Recommendation 3 update
Recommendation 3 - local area partnership leaders should improve the effectiveness of joint working to support the co-production of EHC plans and annual reviews so that at each stage the provision that is planned takes full account of children's and young people's current and changing needs.
What we have done so far:
- Implemented an improvement programme so that all EHC plans will accurately reflect the child or young person's stage and phase of education.
- Implemented a recovery programme for the timely processing of annual reviews, recruiting additional staff to support the Annual Review recovery plan.
- Recruited a Principal Educational Psychologist and Senior Educational Psychologists.
- Recruited additional SEND assessment and Educational Psychologists to deliver EHC needs assessments to meet increased demand.
- Training delivered to EHC teams to improve the quality of EHC plans.
- Undertaken an audit of service standards in the send assessment service to identify improvement targets.
The difference this makes:
- SEND assessment service standards improved.
- Additional resource supporting the EHC needs assessment process, improves the quality and timeliness of EHC plans.
- The EHC Needs assessment process continues to involve children and young people and their families at an individual level regarding the assessment of their child and in drafting the plan.
What we need to develop:
- Quality standards and training for SEND Assessment
- Meeting of statutory timescales
- Embed multi agency Quality Assurance processes
- Improve confidence in the system by communicating better with children, young people, their families and schools about the challenges, and progress made
Next steps:
- Provide additional resource and support arrangements in schools and settings to pupils and staff whilst waiting for an EHC needs assessment.
- Continue recruitment for Educational Psychologists and increase SEND assessment resources across the partnership.
- The LA Recovery Team will increase the number of EHC assessments meeting statutory timescales.
- Area wide staff training will be reviewed and updated.
- Review the structure and capacity of the SEND Assessment and Review Service to ensure it meets current and predicted demand.