Search results for ‘Subject term:"special educational needs"’ Sort:
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Our special partnership
- Author:
- SINGLETON David
- Journal article citation:
- Children Now, 12.04.06, 2006, pp.22-23.
- Publisher:
- Haymarket
This article reports on the work of regional partnerships set up by the Government in 2000 to improve services for children with special educational needs. The partnerships aims to help local authorities and other providers of special education needs services work together to share experiences and knowledge, and to plan services as a region. The article discusses the work of West Midlands management group.
Research into how local authorities are ensuring sufficient places and supporting vulnerable children
- Authors:
- BRYANT Ben, ISOS PARTNERSHIP, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 115
- Place of publication:
- London
This research explores the roles and responsibilities of local authorities (LAs), schools, trusts and other partners within local education systems to ensure there are sufficient school places and how they are supporting vulnerable children. It covers the statutory duties to children: with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been excluded. Data was gathered via virtual fieldwork engagement with LA and school leaders, parents, carers and partners in 10 local areas; roundtable discussions and online survey were used to test the emerging findings. Key findings: concerned the critical importance of relationships within the education system in England; the misalignment between LAs' statutory responsibilities and decision-making authority with place-planning, and in relation to support for vulnerable children; in relation to the current SEND system - it places LAs at the heart of a perfect storm of rising and potentially open-ended need and demand, finite resources from which to meet need, and a lack of levers to affect the factors driving demand; and local area SEND inspection is not reflected in the accountability for individual institutions. There was strong agreement that support for vulnerable children requires a system-wide approach organised at a local area level. A set of eight principles have been derived from this research to guide future policy in this area. These are themed around: access; autonomy; inter-connection; impartiality; alignment; local solutions; incentives and accountability and redress. (Edited publisher abstract)
Key features for an effective education, health and care plan digital hub
- Author:
- COUNCIL FOR DISABLED CHILDREN
- Publisher:
- Council for Disabled Children
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 7
- Place of publication:
- London
This guide draws together experiences from different local areas in order to highlight effective practice, key features and challenges to be aware of when developing a digital approach to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Many local areas are developing a digital portal or hub which can draw together input from different stakeholders and act as a central source of information for a child or young person's plan. Key features for a hub identified, include: families can track their EHCP journey; supports a 'tell it once' approach; advice givers can access the child's aspirations and outcomes sought, often including creative forms of communication (e.g. art and videos); professionals can provide advice; all relevant stakeholders can access the draft plan; and hub can send out reminders for reviews. The guide also suggests which partners should be able to access the Hub and sets out the key benefits of an effective hub, for supporting families, SEN case officers and for advice givers. Enablers to embed an effective are themed around strategic and planning; workforce training and support staff; functionality; and collaborative working. Barriers to implementation include: technical issues and the challenge to identify a system which meets all the requirements and wider IT infrastructure and integration concerns and support capacity; workforce; families and process issues. (Edited publisher abstract)
Not going to plan? Education, Health and Care plans two years on
- Author:
- LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL CARE OMBUDSMAN
- Publisher:
- Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 32
- Place of publication:
- Coventry
This report identifies some of the common problems the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found when investigating parents’ concerns about the Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan process. The report finds that children with special educational needs and disabilities are increasingly being failed by the system designed to support them, Issues identified include severe delays when issuing a plan; not anticipating local needs; inadequate partnership working, with EHC plans regularly issued without advice from health or social care services; and a lack of oversight by senior staff. The report shows the Ombudsman is upholding 87 percent of SEND cases it investigates. The report includes case studies from real investigations carried out in the past two years since the EHC plan system came into force, with details of the . The case studies include the areas of: annual plan reviews, amending or ceasing a plan, involving the young person, transition planning to adulthood. The report offers senior council staff guidance and suggests ways they can scrutinise the services they offer families and the complaints they receive about those services.
The state of children's services 2018-19: a report from the Children's Services Development Group
- Author:
- CHILDREN'S SERVICES DEVELOPMENT GROUP
- Publisher:
- Children's Services Development Group
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 11
- Place of publication:
- London
This report provides a snapshot of current thinking in the children's services sector, looking at the current state of children’s services, the challenges facing commissioners and providers, and those facing vulnerable children and young people and their families. It draws on a discussion attended by leading sector representatives, including independent providers, local authorities, academics and the charitable sector. It makes recommendations at a national and local level to encourage the development a child-centred, needs-driven approach to care and education for the most vulnerable young people. It highlight the importance of getting the right support first time, achieving positive loner-term outcomes, and improving collaborative working. Recommendations include: the development of guidance placing children and young people at the heart of commissioning and service development; for a "team around the child" approach to be the default position for all care and education; for personal development outcomes, such as building strong relationships and being able to live more independently, to be seen as important long-term outcomes; and for local authorities to work with providers to understand service demand and develop innovative ways demand. (Edited publisher abstract)
Children with special educational and complex needs: guidance for Health and Wellbeing Boards
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 19
- Place of publication:
- London
This document provides guidance and advice for health and wellbeing boards on how best to oversee the implementation of changes made by the Children and Families Act 2014. The Act introduces a new statutory requirement for local services to work together when providing care and support for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and the HWBs are responsible for overseeing the implementation of this new requirement. The document provides hints and sources of further information which a boards can draw on with their partners. It includes questions which HWBs may wish to consider in managing their organisations, building up a picture of local needs and looking at local commissioning. (Edited publisher abstract)
Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department of Health
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 19
- Place of publication:
- London
This guidance aims to help health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) support children with special educational needs and disabilities to get joined up care from local services. It provides advice on how best to oversee the implementation of changes made by the Children and Families Act 2014, which introduces a new statutory requirement for local services to work together when providing care and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. HWBs are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new requirement, ensuring that local services are fulfilling their role and that children are getting the care they need. The guidance includes questions which an HWB may wish to consider in managing its organisation, building up a picture of local need and looking at local commissioning. (Edited publisher abstract)
Evaluation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Pathfinder Programme: thematic report: collaborative working with health: research report
- Authors:
- CRASTON Meera, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 26
- Place of publication:
- London
This report was produced as part of the evaluation of the Special Educational Needs Disability Pathfinder Programme and focuses on collaborative working between health and the local authority. It is based on evidence gathered from four pathfinder areas via in-depth face-to-face and telephone interviews with key individuals including the pathfinder lead and manager, strategic and operational health professionals, and leads for SEN and social care. The SEND Pathfinder Programme entailed the development and trial of an assessment process, a single, joined up education, health and care plan (EHC), and personal budgets across education, social care and health. The report shows that a diverse range of approaches have been developed to facilitate the required collaborative working with health in relation to the SEN and disability reforms. These approaches included: the establishment of multi-agency governance structures to oversee and direct the work of the pathfinder. the development of new strategies, frameworks and structures to support the creation of new joint commissioning arrangements; development of the ‘health-related’ elements of the local offer via effective engagement and consultation their local health providers; and the setting up of Section 75 agreements between health and the local authority to integrate and pool resources. The report highlights several challenges that need to be addressed, including a need to: operationalise the strategic mechanisms that has been developed; more effectively engage adult strategic and operational health professionals; develop inter-agency information sharing protocols and a wider set of integrated and pooled resources; and clarify who would take on the role of designated medical/clinical officer moving forwards. (Edited publisher abstract)
Evaluation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Pathfinder Programme: thematic report: collaborative working with social care: research report
- Authors:
- SPIVACK Rhian, CRASTON Meera, REDMAN Rachel
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 21
- Place of publication:
- London
Findings from stage two of the evaluation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Pathfinder Programme, focusing on multi-agency service delivery and collaborative working with social care. The programme entailed the development and trial of an assessment process; a single, joined up education, health and care plan (EHC); and personal budgets across education, social care and health. Evidence was gathered from five pathfinder areas via a series of in-depth face to face and telephone interviews, with key individuals including the pathfinder lead and manager, the lead for children’s and adult social care, strategic and operational social care professionals and the lead for specialist health and SEN. The report examines a series of common strategic and operational mechanisms for engagement and collaborative working established by the pathfinders. These include: development of a multi-agency service, joint commissioning, involvement of social care professionals in the development of the pathfinder, involvement of social care professionals in delivery and multi-agency training and support for professionals. The report indicates that while much work has been undertaken to date, further efforts are required to involve all relevant social care professionals in delivery of the EHC planning process and wider reforms. This will require areas to consider how to overcome some remaining challenges, including: moving from strategic development to operationalisation of the new process; reducing duplication of information within EHC plans; the transition between children’s and adult social care; and the reductions in funding and associated operational uncertainty faced by social care. (Edited publisher abstract)
Pharos: self-assessment tools for service development and improvement for schools, educational, and support services for young learners with visual impairment
- Authors:
- JONES Robert D., PRAIN Iain
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Visual Impairment, 32(2), 2014, pp.170-174.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Specialised schools for the visually impaired have been in existence for a great number of years. However, in the latter half of the 20th century there began a debate, which continues today, as to their relevance in an age of inclusion. Those schools that remain may well be greatly experienced in teaching learners with little or no sight. They do not, however, have a preordained right to always exist, particularly as islands in an increasingly interconnected and accountable education system. Pharos is a self-evaluation tool, developed from an European Union (EU) funding school project, which all service providers, including special schools, can assess their progress towards being part of an interconnected model of partnership, sharing, and cooperation so that the diverse educational needs of young people with visual impairment are met. (Publisher abstract)