Children & Families Service
Policy Website
Mark Grady
Principal Policy Officer
Children & Enterprise Directorate
Children & Families Service
Policy Website
• Online procedures for Halton covering the full spectrum of the Halton
Levels of Need Framework, including Early Intervention, assessments,
CART and Children in Care
• Site links closely to the new Pan-Cheshire Procedures site for Halton,
where key information on Child Protection processes across all agencies
can be accessed
• The website is intended to be a live resource that will grow over time
http://www.online-procedures.co.uk/halton/
SEND Reforms Event
Briefings for Social Care Staff
Pam Beaumont
Project Officer SEND Reforms
Debbie Houghton
Principal Policy Officer
Tracy Ryan
Policy Officer
Children & Enterprise Directorate
Aims & Objectives
To raise awareness of key legislative changes
To understand the implications for specific services
To share Halton’s approach for implementing the SEND
Reforms
To participate in case studies & share good practice in the
workshop activity
To demonstrate the SEND Local Offer for Halton
Working
Together
Advocacy
SEND
Reforms
SEND
Reforms
Messages
KeyKey
Messages
Participation
Children and Families Act 2014 :
Overview
• New requirement for LAs, health and social care services to commission
services jointly for SEN and disability
• LAs to publish a clear, transparent ‘local offer’ of services
• More streamlined assessment process, co-ordinated across education,
health and care
• New 0-25 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans for those with more
complex needs
• New statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in FE
• A new duty on health commissioners to deliver the agreed health
elements of EHC plans
• The option of a personal budget for families and young people with an
EHC plan
What we want to achieve
We want children and young people with special needs and disabilities to:
• Have high aspirations & a focus on outcomes
• Achieve well in their early years, at school and college, and transition
smoothly into adult life;
• Find meaningful employment;
• Lead happy and fulfilled lives;
• Have choice and control over the support they receive.
What is an Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plan?
An EHC plan is a statutory document with a legal duty on education and health
support, it should be:
• Clear, concise, readable and accessible to parents, children, young people and
professionals
• Specific about Special Educational Needs, outcomes, health and care
provision needed, with clearly identified sections
• Mindful of key transition points and be portable
• Person-centred putting children, families and young people at the heart of the
process
• Issued within a maximum of 20 weeks from initial request, assessment and
planning
• Co-ordinated between education, health and social care services with joint
agreement on key outcomes
EHC Plan: Eligibility Criteria
From 1st September ‘14 under the SEND Reforms, the definition
of SEN has not changed
Education is the key driver for an EHC Plan
• An EHC needs assessment may be triggered if a child or young person has learning
difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision to be made for them
• A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or
disability if they:
• Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the
same age, or
• Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a
kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or
mainstream post-16 settings
Schools
The main legal duties on schools will not change, from 1st September they will need to:
• use their ‘best endeavours’ to meet pupils’ SEND. Schools no longer have to record
pupils as ‘school action’ or ‘school action plus’
• inform parents when pupils receive support for special educational needs & involve
them in reviews of progress
Post-16 settings
•
Further Education colleges, Sixth Form colleges and approved Independent Specialist
Providers will be under new legal duties from September 2014
•
Extends comparable rights and protections for young people aged 16-25 in further
education as to those found for children/their parents in school
• Should use ‘best endeavours’ for all young people (up to the age of 25) with SEND,
regardless of whether or not they have an EHC plan
Preparing for Adulthood
• A single system from 0-25 for EHC plans, removing the current ‘cliff edge’
at 16;
• Focus on outcomes and preparing for adulthood – employment, health,
independent living and community inclusion
• Local authorities to involve training providers when reviewing their
special educational provision and developing their local offer
• Role for local authorities in commissioning post-16 provision, to deliver
outcomes for young people, including supported internships, study
programmes and specialist provision
• Young people with EHC plans can remain in the SEN system between age
19 and 25, where the extra time will allow them to consolidate their
learning
Social Care
• The SEND Reforms will allow a more joined up assessment process for
children and young people with SEND, across education, health and social
care
• The majority of children and young people’s needs will still be met by:
–
–
–
–
Commissioned services
Occupational Therapy services
Short Breaks
Access to information via Charities
• The locality-based Early Intervention Teams will still undertake CAF’s
• Children’s Social Care will still undertake single assessments
EHC Plan reviews should be synchronised with social care statutory reviews
and must always meet the needs of the individual child
Social Care, EHC Plan & Conversions
• If you are working with a child and still involved at the time of the conversion
to an EHC Plan you will be asked to contribute to the process
• Health or social care may be treated as Special Educational provision in an EHC
Plan if it is reasonably required by the child or young person to support their
education in school and/or training, for example
o Where a child requires support with feeding
o for an escort getting to/from school due to their behaviour
• Conversions from SEN Statement and Learning Difficulty Assessments will take
place over a 3 year period on a phased basis
o A step down process would need to considered for any child or young person
whose SEN Statement wasn’t converted to an EHC Plan - eligibility criteria not met
Triggering an EHC Assessment
“ anyone else can bring a child or YP who has or may have SEN to the
attention of the LA & may need EHC assessment – e.g. foster carers,
health/social care professionals, early years practitioners, youth offending
teams, those responsible for education in custody, school or college staff or a
family friend…..”
• Only 1-2% of children and young people overall with the most
complex needs will require an EHC Plan
• Currently around 15 children/young people known to social care
– Early Intervention is key
– Robust School Offer
– Needs engagement from parents, carers and young people
– Diverse range of services in place – must emphasise universal
services
Social Care
• This can include any services assessed under a CAF and/or under S17 or S47 of the
Children Act 1989
• This can include services for parents/carers which will support the child’s outcomes ,
such as access to short breaks or respite provision
• The introduction of the EHC plan does not affect a local authority’s duties to provide
social care services to disabled children and young people. Children’s Social Care will
still have a key role in providing practical assistance to disabled children and young
people under the Chronically Sick & Disabled Persons Act to enable then to access
education, recreational facilities, holidays etc must be included in the EHC Plan for
child or young person under 18
For example:
• A single parent needs two people to safely hoist a child and has no one to assist them
• A disabled child with challenging behaviour may be so challenging that one parent cannot
safely manage, and safety cannot be achieved with aids and adaptations nor behaviour
modification
• The parent has a broken leg or is pregnant and cannot lift the child and does not have a
partner or another friend or family member who can provide temporary assistance
• Children over 16 years old, where a young person wants to be cared for by the same gender
and this cannot be facilitated in the family or friendship networks
Co-ordination of reviews/meetings:
Children in Care
• We need to ensure that education, health, care are co-ordinated effectively within
the process of care and pathway planning to avoid duplication and delay for looked
after children and care leavers
• Will require liaising with Virtual School Head & relevant staff
• Assessments and Termly PEPs may identify a child’s potential SEN
• Independent Reviewing Managers may also make recommendations following a
statutory CiC Review
• CiCOLA - an EHC assessment MUST be carried out by the authority where the child
lives i.e. ordinarily resident
• If disagreement arises, the LA that looks after the child will act as the corporate
parent in any disagreement resolution
CiN/Child Protection Process
Under S17 where a child is subject to a Child Protection or a CiC, the
legislative framework hasn’t changed
If during this process the Social Worker identifies that they are working with a
child or young person who:
• may have SEND they need to know how to trigger an assessment
• has an existing EHC Plan - liaison with the Assessment Co-ordinator is key to
ensure the current EHC Plan is shared for relevant information that may be
required for social care statutory reviews
Personal Budgets
As part of our local offer, we have set out a coproduced local policy for personal budgets.
• It focuses on short breaks
• Continuing care
• Education top-up funding will be explored further
So what is Changing?
Support, Advice and Information
Halton SEND Partnership Service (Formerly Parent Partnership): SEND Partnership
Officer Sharon Spruce 0151 511 7733
SENDpartnership@halton.gov.uk
Independent Supporters:
New role – to support parents and young people through the statutory process
Additional advice and support through various organisations and charities
Mediation must be considered before SEND tribunal. To find out
more about mediation services contact Halton SEND Partnership.
What is Independent Support?
• A 2-year programme to provide additional support to young
people and parents during the implementation of the SEND
reforms
• Independent Support is Government funded
• CDC have commissioned organisations to provide Independent
Support locally. (Barnados / PSS )
• Halton SEND Partnership will have trained IS who will work in
collaboration with local provider PSS
What happens locally?
Locally, the IS service will:
• Work directly with a range of partners,
including Halton SEND Partnership
• Assess local need in consultation with local
partners
• Complement local provision and add value
• Retain appropriate independence
Education, Health & Care Plan
Eileen O’Brien
Specialist Teacher Enhanced Provision
Children & Enterprise Directorate
Halton’s Template: Education, Health & Care Plan
Please look at the copy of the Education, Health &
Care Plan provided in your packs.
Education, Health and Care Plans
EHC plans should:
• Establish and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents
and child or young person
• Provide a full description of the child or young person’s special educational
needs and any health and social care needs
• Establish outcomes across education, health and social care based on the
child or young person’s needs and aspirations
• Specify the provision required and how education, health and care
services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and
support the achievement of the agreed outcomes.
The EHC Assessment and Planning
Process should:
• Focus on the child or young person as an individual
• Enable children and young people and their parents to
express their views, wishes and feelings
• Be easy for children, young people and their parents or carers
to understand, and use clear ordinary language and images,
rather than professional jargon
• Highlight the child or young person’s strengths and
capabilities
Tea/Coffee Break
(15 mins)
SEND Local Offer for Halton
Debbie Houghton
Principal Policy Officer
Tracy Ryan
Policy Officer
Children & Enterprise Directorate
SEND Local Offer requirements
• The SEND Local Offer describes Education, Health and Social Care
provision for children and young people aged 0-25 years
• Information is clear, comprehensive and accessible
• It is not a directory – it will be responsive to local needs, involving
Children, Young People and parents in development and review
Halton SEND Local Offer process
• Task and Finish Group established
• Consultation and training - partners, council staff, parents,
schools and young people
• Website launched 1st September 2014, however site will
continue to grow and develop
www.halton.gov.uk/localoffer
An online feedback form
https://www.halton.gov.uk/question
naire/localoffer.htm
Case Study 1 - Tom
Q1. What are the main considerations that you
would be looking at within Liam’s case and how
might they relate to an Education, Health &
Care Plan now or in the future?
Case Study 2 – Sarah & Jenny
• Q1. Considering the information you have about the
SEND Reform Programme, comment on what is
likely to happen with Sarah’s Statement of Special
Educational needs & why?
• Q2. Mum has also noticed that Jenny’s behaviour
has become more challenging. Does this mean that
Jenny has SEN? Would Jenny qualify for an
Education, Health & Care Plan?
Social Care Protocols (in pack)
•
Social Care input into the EHC Review Process
•
Social Care Participation in SEN mtgs
•
Disagreement Resolution and Mediation – social care focus
•
Complaints procedures – social care focus
•
Requesting assessments from social care to inform EHC process
•
Pre-assessment enquiries from social care
Where can I find out more?
www.SENDpathfinder.co.uk for:
•
Latest information packs from the pathfinders, including case studies, video clips
and links to useful materials e.g. Nottingham EHC animation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU2puyxuQz0&list=FLphppjsuJ3xYrXknsSBY
GIw
•
Pathfinder evaluation reports
•
Information about the Delivery Partners who are supporting the reforms and can
offer help and advice
www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sendreforminfosheet
For regular updates, sign up to receive CDC’s e-bulletin by e-mailing cdc@ncb.org.uk
Access the Preparing for Adulthood support materials:
http://www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/
Independent Supporters: http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/news/januaryjune-2014/public-tender-for-evidence-and-build-phase-of-independent-supportprogramme-is-launched
Myth Busters
Debbie Houghton
Principal Policy Officer
Tracy Ryan
Policy Officer
Pam Beaumont
Project Officer SEND Reforms
Children & Enterprise Directorate
Event Close
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Thank You for your support