send reform in west berkshire
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SEND Reform in West Berkshire. Briefings for parents, schools and practitioners July 2014. What will be covered. Overview of SEND Reforms and underlying principles – Jane Seymour The new Education Health and Care assessment process & EHC Plans – Jane Seymour - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
SEND Reform in West Berkshire
Briefings for parents, schools and practitioners July 2014
What will be covered
Overview of SEND Reforms and underlying principles – Jane Seymour
The new Education Health and Care assessment process & EHC Plans – Jane Seymour
Conversion of existing Statements to EHC Plans – Nicola Ponton/Tina Norton/Lucy Baker-Smith
QUESTIONS
The Children & Families Act 2014
Reform of systems and processes for meeting needs of children with SEN & Disabilities (SEND) arise from Children & Families Act 2014
Takes effect 1st September 2014 Detail is contained in the “SEN & Disability Code
of Practice: 0 to 25 years”, June 2014 There are also several sets of regulations which
accompany The Children & Families Act
Key principles of SEND Reforms
Child and family at the centre of assessment, planning, decision making – “person centred” approaches
More choice and control for families More flexible and creative solutions,
personalised to the individual
Key principles of SEND Reforms
High aspirations for young people with SEND Effective collaboration between agencies Holistic, joined up planning Focus on outcomes including long term life
outcomes
Life outcomes for young people with SEND
Paid employment, wherever possible Living as independently as possible Optimum physical and mental health Friends and relationships Being part of community
Overview of SEND Reforms
School Action & School Action Plus replaced by one SEN category - SEN Support
Local Authorities must publish a “Local Offer” setting out all services available for children with SEND and their families
Statementing process replaced by Education Health and Care Assessments/ EHC Plans
Families have right to request a Personal Budget as part of EHC Plan
Overview of SEND Reforms cont.
LAs have responsibility for young people with SEND up to age 25 – FE Colleges come within same legislation as schools
Young people with SEND over compulsory school age have legal rights previously held by parents
Information, advice & guidance services (Parent Partnership) must be offered to children with SEND as well as their parents
Overview of SEND Reforms cont.
Information, advice & guidance services must cover health and social care as well as SEN
Children and young people must be offered advocacy service where needed
Increased requirements on LAs to offer disagreement resolution and mediation services
More joint commissioning of services across education, social care and health
QUESTIONS???
EHC Assessment Process
A new process for EHC Assessments has been developed with parents, schools and other agencies
This will replace the statementing process from 1st September 2014
The criteria for EHC Assessment are essentially same as for statementing
Process will be led by EHC Assessment Coordinators (3 new appointments)
EHC Assessment Process – how will it be different?
Much more involvement of child and parents throughout whole process
Holistic assessment and plan – covering education, health and care needs and provision
EHC Plan will look and feel very different from a Statement – more accessible and user friendly
Must be completed in 20 weeks (currently 26)
EHC Assessment Process
Parent / school requests EHC Assessment Parent is sent “We want to tell you…” pack and
offered support to complete Covers 6 areas: communication, learning,
behaviour & emotions, health, everyday life, family & community
Information requested from school (if not a school request)
Decision re whether EHC Assessment needed
EHC Assessment Process
If decision is not to proceed, SEN Manager/Assistant Manager meets family with school and other professionals to plan support
If EHC assessment agreed, Assessment Coordinator allocated to family
Assessment Coordinator meets family and reviews “We want to tell you…” document to ensure child and parents’ views fully represented, including desired outcomes
EHC Assessment Process
Assessment Coordinator agrees with family what assessments are needed by which professionals
Professional reports requested – 6 week timescale
Assessment Coordinator ensures all professionals providing reports liaise with one another to avoid duplication and do joint visits / assessments where appropriate
EHC Assessment Process
Assessments are completed Assessment Coordinator discusses reports with
parents and offers meeting if needed EHC Panel considers reports and allocates
indicative budgets EHC Planning meeting held involving family,
school & other professionals - chaired by EHC Assessment Coordinator
Assessment Coordinator drafts EHC Plan
EHC Assessment Process
Draft EHC Plan issued, including any direct payments if requested / agreed
Draft EHC Plan must be issued within 16 weeks of EHC request (no school named at this stage)
Further discussion with parents if needed Final EHC Plan issued (with school named) Whole process must be completed within 20
weeks
Personal Budgets
A “personal budget” is the total resource spent on a young person, some of which may be given as a “direct payment” (cash)
Families will be able to request a direct payment for the education, health and/or care aspects of the EHC Plan
Direct payments are already given in some cases for families to purchase social care provision (children’s and adults’ services)
Personal budgets
Criteria for SEN direct payments are being developed – requests will be considered case by case
Health are also developing processes for health Personal Budgets / Direct Payments – will only apply to children who meet Continuing Healthcare Criteria
EHC Plan
“Xxxxxx’s Plan” + photo (if child / parents wish) Contents page One page profile at beginning – what others like
about me/ what is important to me/ how best to support me/ my hopes for the future
Strengths, difficulties & desired outcomes – communication, learning, behaviour & emotions, health, everyday life, family & community (in table format)
EHC PlanArea of need Strengths Difficulties Outcomes
1. Communication
2. Learning & Development
3. Behaviour and emotions
4. Health
5. Everyday life
6. Family & Community
EHC PlanOutcome What needs to
happen (provision)
Quantity, frequency, duration
Who is responsible
Start date
EHC Plan
Name of educational placement Type of placement EHC Funding including any Direct Payments Review arrangements Signature Appendices
EHC Plans
Will specify health and social care provision as well as SEN provision
Only SEN provision is subject to appeal to SEN Tribunal
Parents must consider mediation before going to Tribunal
Parents can go to mediation about health and care aspects of EHC Plan or follow normal complaint processes if in disagreement
Reviews of EHC Plans
Will be subject to Annual Reviews which will be carried out by schools on behalf of Local Authority (as now)
Annual Reviews of EHC Plans from Year 9 must consider transition to adulthood
Young person can have an EHC Plan in FE College, (or apprenticeship or traineeship) but not in Higher Education
QUESTIONS???