A reminder: the case for change

1. SEN and Disability Green Paper Update on draft legislation andpathfinder programme September 2012

2. A reminder: the case for change The current system is not working for families and children: • Too many children with SEN have their needs picked up late; • Young people with SEN do less well than their peers at school and college and are more likely to be out of education, training and employment at 18; • Schools and colleges can focus too much on the SEN label rather than meeting the child’s needs, and the current Statements/ Learning Difficulty Assessments do not focus on life outcomes; • Too many families have to battle to find out what support is available and in getting the help they need from education, health and social care services; and • When a young person leaves school for further education, they enter a very different system which does not carry forward the rights and protections that exist in the SEN system in schools.

3. Green Paper 2011: Support and Aspiration Our vision is of a system in which: • Children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly; • Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are; • Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it; • For more complex needs, an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan from birth to 25; and • There is greater control for parents over the services they and their family use. • Aspirations for children and young people is raised through an increased focus on life outcomes

4. Key policy developments • Edward Timpson MP appointed Parliamentary Undersecretary of State (Children and Families); • Draft legislation published for pre-legislative scrutiny in September 2012; • Support and Aspiration: Progress and Next Steps published in May 2012; • Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum submitted its recommendations to the Secretary of State for Health in July (including on children with disabilities and long term conditions); • Supported internship studyprogramme is being trialled in colleges to provide opportunities for young people with complex needs to gain employment • Changes to safeguarding guidance: Department reviewing responses to consultation on revised statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children and Managing Cases: Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.

5. Draft legislation - key highlights • New requirement for local authorities, health and care services to commission services jointly, to ensure that the needs of disabled children and young people and those with SEN are met. • LAs to publish a clear, transparent ‘local offer’ of services, so parents and young people can understand what is available. • More streamlined assessment process, which integrates education, health and care services, and involves children and young people and their families. • New 0-25 Education, Health and Care Plan, replacing the current system of Statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments, which reflects the child or young person’s aspirations for the future, as well as their current needs. • Option of a personal budget for families and young people with a Plan, extending choice and control over their support. • New statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in FE and a stronger focus on preparing for adulthood. • Academies, Free Schools, Further Education and Sixth Form colleges to have the same SEN duties as maintained schools.

6. Timetable for legislative reform (indicative) Allows the provisions to be informed and improved by the views and evidence of stakeholders, and to continue to learn from the experience of the Pathfinders September to December 2012 Period of pre-legislative scrutiny led by the Education Select Committee December 2012 Education Select Committee publishes a report of its findings Early 2013 Children and Families Bill introduced into Parliament. Early 2013 Draft Regulations and a Draft Code of Practice published for consultation, informed by pathfinder learning. Spring 2014 Royal Assent (subject to Parliamentary process) September 2014 Implementation of provisions (meeting original Green Paper commitment to have reforms in place by 2014) • From now until Enactment: • 1996 Education Act and current Code of Practice still applies • Transition arrangements will be clarified by DfE

7. What is pre-leg scrutiny? Usually involves gathering written evidence and holding hearings – opportunity for parents, professionals and national groups to communicate their experiences, concerns and ideas. Pre-legislative scrutiny • Sarah Teather invited Education Select Committee to carry out pre-legislative scrutiny • Select Committee agreed on 6 September and set out it’s general and specific questions • Written evidence by 11 October • Two evidence sessions in October and November • A report published before the House rises for Christmas on 19 December. • Select Committee Questions (general) • Does the Bill meet Government’s objective to improve provision? • Will provisions cut red tape and delays in giving specialist support? • What will be the cost? • What impact on current institutional structures? • Transitional arrangements? • What can be learned from pilot schemes? • Anything missing?

8. But it’s not just about the legislation….. • Draft clauses are the high level architecture – there will be more detail in • Regulations and the new Code of Practice. There are wider changes • happening in the ways that professionals work with children, young people • and Families, for example: • Change in local practice • Pathfinders • Delivery Partners • Supported Internships • Achievement for All • Improvements in professional development • SENCO training • Initial Teacher Training • CPD & scholarships • VCS • Wider reforms • Health and Social Care • Early identification through 2 year old progress check; investment in health visitors • School funding reforms

9. Pathfinder update: Purpose of the Pathfinders The 20 SEND pathfinders (representing 31 LAs and their Health partners) are working towards the following common objectives: • Develop a new 0-25 assessment process and a single plan which bring together the education, health and social care services on which children and young people who are disabled or have SEN and their families rely and focuses on improving outcomes; • Explore how the voluntary and community sector could ensure access to specialist expertise and introduce more independence to the process; • Ensure the full engagement of children, young people and their parents and families, schools and colleges; and • Improve choice and control for children, young people and their families through the use of personal budgets and direct payments.

10. Evaluation - early findings • Good progress has been made in setting up partnerships and engaging families • A range of approaches to the single assessment process, from bringing together the results of specialist, separate assessments to a single assessment event. The greatest focus so far has been on a single planning process. • More family and young person centred processes are in place, using keyworking to improve communications • The capacity of health, education and VCS to engage remains a concern in some areas • A challenge remains about how to scale up approaches to a whole area in a sustainable way e.g. key working

11. Pathfinder learning: cultural change • In many areas, pathfinders are successfully integrating education, health and social care assessment functions and administration to develop a more coherent offer for children, young people and their families: • Bromley and Bexley: • Children and Young People Services and Adult Services integrated to become the Education and Care Services with a single commissioning division. • A shared vision for young people developed - through a visioning day, attended by a wide range of stakeholders (including LA services, schools, colleges, health, families, young people and the voluntary sector). • Devon: • Major training programme aimed at 1000 Integrated Children’s Services staff, 360 schools and other key stakeholders, including parents and children and young people. • Working with In Control to set out a new framework for Person Centred practice • Aiming to align all their current Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and multi-agency working training to a more personalised agenda.

12. Pathfinder learning: Local Offer Pathfinders are actively developing their local offer, with many focusing initially on schools and colleges. In some areas, VCS organisations or parent partnerships services are leading on development of the offer: • Northampton & Leicester City and Manchester • Development of the local offer is led by parent partnership services and parent carer representatives. • SE7 • A working group of parent carers and parent partnership services has consulted with parent carers and practitioners to a agree a common set of principles for its local offer framework, covering all seven pathfinder authorities. Nottingham NAVO (an umbrella organisation for local VCS) has the lead. Bromley & Bexley Development is being led by XbyX and Mencap

13. Pathfinder Learning: single assessment process and plan Most pathfinders have developed and agreed the pathway and format of their single assessment and planning process: • Southampton, • A new virtual team across education, health and care is dealing with all new referrals. • Five Special Schoolsare undertaking consultation projects with children and young people, concentrating on integrated assessment and the EHC Plan and personal budgets. Approaches range from ‘Big Brother’ style filming to family consultation to whole school interview. • Calderdale • Draft plan developed by parents and practitioners from health, education and social care. • Designed to focus on what children or young people feel is working or not working well for them and on what they want to achieve. • Strong emphasis on developing links with the local community and on building family resilience. • Families work together in groups to develop their individual plans: to develop peer support. Group sessions facilitated by person centred planners, who are also parents of disabled children. Manchester Plan co-ordinators from a range of professional backgrounds have been trained to work with one or two young people each to develop person-centred single plans.

14. Pathfinders are developing accessible ways of communicating with children, young people and families about personal budgets: Pathfinder learning: Personal Budgets • Hartlepool and Darlington • A workstream has been set up to investigate how personal budgets might work across Education, Health and Social Care. • A small budget has been set aside to help to develop this for pathfinder families and there is a presumption that parents will be offered a personal budget in the resource element of their plan. Devon, Trafford, Greenwich and Southampton are testing specific brokerage functions to support families. Gateshead Personal Budgets are being used to buy appropriate support to access school sites. Bromley & Bexley, Wiltshire, Devon and Medway are developing ‘easy read’ guides and holding workshops with families and practitioners. 14

15. Pathfinder learning: engaging the VCS and parents, children and young people Examples of innovative good practice are beginning to emerge: Manchester • Parents are involved in each of the Pathfinder work streams, and have their own representation group. • The Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People have a Young People’s Forum which has been commissioned to consult young people in the Pathfinder cohort and more widely Devon • Parents and voluntary sector representatives have been involved in all design work streams through the Pathfinder Reference Group • Using briefing notes, newsletters, Twitter, a pathfinder website, conversation events and briefing sessions to engage with stakeholders Gateshead A key working function is being provided by Children NorthEast. Skills for People are leading on person-centred planning and advocacy support

16. Pathfinder learning: preparation for adulthood Good progress has been made in identifying and recruiting young people aged 16-15; a number of areas are undertaking excellent work with mainstream colleges and specialist providers to develop more flexible packages for young people: Bromley • Working in working in partnership with Special Schools, FE College, Specialist College and third sector partners to develop post-16 education provision and facilities for young people with more complex needs. • Children and Young People’s Services and Adult Services have been integrated to become the Education and Care Services. • A small pilot group of 10 to 15 young people with higher support needs is developing more flexible learning and support packages which will enable them to remain within their local community and access the local FE college. Hertfordshire • Piloting a new ‘supported employment’ model to help a group of college leavers including NEET young people find sustainable employment.  • Feedback from providers is that they need CPD support around preparing young people for work and engaging employers. 

17. Next steps Regular pathfinder learning events and case studies are informing practice and policy on an ongoing basis – follow progress at www.SENDpathfinders.co.uk Pathfinder learning and evaluation will feed into the pre-legislative scrutiny phase in autumn 2012 and will be vital for drawing up the detail of draft Regulations and a new Code of Practice Publication of pathfinder interim evaluation report in October 300-400 families and young people expected to have completed Education, Health and Care Plans by end October Publication of pathfinder final evaluation report in mid 2013 17