Early Support Regional
Newsletter
July 2014
North East, Yorkshire & Humber, North West, East Midlands,
West Midlands, East of England, South East, London and South West Region
Contacts:
Anna Gill
Regional Facilitator East of England
Mobile: 07732 176088
Email: thegills@btconnect.com
Website
http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/networkscampaigning/early-support
Welcome to the July 2014 edition of the Early Support regional newsletter. If you
have any comments or would like to include an item in the next edition please e-mail
Cathy Hamer chamer@ncb.org.uk or
Anna Gill agill@ncb.org.uk
Announcement - Rita Wiseman Retirement
Many of you over the past few years will have had the pleasure to work with Rita
Wiseman, who has dedicated her working and personal life to improving outcomes for
children and young people and their families. As a qualified Social Worker she worked at a
senior level in local authorities and more recently led the DfE Aiming High for Disabled
Children and Early Support programme.
Rita has left Early Support on a high note having placed it in a strong position to support
the SEND Reforms, and she will be a huge miss to the Early Support team, colleagues,
local authorities and DfE. Her drive, ambition, humour and humility will be greatly missed. I
am sure you will join us to wish her a long and healthy retirement.
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National Message
Having recently taken over from Rita Wiseman as the Early Support Lead, I am pleased
to be working with you to improve the outcomes for disabled children and young people
and their families.
We are working with Mott Macdonald, other SEND deliver partners and Champions to
develop a range of thematic workshops which will support you in your compliance and
implementation of the SEND reforms. Suggested themes include developing outcomes,
local offer, mediation, personal budgets, joint strategic commissioning, transfer reviews
and workforce development. If you have any suggestions about workshop themes,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
There has been a very good response from organisations who tendered to deliver the
Independent Support contract. The successful organisations will be announced shortly
and full details will be made available on the CDC website.
As we move towards 1st September and beyond we wish to be as helpful as possible to
you. If you have any support needs, please do not hesitate to contact your Regional
Facilitator.
Wishing you a lovely summer break.
Jane Harrison
Early Support Lead
jharrison@ncb.org.uk
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Regional Messages
The recent SEND Cluster meetings were well attended with over 45 colleagues from
other SEND Delivery Partners, Pathfinder Champion Authorities, Health, Education,
Parent Carer Forums, Parent Partnership services and VCS organisations attending.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive around this approach for small, targeted
sessions. The topics were conversions of Statements and LDAs and the role of
Independent Supporters.
The meetings next term will cover as requested, amongst other topics the Local Offer
and the issues around cross-boundary/specialist services offers.
There will be Keyworking courses starting next term and flyers/booking
details will be out soon. Also too we are planning specific events with PfA
around 16+ provision, planning and new duties.
Some local areas are starting to request and book support on a 1:1 basis, on
building capacity for training teams, on ‘critical friend/readiness’ visits or
bespoke training sessions for Senior Managers or SEND teams. Please do let
me know if there is anything Early Support in partnership with other Delivery
Partners can support you with.
In addition so far, I have given regional presentations on aspects of the SEND
Reforms to the Parent Partnership Network, Community Paediatricians Network and
the forthcoming Strategic Clinical Network event for Commissioners.
Useful Updates, Links and Documents
NEWSFLASH: New DfE Implementation Pack
On July 8th the DfE published an updated implementation pack; this can be accessed
via the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3279
57/SEND_implementation_update_-_June_update_version_15.1.pdf
Following on from the approach last year the DfE would like local authorities and their
partners to complete a short survey in order to ensure that the collective support each
area is receiving from pathfinder champions, and now also delivery partners, is
meeting local needs. This isn’t to evaluate individual champions or delivery partners,
but to help shape support from September onwards.
The Pathfinder Champion Support Team will be issuing a survey link (via Survey
Monkey) to all local authorities later this week, with a two week survey completion
deadline. The questionnaire is attached for your information.
Survey_THEMED.pdf
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Further updates
From Contact a Family and NNPCF: The Special Educational Needs and Disability Readiness for Reform, Survey Two, Parent Carer Forums Survey Responses
May/June 2014
Now available to view here
New National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) Progress report
Click here
Strengthening Parent Carer Participation The national picture, April 2012 to March
2013
Click here
Resources on the Reforms
CDC have written an overview of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
It is not intended to provide a complete description of every section in the Act, but to
highlight and explain the most significant requirements of the new legislation.
Download a copy here.
They have also written a briefing which highlights the key issues professionals in the
health services should be addressing as they prepare for the implementation of the
reforms. Download a copy here.
The Pathfinder Support Team published the latest version of the SEND Pathfinder
Information Packs, reflecting the updated SEND Code of Practice.
More new CDC resources
New 'Developing Key Working' Guide offers guidance to those involved in developing,
managing and delivering key working.
Government Guidance:
We appreciate how busy everyone is and colleagues around the regions often tell us
they have missed out on something crucial to their work; so as a gentle reminder here
are the most recent publications:
Draft Transitional Arrangements:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3187
40/DRAFT_-_SEN_reforms_transitional_guidance__2_.pdf
Supporting pupils at school with Medical Conditions:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3069
52/Statutory_guidance_on_supporting_pupils_at_school_with_medical_conditions.pdf
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Mediation:
This DfE Mediation Letter provides guidance to local authorities on establishing the new
mediation arrangements which will come into effect on 1 September 2014 under the Children and
Families Act 2014 and the role local authorities and their partners will play in those arrangements
Mediation letter for
LAs v1.0 ISSUED.DOCX
Mencap
Have produced some really useful briefing resources, we will feature some
this month, and the remainder in our next newsletter.
Overview_of_the_refo
rms.pdf
Overview_of_the_refo
rms_-_easy_read (1)_0.pdf
What_has_changed_a
nd_what_is_the_same_0.pdf
Rights_for_parents_a
nd_young_people (1)_1.pdf
Children’s Society
Have produced new resources to help disabled children
participate:
http://sites.childrenssociety.org.uk/disabilitytoolkit/toolkit/
Delivery Partners
The web links to other delivery partner organisations, and to the Mott MacDonald
SEND pathfinder website, are as follows:
SEND pathfinder website - www.sendpathfinder.co.uk/
Note: The new Pathfinder Champions’ work is featured on that website here:
www.sendpathfinder.co.uk/pathfinderchampions/
Contact a Family - http://www.cafamily.org.uk/what-we-do/parent-carerparticipation/
National Network of Parent Carer Forums - http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/
National Parent Partnership - www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/what-wedo/networks-campaigning/national-parent-partnership-network
Preparing for Adulthood - www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/
Achievement for all – www.afa3as.org.uk
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