Board (Icb). The governance pathway ensures the work of the Sandwell Local Area Inclusion Board (Strategic) reports into the Children and Families Strategic Partnership and then through to the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Members of the Sandwell Inclusion Board (Strategic)
Children and Young People representative Sandwell Parents of Disabled Children (Spdc) NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board Black Country Health Foundation Trust Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust Early Years and Childcare Settings Sandwell Borough Council Schools and Colleges Sandwell Children’s Trust Special Schools and Alternative Education Providers Sandwell Parents Voices United (Spvu) our Parent Carer Forum
The plan is reviewed on a quarterly basis. Should there be any issues around non-participation from partners this is raised through the Sandwell Inclusion Board (Strategic). The Sandwell Inclusion Board (Operational) is responsible for agreeing areas of completion. Please see below for the criteria for evaluating the completion of the areas of development.
Colour Coding: Category of Completion Definition Blue means that the planned activity has achieved the required outcome and is now embedded into a normal pattern of work. Green means that the Area of Development is complete, but it isn’t deemed to have become embedded into everyday practice. Amber means that the activity has been partially completed but there is still work to do.
Red means that the Area for Development has yet to commence and is out of the agreed timescales. In exceptional circumstances it may have been abandoned.
1. Area leaders should strengthen multi-agency working across the partnership between education, health and social care, so that children and young people's needs are identified and assessed in a more efficient and timely manner.
Development Area – co produced by multi agency partners, this includes:
• Increase the range of type of assessment pathways to prioritise early intervention and early help, linking in with family hubs • Improved opportunities for identification from health services. • Improved health waiting times. • Develop arrangements to improve multi-agency working • Ensure 90% 20-week compliance with statutory timescales to complete EHC Plans, 0% 30 week and 52-week plan issue and annual reviews processed according to statutory timescales • All EHC Plans are co-produced with children, young people parents and carers • Education Health and Care services are routinely reviewed for their impact, as provided via the voice of children, young people, parents and carers, and the success of their journey • Improved Health and Care inputs into EHC Plans in terms of quality, accuracy and timeliness. Key Objective Actions / Activities Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
1KO1 - All Children with SEND needs are identified efficiently within early years settings and without delay so as to ensure they make good progress in their day to day learning and development.
Best Practice Network to deliver accredited Level 3 Early Years (Ey) Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) training, nationally available. WellComm screening of young children’s speech, language and communication carried out at 18 months of age. Sandwell’s Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Dec 2024 Early Years Inclusive Learning Services Manager LA Area SENCO Team LA
All Early Years Practitioners have the skills and knowledge to identify and support children with SEND. Audits pre and post training to evaluate skills and knowledge gained. Numbers of children in Private, Voluntary or Independent (Pvi) settings being monitored through the ‘Watchful Eye’ are being appropriately identified, referred or being offered tailored interventions.
(Slcn) Pathway to support the early Identification of SEND. Training packages to include Learning & Development, Speech, Language & Communication, Semh to be delivered to the Early years workforce. Launch of the Dingley’s Promise Early Years Inclusion Programme with Spvu
Early Years Inclusive Learning Services Manager LA Area SENCO Team Spvu Chair
Early Years practitioners will have a greater understanding of Inclusion and transitions for children. Through the knowledge gained they will be able to use this to support co-production with parents. Referral to Educational and Child Psychology team is timely to enable assessment of children and young people with the most significant needs Spvu promote Dingley’s promise to all parents/carers as appropriate and encourage uptake of the opportunities. 1KO2 - To improve the quality of assessment of early years by undertaking more integrated or partnership assessments with health visiting and Early Years assessment
Increase the number of integrated assessments
Oct 2024 Clinical Lead for Health Visiting
Integrated assessments will be completed by Health and Early Years settings to improve outcomes for children
Investment in developing an integrated pathway
1KO3 - Early years to link in with multiagency arrangements within the Family hubs.
Early years to link in with multiagency arrangements within the Family hubs.
Sept 2024 Early Years Inclusive Learning Services Manager LA
Having services within premises families already access support, will increase take up of early years opportunities
Strategic Lead Early Help Sct 1KO4 - Improved health waiting times.
Reducing waiting times for assessment (Ot, Physio, Speech) – target 18 weeks Reducing waiting times for assessment (Paediatricians) Reducing waiting times for diagnosis (Maa) – target 32 weeks
Oct 2025 Oct 2025 Oct 2025
Team Leader for Speech and Language Therapists
Team Leader for Occupational Therapy
Team Leader for Physiotherapy
Consultant Community Paediatrician, Designated Doctor for Children in Care, Medical Advisor
Team Leader for Speech and Language Therapists
Designated Clinical Officer
All children and young people receive an initial appoint within 18 weeks of referral to service All referrals accepted to receive first appointment within 18 weeks All children and young people will have results of assessment within 32 weeks of referral onto the Multiagency Assessment for Autism (Maa) pathway
Within existing resources Tbc Investment into pathway - admin & clinical
For the Maa process. This is a multi- agency diagnostic pathway between Education (Ccat and Early Years- Inclusion Support) and Health (Children’s Therapies, Paediatricians, CAMHS). Actions to reduce waiting times are through the Steering Group
Annual update of service information from health on the local offer
Oct 2025
Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatricians, Childrens Therapies Services Directorate General Manager Acute & Community Paediatrics
Up to date information on the local offer Re: community paediatric health services
1KO5 - Monitor health data through the health data dashboard
Complete the SEND Health data dashboard to routinely monitor waiting times. Embedding the new Early Notification form and process
April 2024 April 2024
Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Senior Manager Insight Swb NHS Group Director of Nursing Swb NHS Head of Midwifery & Neonatal Service
Trust providers and the Icb have up to date knowledge of the waiting time information in order to make informed decisions. Data Re: Early Notification to be presented at Directorate Gov meetings/ SEND Health steering group.
Within existing resources
1KO6 - Ensure timely completion of EHC Plans and reviews which are co-produced with young people and within statutory timeframes
Implementation of the recovery plan To include Annual Review process into Quality Assurance Framework, SEN Services, schools, social care and health partners
Oct 2025 SEN Strategic Lead Manager LA Designated Clinical Officer Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Head of Service Operations
100% EHCP’s completed and written within statutory timeframes co-produced with children and young people The vast majority (90%) of EHC Plans are good/outstanding as per monthly audit reports by July 2024 Monitor effectiveness of the use of new forms
The implementation plan has been agreed and will be initiated. Sct and Asc have a stand-alone forms for responses to EHCP requests that sits on their systems The council follows up requests directly from contributors and details are held on the Synergy and SEND systems.
1KO7 - Timely assessment of SEND needs within Local Area Partnership from health partners are agreed and statutory timescales are met
Ensure that the return of health advice is within 6 weeks. Develop a consistent process to ensure that all relevant health professionals involved in the child’s care receive a notification of
Oct 2024 Oct 2024
Designated Clinical Officer Designated Medical Officer Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatricians, Childrens
At least 90- 95% of health advice is returned within 6 weeks of request. EHCPs will have accurate health information included. Written pathway for local authority to request health advice from paediatricians, Children’s Therapies service, school health
Existing resources and additional admin for health partners Existing resources and additional admin for health partners
request for health advice. Ensuring health attendance at Assessment and Moderation Panels (Amp).
Oct 2024
Therapies Services Directorate General Manager Acute & Community Paediatrics Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatricians, Childrens Therapies Services Directorate General Manager Acute & Community Paediatrics
nursing, health visiting and Children’s Community Nursing (Ccn). At least 75% of Amp panels will include representation for health
Existing resources
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care: Community:
2. Area leaders should develop co-production with children and young people with SEND at a strategic level, so that children and young people play a key role in developing improvement strategies and plans.
Development Area
• Embed co-production with children and young people, their parents and carers, including vulnerable children, those at risk, and those attending alternative provision settings, into strategic and operational design and delivery of services. • Ensure a full range of representation of children and young people into all workstream groups, inclusion boards, service developments and governance groups for Inclusion. • Ensure the voice of children and young people is embedded in the design and delivery of all services, and that this is championed by Children’s Ambassadors • Opportunities to be involved are promoted on the Local Offer Key Objective Actions Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
2KO1 - Children young people and their families co- produce both the new Sandwell Education Vision and the Sandwell inclusion for all Strategy 2024- 2030
Workstreams that consider Voice, Inclusion and Strategy to establish task and finish groups including young people and forums to develop the documents and co-produce Task and finish groups to consider how this can be co- ordinated and how ‘hard to reach’ children and families can still be included
Map which forums that are being established or should be established
April 2024 Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA
There is an ambitious co-produced Sandwell Education Vision in place and a new who partnership Strategy that sets clear ambitions
Sandwell council currently has Vision 2030 Sandwell and ambition 4 states that ‘Our children benefit from the best start in life and a high- quality education throughout their school careers with outstanding support from their teachers and families. This co- produced children, young people, families and partners.
2KO2 - Engagement with Families
Co-ordinate engagement across services, analyse feedback and identify themes.
Sept 2024 Early Years Inclusive Learning
Opportunity to engage with local families to experience their lived
within Early years
Feedback to parents and highlight proposed recommendations – ‘you said, we did’. Update Joint Commissioning Board and Integrated Care Partnership (Icp) with regards to progress and next steps.
Arrange and deliver a virtual update professional across the system on next steps.
Task and finish groups to consider how this can be co- ordinated and how ‘hard to reach’ children and families can still be included
Map which forums are being established or should be established
Services Manager LA
experience of bringing up a young family in Sandwell. The findings will be incorporated into service redesign across the early years system. This work will be linked to the wider Start to Life Offer as recommended as part of the Best Start for Life – A vision for the 1,001 Critical Days Review.
2KO3 - Launch inclusion matters newsletter including an active voice from children, young people and their families from all education settings.
Produce half termly publications showcasing good practice across settings and impact it has on children and young people Produce a communication plan to include distribution to parent’s carers and the wider workforce
Nov 2023
Inclusion Advisor LA
Every parent/carer/guardian has clear access to this newsletter, in a language and manner of their choosing e.g. electronic or paper
2KO4 - Co- produce and
Explore types of charter to see if one can be used or whether
Jan 2024 Inclusion Advisor LA
All young people feel they have been heard
Launch Sandwell Young Peoples Charter
Sandwell requires to create their Charter Use Path as a tool to collate the voice of partners, including children and young people in Sandwell about their views on what the charter should include.
and their voice is gathered from various places and settings.
2KO5 - Ensure a child, young person and families are representing through every workstream with appropriate support to attend and engage.
Map Out existing forums Create a communication plan to promote the opportunity to be part of the workstreams to children, young people, parents and carers ensuring young people can have time out of school or place of education.
Nov 2023 Spvu chair Shape representative
Young people and parents/carers/guardia ns have been included and voices captured. Times must be set to suit parents collecting young people from schools. Not more than two meetings in any one day.
Shape have been approached to progress with this. Some forums for children and young people include Shape, Sct Participation team, Voices of Sandwell (Vos) Forum for young adults (Fiya) and school nursing ambassadors. Also those within Swb NHS, CAMHS, Black Country Advocacy Service and Sendiass.
2KO6 - Ensure a child, young person and parent carers are represented at both The Inclusion Board Strategic Group and The Operational Group
The governance structure and Terms of Reference confirms the active engagement of children and young people. Both Boards will work with fora to ensure representation is in place.
Nov 2023 Spvu Chair Spdc Chair Inclusion Advisor LA Participation Team Sct
Young people will have allocated time to enable them to hold active voice Parents/ carers/guardians have regular representation and an amended copy of minutes of meetings can be agreed and shared on various public websites Spvu / Spdc media Will work alongside children open to Sandwell Children’s Trust (Sct) ensuring that the voice of
Spvu have always had representation at the previous SEND Boards. Spdc joined from Summer 2023
children and young people is a part of operational and strategic planning 2KO7 - Children and young people ambassadors engaged in all council departments and services operating across the Sandwell local area partnership
There will be continued opportunities for children and young people to be engaged in systemic developments.
Sept 2024 Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA Participation Team Sct
Ambassadors are within council departments and all service delivery considers the needs of children and young people with SEND or within alternative provision Young People’s Forums will become an active part SEND Operational and Sct SEND meetings
2KO8 - Feedback mechanism including compliments and complaints
Map existing feedback mechanisms across the partnership
Aug 2024 Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA Sandwell Children’s Trust Sct
Service delivery improves based on the experiences of children, young people and their families including a feedback loop Sandwell Children’s Trust have an embedded comments and complaints process. Commissioning the Children’s Society to provide independent
All partners have an established comments compliments and complaints system including a process for dealing with them from children and young people. Jg employed as Tribunal and Complaints Officer as of December 2023 and will work in accordance with the council’s compliments and complaints procedures.
advocacy for Children and Young People. A quarterly forum with the Children’s Society will take place to track comments, compliments and complaints and share learning. 2KO9 - Icb to commission an independent organisation to ensure that the voice of children and young people with
SEND is heard and their profile raised across the Black Country.
Co-produced Commissioning activity agreed. Commissioning activity commenced First report received
March 2024 June 2024 Dec 2024
Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Trust Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Trust Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Trust
Children and young people with SEND will be able to have their views heard and strategic actions taken as a result to improve outcomes.
Tbc budget identified Tbc budget identified Tbc Budget identified
2KO10 - School Nursing Programme is extended.
There are school nursing ambassadors project offered to mainstream schools (including primary and high schools)
June 2024 Clinical Lead for School Nursing
Children and young people with SEND will be able to have their views heard and strategic actions taken as a result to improve outcomes.
No Cost
2KO11 - Parent Carer forums to have a strategic voice at the Sandwell SEND Health Steering Group
Ensure that Parent Carer Forum feedback is the top of the agenda of the group meetings,
Oct 2024 Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Trust
The SEND Health Steering Group can routinely hear feedback from the Parent Carer Forum and incorporate associated actions into the Action Plan to improve outcomes.
No cost
2KO12 - Ensure mechanisms are in place for parent carer voice at a strategic level within health
Develop and implement Parent Carer Forum Engagement Charter to ensure that engagement expectations between the health partners and the parent carer forum is agreed.
Dec 2024 Senior Programme Manager SEND Swb NHS Trust
Engagement expectations between the health partners and the parent carer forum is agreed.
No cost Spvu have commenced a review of the draft Parent Carer forum engagement charter 12/10/23. This will be shared with Senior programme Manager SEND by 30/10/23
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care: Community:
3. Area leaders should increase the number and range of short-break opportunities to support the needs of all children and young people with SEND, including those with complex needs and post-16 young people.
Development Area
• Review of short break provisions that are available within Sandwell • To identify gaps with a view to implementing a continuum of breaks, from universal through to targeted and specialist provision, with pathways that are clear and fair, in conjunction with parents and carers
• To provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information on the Local Offer about the available provision in Sandwell and how children, young people and families can access it. • To develop, design and review a clear pathway that would enable the provision of personal budgets including integrated partnership budgets. • To ensure the Local Offer and Short Breaks Statement are reviewed and updated annually • To increase the range and amount of provision available to meet universal, targeted and specialist needs Key Objective Actions / Activities Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
3KO1 - To review the local offer with children / young people and identify areas for improvement.
Local authority officer to manage content of Local Offer and to update boards on information requirements, improvements as required, and to deliver these, and to do so through engagement with Lap partnership and Inclusion boards.
Termly Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA Commissioning and Placements Manager Sct Designated Clinical Officer Spvu Chair SEND Commissioner
To ensure that Children and young people have an awareness of the Local Offer and that it is an area that is informative and accessible. To link with the Just Youth website and make recommendations for improvements for children and young people with SEND
Consultation completed with professionals working with children and young people (sensory/ educational psychologists/youth workers), Parent / Carer Forums. Improvements in accessibility and design of the existing pages identified. Research on Text Help and their resource, ReachDeck. This is a webpage add on tool that provides multiple functionalities for the end user including, text to speech, picture illustrations, translation, colour coding, screen masking and mp3 creation. Administrators can review all their existing content on the site to check for an average reading age. ReachDeck was initially sourced for a one-month trial period and there were demonstrate to staff at operational board meetings. Since then a three- year licence has been sourced along with the Just Youth website. Need to place multi-lingual / translation tool embedded in local offer. There is a working group focussing on Short Breaks which includes representation from children, young people, parent, carers and partners.
3KO2 - Analysis of current provision, including waiting lists/waiting times and unmet/additional needs
Consultation with parents, carers, children and current providers to analyse current provision, identify gaps and consider what else is needed
February 2024 Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA Commissioning and Placements Manager Sct Service Manager Lead, Sct Participation team, Sct Designated Clinical Officer Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatrics Childrens Therapies Service Directorate General Manager Acute & Community Paediatrics Head of Continuing Healthcare Services Spvu Chair SEND Commissioner
Current services and capacity are known, along with analysis of the gap in meeting needs. This will support identification of the additional resources required to extend the short breaks offer
3KO3 - Annual Reviews of Short breaks statements
Annual update of service information from health, education and Social Care on the local offer Publish up to date information for the new financial year
March 2024 April 2024
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatrics Childrens Therapies Service Directorate General Manager Acute & Community Paediatrics
Current Local Offer page and short breaks statement updated so families are aware of relevant opportunities
Head of Services Strategic Lead Sct Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct 3KO4 - Establishment of Multi Agency Short Breaks and Additional Needs Panel for those children receiving targeted and specialist short breaks support (Sct lead with all partners part of panel)
Review to be undertake of all current targeted and specialist short breaks packages of support Agree format of referral into panel with health/education funding formula requirements Link to Asc transformation programme for transition pathways into adulthood Governance arrangements for panel to include oversight from partners and appeal process Annual review mechanisms to be agreed in line with needs assessments and diagnostic tools (3 year cycle of full reassessment
Dec 23 Dec 23
Commissioner Icb Head of Primary Care and Place Commissioning Icb Designated Clinical Officer SEN Strategic Lead Manager LA Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct Head of Finance Sct Commissioning Placements Manager Sct Head of Continuing Healthcare Services SEND Commissioner Commissioner Adult Social Care Asc
All families have access to suitable opportunities
dependent on nature of diagnosis) 3KO5 - To include videos produced by young people about support in Sandwell on Local Offer
School representatives to liaise with colleagues to share relevant communication from children and young people. Local Offer consultant to liaise with community organisations.
Sept 2024 Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA School representatives
Voice of children and young people is evident on the Local Offer and drives improvements
Liaised with members that represent schools, Spdc, Shape and Sendiass for relevant materials that could be added
3KO6 - Undertake a pilot across education, health and social care for integrated budgets.
Agree joint commissioning arrangements for personal budgets
Sept 2024
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA SEN Strategic Lead LA Principal Educational and Child Psychologist LA Spvu Chair Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disability, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Head of Finance Sct Commissioning Placements Manager Sct Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct
Joint commissioning strategies to be developed which will support greater choice and control year on year, as the market is developed, and funding streams are freed from existing contractual arrangements
Head of Continuing Healthcare Services SEND Commissioner 3KO7 - Develop clear pathway and options for families to manage a Personal Budget whether this is from education, health or social care or integrated across all three funding streams based on above pilot
Set up working group. Agree and publish value statements and principles Agree and publish information leaflets and fact sheets for parents and carers Agree risk register Agree Pathways that is incorporated into the Ehcna process needs assessment and EHC plan Produce guidance on how this is to be communicated within an EHCP Provide training so people understand the different types of budgets and which to apply for to use resources effectively.
March 2024 Sept 2024 Sept 2024 Sept 2024 Sept 2024 Dec 2024
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA SEN Strategic Lead LA Principal Educational and Child Psychologist, LA Spvu Chair Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Head of Finance Sct Commissioning and Placements Manager Sct Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct
25-40% increased uptake in personal budgets resulting in 25-40% increase in opportunities accessed, based on child or young persons’ aspirations
Asc have a clear pathway that is communicated, around personal budgets/direct payments. We need to work across other disciplines to join this up. Sct need to be involved in work to scope the use of personal budgets. This has to come after any pilot to look at integrated budgets Mb – Sandwell Personal Education Budget was approved and added to the Local Offer 03/22. This details how requests are made, the scope of the policy, criteria and funding. Transition is also included.
3KO8 - Continue to work in partnership across health and social care to evaluate
Strengthen the decision-making process by creating a panel to review
Sept 2024
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA
Increased opportunities available, promoted and
and extend the short breaks offer.
individual children and young people benefitting from a short break. Gain feedback from all stakeholders through face-to-face meetings and surveys Simplify the commissioning arrangements in respect of joint funded short breaks.
Sept 2024 Dec 2024
Head of Finance Sct Commissioning and Placements Manager Sct Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct Designated Clinical Officer Head of Primary Care and Place Commissioning Icb Commissioner Icb SEND Commissioner
accessed by children, young people and their families.
3KO9 Workstream will focus on extending the short breaks offer across the partnership
Following review and analysis of current provision, workstream will focus on development of additional pathways and services to extend the short breaks offers, including variety of clubs, activities and respite provisions and support services available to support children and families across a continuum of need including those children with complex needs
July 2024 Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA Head of Finance Sct Commissioning and Placements Manager Sct Service Manager Cp, Court and Cwd Sct Designated Clinical Officer Head of Primary Care and Place Commissioning Icb Commissioner Icb SEND Commissioner Spvu Chair
Increased opportunities available, promoted and accessed by children, young people and their families.
Spdc Chair Participation Team Sct Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care: Community:
Sandwell Local Area Partnership for
Inclusion (SEND & Alternative
Provision) Plan
Annex
In addition to the improvements recommended by Ofsted / CQC during the 2023 Area SEND inspection, Sandwell Local Area Partnership for Inclusion will continue to respond to the areas identified in the 2019 inspection as these will underpin the success of those provided in 2023:
4. Quality assurance of our statutory responsibilities: ensuring that a multi-service integrated approach is used when working with children/ young people and their families to identify their needs and aspirational outcomes and provide the support required within a timely manner.
Development Area
• To develop a quality assurance framework across all agencies submitting statutory advices and to embed routine audit and quality review processes into EHC • To develop a timely co-produced EHCP Annual Review process which leads to on-going effective EHC Plans that support children and young people in improving outcomes, which are routinely audited and monitored for continuous quality improvement. Rsa launch of inclusive and nurturing schools toolkit • Continuing healthcare has a timely transition from children to adults • Utilise existing quality assurance mechanisms to focus on how the needs of children with SEND are incorporated fully into their plans. Ensure that the quality of responses to requests for EHCPs is reviewed and areas of improvement identified and actioned. Key Objective Actions Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
4KO1 - To develop a multi-agency quality assurance framework with clearly defines responsibilities for statutory compliance and quality standards.
Review and agree EHC Needs Assessment and Annual Review process across partner agencies Agree quality standards that all partner agencies will adhere to when assessing and writing statutory advice’s
Agree and write framework across all partners for service led quality assurance and joint quality assurance panel, with learning from the audit tools
Dec 2024 Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA Designated Medical Officer Designated Clinical Officer Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with
The Framework which ensures that statutory compliance and quality standards are maintained To publish an agreed quality assurance framework on the Local Offer so expectations are clear to C/Yp, families and all partner agencies.
The Sclo from Asc in the Young Adults Team has been collaborating with the former Ad in Inclusive Learning Services and the data team to align and agree a quality standard, that all partner agencies will adhere to, to ensure that people are aware of the young person with an EHCP. This is still a work in progress. There is currently a standalone form available on Adult Social Care systems for workers to complete for all of their cases on an EHCP. The Young Adults Team require data to inform them of all cases on EHCP for them to cross-reference with their own caseload to ensure all forms required are completed. Quality Assurance Framework has been developed in relation to Educational and Child Psychologist contribution to the Ehcna but
See how a quality assurance framework aligns with the Inclusion Quality Mark
Disabilities Sct Principal Social Worker Sct Principal Social worker Operational Head of safeguarding and DOLs Asc Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Spvu Chair Spdc Chair
Outcomes reflect preparation for adulthood
further work to be completed to embed the process and to align with other partners Educational Psychologists are legally required to provide a statutory advice, partners are asked for reports
4KO2 - Audit the quality of practice by different agencies or services in statutory processes and identify good practice and further workforce development.
Review audit tools used by services and quality data monitored. All partner agencies to audit statutory process and statutory advices against quality standards within framework. All partner agencies to set up a cycle of moderation of audits to ensure fairness and consistency.
Dec 2024 Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA SEN Strategic Lead LA Principal Educational and Child Psychologist
Quarterly monitoring report from each service shows percentage improvement in:
• Timeliness of advices • Quality of advices (against quality standards). Children, young people and families receive
Quarterly Reports are completed which informs Workforce Development. This is completed via the Quality Assurance Panel (Qap) which is attended by a member of the SEN Team At – the management team from Asc ensure that a rep attends the Qap meetings to ensure collaborative working with other disciplines on what is good practice Amber as not all agencies are consistently providing quarterly reports. Re-start of Ech / Ar audit process commenced in April 23 with refresh training completed and monthly
Designated Medical Officer Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct Principal Social Worker Sct Principal Social worker Operational Head of safeguarding and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Asc
EHCPs that are graded good or outstanding. Quality assurance monitoring reports reflects actions for improvement and impact and raise concerns around specific groups of children / young people. Groups identified, actions planned, delivered and monitored.
auditing re-start in May 23 – target of 50 audits per month. The improvements that have been made through the Qa framework are: Preparation for adulthood training to include all disciplines. Also, Asc involvement with Qa panels meetings.
4KO3 - To collate the progress towards outcomes
To investigate different Qa tools that include
Dec 2024 Assistant Director Inclusive
To provide progress towards
25,000 for EHCP / Ar
Invision 360 audit tool was one audit tool piloted in June 2022 by Inclusive Learning Services and introduced to wider partners in
specified in EHCPs to provide the Local Area / services an impact measure.
collation of progress towards outcomes. To train SEN staff / schools / partners on using tool To dip sample EHCP at annual reviews to collect progress data on outcomes. To produce a quarterly report on outcome data
Learning Services LA SEN Strategic Lead LA Principal Educational and Child Psychologist LA
outcomes data quarterly. To identify themes / patterns where C/Yp make good / less than expected progress so that they can be addressed.
Qa It package
Sept. 5 EHCP monthly audits have been completed and reported back to the SEND ops board and captured on the SEND Data matrix dashboard. 69 Annual Reviews were out of cycle – 2 of which are 3 years out of cycle. Area Team Managers were prioritising closure of annual review cases to bring all within cycle by July 23
4KO4 - EHC audits reveal 100% good / outstanding ratings as a result of high- quality statutory advices and genuine co- production with Cyp, their parents and carers.
Continue to complete 50 audits per month for new EHCP’s. EHC Audits to be calculated to have a proportionate distribution of audits per partner
Monthly March 2024
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA
Good and outstanding quality EHCP’s are produced in Sandwell that are based on the child or young person’s voice.
Partners have received training for Invision 360 and new EHCP’s are revived each month. Sct have staff trained to complete audits, they are requested to complete more than 10% when 10% of their children have an EHCP
4KO5 - To ensure timely completion of statutory EHC Plans amended through Annual Review are completed within timeframes.
To include Annual Review process into Quality Assurance Framework, SEN Services, schools, social care and health partners.
SEN Strategic Lead Manager LA Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Service Manager Child Protection, Court and
Annual Review Health and Social Care contribution compliance monitored and reported as part of the SEND Quarterly Monitoring reports
Sct have a standalone form for responses to requests. Mash for new ones and not known/closed within 6 months and for Social Workers to respond to for children open or closed within 6 months. Training and guidance issued to all Sct staff around completion. Asc have devised a standalone EHCP form that sits on the LAS system to assist Asc workers in Yat with annual reviews. However, this is a work in progress across the board The council follows up requests directly from contributors and details are held on the Synergy and SEND systems.
Children with Disabilities, Sct Head of Service Operations Sct Data Intelligence Team 4KO6 - Identify further training and development work is completed and the impact can be seen in improved identification of needs, provision and outcomes for children and young people across the partnership.
Each partner agency to identify through audits areas for improvement. Review with EHC plan writers’ statutory advices received, feedback, quality improvements and Dco/DSCO support to develop further training. Use the Invision 360 as a reflection of an outstanding EHCP. Deliver identified training and support a wide audience of teams to increase accurate recording of needs, provision and outcomes and the use of person- centred approaches.
Assistant Director for Inclusive Learning Services LA SEN Strategic Lead LA Principal Educational and Child Psychologist Designated Medical Officer Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc Service Manager Child
Impact of identified workforce development demonstrated through improved quality of EHC Plans and advice. Children, young people and families receive EHCPs that are graded good or outstanding
At – Asc has been involved in preparation for adulthood training and development programmes to share knowledge and awareness across disciplines. It is early days, to share what the impact has been, however from the initial feedback following day 2 of the training the programme has been split into half days rather than a full day. This programme is ongoing. .
Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities Sct Principal Social Worker Sct Principal Social worker Operational Head of safeguarding and DOLs Asc 4KO7 - Launch the inclusive and nurturing toolkit which includes a framework, audit, practice guides and a data dashboard
Inclusion journey 0-25 years Scoping work to identify good practice and contribute to gap analysis work to grasp understanding of Sandwell context. Co-produce inclusive and nurturing schools toolkit contextualised to Sandwell.
Dec 2023 Inclusion Advisor
Collective understanding of what inclusion and nurture looks like. Training made available about how to use the toolkit. Services are able to benchmark their service against measurable criteria and develop action plans that improve inclusivity.
This is to be developed as part of the inclusion framework that will be co-produced within the workstreams.
4KO8 - Children and young people who receive continuing care timely transition to adult continuing health care (Chc).
Liaise with Icb Chc Lead re current process, changes and impact. Understand current barriers to timely transition.
March 2025 Head of Continuing Healthcare Services
Children and young people Continuing Care transition process understood and published on Local Offer.
Understand prompt opportunities in EHCP Annual Review process. Apply Qi methodology. Promote the process on the local offer
Clear and established multi- agency decision resource plan to include Continuing Care, Continuing Health Care.
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care: Community:
5. Workforce Development: to ensure that we have a well-led and properly supported multi-agency workforce development programme so that the whole workforce have the knowledge and skills to support children and young people with SEND to reach their potential and realise their ambitions.
Development Area
• Develop a SEND workforce development strategy which encompasses the different teams / services / settings within education, health and social care across the local area. • Embed a multiagency approach to training and development to build on collaborative working practices and joint working. Key Objective Actions Date Personnel
Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
5KO1 - Identify areas of workforce developments through quality assurance reports / service evaluations.
Dco to link with Pals and service leads re incident reporting / clinical supervision to
Sept 2024 Designated Clinical Officer
Health Service user feedback monitored for SEND themes
K Mullinder – scoping exercise to form part of the update to the Operations Board over the next 3-6 months, other forms of training, as part of Trust workforce development plan.
establish process of reporting SEND themes to Dco. Complete training needs analysis across all partner areas following audits/scoping work
Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team (Asc) Principal Social Worker Head of Service / Strategic Lead for SEND Sct
Health Qi methodology applied to highlighted issues. All partner leads provide and promote training/workforce development which is attended through induction and ongoing opportunities.
Inclusive Learning Services have reviewed their induction processes aligned with Cpd and appraisal. This is monitored through Business Management Systems and an external independent Business Systems inspection cycle
5K02 - Develop a SEND workforce development strategy which encompasses the different teams / services / settings within education, health and social care across the local area.
Health partners competency framework to be shared amongst service provider leads. Roll out a training programme that all partners can access Develop Training evaluation tool and feedback method to capture workforce compliance.
Sept 2024 Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA
To produce final guidance on the strategic approach to workforce development Tiered training and development resources utilised, and compliance monitored and reported in health data dashboard
This is in draft form and requires further input from Health, Social Care and Education. Representation for this task needs to be reviewed to ensure the appropriate level of expertise is available to complete the task.
5KO3 - Monitor the effectiveness of training programmes through quality assurance processes and the impact on children, young people and their families.
Embed preparation for adulthood Transition, and health Literacy in training delivered Back to basics evidence-based training on Inclusion and development of training linked to the Ofsted
SEN Strategic Lead LA Designated Clinical Officer Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and
Common understanding of Preparation for adulthood domains evident in health advice reports – monitored through audit process.
framework for the appropriate workforce
Young Adults Team Asc Service Manager Child Protection, Court and Children with Disabilities and Principal Social Worker Sct
Checks are in place to see this is embedded through the supervision process
5KO4 - Autistic Children and Young People are valued and included in their communities
-Complete roll-out of Autism Education Trust accredited training across school network -Plan Early Years roll-out with Early Years Is
Area Team Manager Complex Communication and Autism Team LA
Training is consistently evaluated to meet Aet performance standards for a well- trained workforce
Primaries completed 2022-23. Secondary rollout commenced September 2023
5KO5 - Analyse SEND Review (DfE) when published and re-evaluate workforce training programme in line with findings.
Share when published the DfE SEND Review Identify significant changes that impact on children and young people and service practice Plan and roll out with task and finish group training for other services on the implications of new reforms
Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA
All services are aware of changes to the code of practice and the implications of SEND Review when working with children and young people
Awaiting completion of DfE SEND Review consultation and subsequent changes to Code of Practice Revised date for consultation paper from DfE by 31st March 22 Keep under revision
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care:
Community:
6. Improving Provision: to promote alignment, collaboration and creative solutions across all services in the Local Area to make best use of available resources so that children and young people can be supported locally to achieve their aspirations
Development Area
• Increase school readiness in relation to speech, language and communication needs • To target intervention and support for pupils with SEN Support and EHCP • Ensure that there is a transparent use, following a commissioning approach and allocation of financial resources through the High Needs Block / High Needs Capital Grant. • To review provision within Sandwell schools / colleges (Specialist and Mainstream), identify gaps and proposals for future development to meet projected needs of pupils in Sandwell. • Focus on local resources to enhance the total provision in school/colleges so that children and young people can be supported in or close to the community where they live. Bring Sandwell children back into borough schools • Re-engineer our expectations of what alternative provision should offer in terms of outcomes and develop best practice across existing and new stakeholders, using a commissioning approach, based on needs analysis • To complete data analysis to predict future trends in SEN population • Key Objective Actions Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
6KO1 - Ensure that there is a transparent use and allocation of financial resources through the High Needs Block / High Needs Capital Grant, based on confirmed funds
To confirm proposed capital, spend action plan with DfE Prioritise areas for increasing specialist capacity
March 2025 Assistant Director Education Support Services LA Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA
To publish how Sandwell plan to use the High Needs Allocation Capital Grant to support improving provision
Data analysis- official consultation was launched on developing provision within Sandwell, future High Needs Block and High Needs Capital Grant spend. A Draft Specialist Place Planning Strategy + Action Plan followed. Priority areas to increase specialist capacity identified: Secondary aged Semh students, Primary/Secondary Sld. Consultation with schools / SEND Ops / SEND strategic board
To finalise proposed capital spend following consultation with DfE
Assistant Director Strategic Partnerships and Commissioning Manager LA SEND Commissioner 6KO2 - Audit support and intervention throughout Sandwell settings.
Collect audit data from all settings within Sandwell on current use of intervention around priority area. Identify any gaps. Source a means to measure gaps in various provision for e.g. Children with Sld/Pmld, Autism and complex communication needs Analyse key data
Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA Assistant Director School Improvement LA Inclusion Advisor
To understand the current gaps and priority areas.
Well net survey was launched in March 2022 and updated 2023 which records emotional wellbeing provision within each school.
6KO3 - Schools and settings are better able to support children and young people with a range of needs to achieve best outcomes
Create working party with partners to plan support for priority areas. Subgroups including head teachers to investigate evidence based interventions available or possibly devise specific interventions and support to meet need.
March 2024 Sept 2024 Oct
Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA Assistant Director School Improvement LA
A range of interventions and support have been developed for the areas of need in Sandwell. Views from all partners are included to
Proposals from subgroups to be shared with Parents, schools and other partners to gain feedback. Identify a range of settings to pilot recommendations. Include all partners within pilot. Review impact using a collation of data sets and feedback from settings and plan further developments.
2024 March 2025
ensure a person- centred approach and effective support is planned There is a co- produced action plan that will increase awareness and improve inclusive practice in mainstream schools 6KO4 - Write and share guidance document for developing intervention and targeted support in Sandwell.
Publish guidance document and share with all partners. Roll out training that may be linked to guidance. Publish guidance on Local Offer.
March 2025 Assistant Director Inclusive Learning Services LA Assistant Director School Improvement LA
To document information and ensure accessibility for all.
6KO5 - Audit all alternative provision and signpost providers to coaching and training opportunities for peer led improvement
Gather information relating to attainment, attendance, Semh, suspensions, exclusions, elective home education and safeguarding. Develop an alternative provision coaching and training programme Maintain an ongoing Quality assurance oversight of all alternative
July 2024 Jan 2024 Jan 2024
Inclusion Advisor
High quality alternative provision delivered by a confident well trained workforce Infrastructure, resources and workforce developed to enable alternative provision to be
provision and report regularly to stakeholders Increased range of specialist and alternative provision to accommodate children and young peoples needs
Jan 2024
more inclusive to meet the needs of the children who are currently out of borough
6KO6 - Sandwell inclusion Kite mark established to evidence inclusive childcare settings, schools, alternative provision and colleges.
Explore suitable options with an audit process Link to the existing Inclusion Quality Mark
July 2025 Inclusion Advisor
Quality assurance mechanism in place to improve quality and enable families to be assured
6KO7 - Vulnerable Families task and finish group and develop project plan to drive improvements for vulnerable families
Complete mapping and identify service gaps and take work forward. Explore remit to extend/work alongside Vulnerable Childrens Group to include Early Years Work will be aligned with the Neglect Strategy
Early Years Inclusive Learning Services Manager LA
Identify gaps in service delivery for vulnerable children to include those with SEND. Engagement with Vulnerable children’s group to incorporate Early years work
Interface with Vulnerable Children’s Group that was established in response to Pandemic, where focus has been on school-age children. The terms of reference are:
• To identify and respond to the education and safeguarding needs of children from various vulnerable cohorts as identified by agencies represented above. • To share information and decide who / how we will respond collectively and individually to safeguard and minimise vulnerability etc. • To encourage and support plus overcome barriers and vulnerability preventing access to and/or absence from pre and post 16 learning. • To challenge and where necessary to escalate concerns via relevant partners and / or processes in keeping with local arrangements and safeguarding procedures etc.
The Neglect Strategy is now finalised. 6KO8 - To devise universal training offer for parents and schools (virtual and “live” sessions)
Specialist Ot / Ccat to work collaboratively to develop training on Sensory difficulties to raise awareness and promote general strategies Educational Psychologists to link into emotional wellbeing and mental health training for parents and carers
Area Team Manager Complex Communication and Autism Team LA Educational Psychologists
To launch universal training offer on sensory difficulties to parents and schools Parents are better able to support their own and their children’s emotional wellbeing
Grant funded
6KO9 - To launch universal offer, targeted support and specialist assessment referral pathways to pilot schools.
Specialist Ot to launch pilot service with all schools / parents (universal offer) and pilot schools (targeted support and specialist support) Measure impact of actions and review pilot after 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months Specialist Ot to provide impact and evaluation data for review including: Training: numbers and evaluations Targeted support: pupil numbers and impact Write an evaluation of pilot to present to commissioners to inform further commissioning
Sept 2023
Team Leader for Occupational Therapy
Team Leader for Occupational Therapy
Clinical Lead Acute and Community Paediatrics Children
Pilot schools to understand and use referral processes for targeted and specialist assessment Evaluations of pilot project show positive impact on key performance indicators and social impact measures.
Grant funded
The pilot was completed and the processes were refined from the initial learning. Tools were put in place to measure the impact after 6 months However there are no further funds available so this is now concluded rather than completed
Therapy Services Director Inclusive Learning Services LA 6KO10 - Inclusive responsibilities of Virtual schools for those children who are looked after
Promotion of SEND within PEPs and through looked after reviews, in ensuring that educational needs are met and aspirational
Oct 2024 Head of Looked after Children (Lace) Virtual School
Peps are completed for all children with SEND so that Smart targets take into account (EHCP’s, where appropriate) the child’s individual needs.
Grant Funded – Pp+
Pupil premium for 16+ increases opportunities and this will link in with the Neet panels objectives
6KO11 - Ensure Children in care with SEND or educated within alternative provision who are Neet are supported into employment opportunities
Review the EHCP focus on Eet outcomes and support Children in Care and Care Leavers with EHCP's to explore their career pathways including supported internships/employment
Oct 2024 Children in Care/Care Leaving Service Manager Senior Manager Employment Operational Head Learning Disabilities, Autism and Young Adults Team Asc
Children in care with SEND or within alternative provision have opportunities within employment
There is a panel in place to process this action
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care:
Community:
7. Improving Progress and Attainment: to identify and address key improvements in Sandwell that will help ensure children and young people are able to achieve their best possible educational outcomes leading to meaningful occupation, employment and life-long learning opportunities.
Development Area
• Zero Permanent Exclusions from an alternative provision unless every alternative option has been explored. • To develop clear pathways for successful transition into adulthood (Post 14, 16 and Post 19) Key Objective Actions Date Personnel Responsible
Outcome: What success looks like
Resource Cost
Status
7KO1 - To improve use of Annual Reviews at Year 9 and onwards to start planning for transition into Post 16.
To provide further training to schools and providers on preparing for adulthood 0 – 25 with specific focus on year 9 and beyond To provide further transition training and events for schools and post 16 providers To have established a working group within Is to continue workforce development across inclusive learning services.
Dec 2024
SEN Strategic Lead LA
Will have a developed understanding of the areas of preparing for adulthood, embedding this within practice and transition planning Schools and post 16 providers will have a shared understanding of required actions for transition from year 9 on, and be embedding this
Working group established and work is ongoing – each team developing thinking and practice. Group established and meeting termly. Champions for teams developing practices. Resources being co-developed and embedded within assessment and advice 0 – 25 but focused on year 9 on. Development of resources to support schools in their practice also in progress. On-going. Events being offered and developed. Low uptake so far. Hasn’t happened for a little while due to uptake and competing demands. This can be a re-focus. Have been a part of events through other partners. Support has been available through casework. Vocational profiling being piloted with 3 schools to support transitions. Some success, especially in specialist setting. Needs to be re- visited as partner completing this with us left
for students with EHCP (at least) Group developed and key areas of development identified, learning embedded within reports, practice and advice from year 9 on
her role. This will tie in with the work with supported employment team and within the Ils working group looking at how our workforce embed vocational profiling, how it can be done more and how it will be supported in settings – this includes developing resources, processes and training.
7KO2 - To use an audit tool to ensure all services discuss all 4 domains of preparation for adulthood from the age of 14
Research and choose one of the existing tools Pilot with some services Roll out a self-audit process with all partners that may be part of a young person’s support network
July 2023 Transformation Lead- Care leaver and SEND Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services and SEND Project Manager for the Inclusion Ecosystem Transformation Programme
Services have a holistic approach to supporting that young person thrive into adulthood as a joined-up approach.
Discussed within an existing transitions network and some tools have been identified that may be suitable. Some partners are ready to be part of a task and finish group to initiate this. Health partners in Swb NHS Trust are also creating an audit tool, to discuss further.
7KO3 - To work with further education providers to improve understanding of Sandwell’s assessment, funding and intervention
Complete a wider audit of barriers for further education accepting young people with SEN support needs and EHCP’S To train further education providers in assessment, funding and intervention through scheduled statutory work / involvement and support programmes delivered with partners
Dec 2024 SEN strategic Lead LA Senior Specialist Educational and Child Psychologist LA
Fe providers will have a shared understanding of the waves of assessment, intervention and associated funding
Ongoing through SEN and Educational Child Psychologists (Ecp’s)conversations and case work. Event offered and discussed but little response from further education providers. Some progress has been made through the SEN team liaising on individual situations that arise, providing challenge and support within each process. Ecp’s also offer support to identify barriers for young people with an EHCP who have not been accepted by a further education provider and explore with them how they can make the adaptations at time of transfer from school and explored how Fe colleges need to adapt and how we can support
To provide further collaborative transition events for schools and post 16 providers with a focus on assessment, funding and intervention
that through our reports and interactions at school and post 16 phase. Application still to be embedded. ECPs work within further education, carrying out statutory assessments or reviews only. This allows an opportunity to gently challenge and support 7KO4 - To expand the supported internship offering to include the Dfn Project Search model.
Increase supported internship opportunities by 50%
July 2025
Senior Manager Disability Employment
To provide a broader offer to young people with SEND to include different supported internship models.
Two Dfn Project Search sites are now operating in Sandwell; one with Dpd and one with the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. All local colleges deliver supported internship programmes using different models and host employers including Audi, Black Country Living Museum and Merry Hill. Sandwell Council is exploring the possibility of becoming a supported internship host organisation from 2025. The Black Country SEND Employment forum was launched on 27/09/23 to increase supported internship provision regionally through a partnership approach. This forum will also be used to improve data collection to measure the number of young people participating in SI programmes. 7KO5 - To increase employment outcomes for young people who have completed a supported internship programme.
Improve the quality of existing supported internship programmes so more of them result in the intern securing paid employment. Improve the transition into supported employment provision for interns without an employment offer.
July 2025 Senior Manager Disability Employment
To increase employment outcomes.
Through the Black Country SEND Employment Forum: • Encourage all local supported internship providers to complete the Supported Internship Quality Assurance self- assessment tool (published in March 2023). • Improve data collection to measure the number of employment outcomes. • Promote transition pathways for interns who have completed their programme and do not have an offer of employment.
Evaluation & Reporting Impact: Education: Health: Care: Community:
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