An overview of the O-25 SEN and Disability Service in South Gloucestershire

March 2015 Mark Nesden Service Manager 0-25 Disability Service

What do we do?

• In September 2014 the law changed that says how children and young people with special educational needs or a disability should be helped and supported • This gave us the chance to review and improve services and support available to children, young people and their families and their journey through life • We created a single integrated service to deliver

our vision

for children and young people with SEND

What is our vision?

“every child and young person with a special educational need or a disability to be given the best chance to succeed in life by enabling them to maximise their potential at school and college, and to move successfully into adulthood.”

Who is the service for?

• The service is for children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs or disabilities and their families • Those children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs or disabilities and their families who meet the threshold for a service

Who is in the 0-25 Service?

The service is made up of • Child Health and Disability Social Care • Special Educational Needs • Portage • Early Years • Adult Social Care This allows us to offer a seamless transition from 0-25 years old with skilled staff in all areas

What are the roles in the Service?

• Lead Workers will undertake EHC Needs Assessments from start to finish. They will be your first point of contact • Assessment Co-Ordinators will take over the reviewing of your child’s EHC Plan when completed • Lead Professionals may be involved if your child has Social Care or home based Occupational Therapy needs • Senior Practitioners are responsible for making sure that you and your child are receiving a good service and dealing with more complex issues that arise

What does the 0-25 Service do ?

• Social Care Assessment – within 45 working days – identify need and resources, looked after children, safeguarding, court work • Occupational Therapy – within 45 working days – although working towards 20 working days – only for home adaptations not direct therapy • Education, Health and Care Assessments – 20 weeks • Reviewing EHC Plans annually • Early years – Support to pre-schools and nurseries and initial assessment for funding for young children with SEND • Portage – 12 week intervention service, parenting courses • Adults – NHS and Community Care Assessment – identify resources, safeguarding, residential and day care • Short term breaks

My child has SEN or a disability. How can the 0 25 Service help my child?

• Every child has the right to be fully included in the activities of daily life and learning. Early Years settings, schools and colleges have a duty to work with you and your child to identify and assess any additional needs they may have but most importantly they have a duty to support those needs and show how they are working to meet them. This is now called SEN Support, formerly School Action and School Action +

What is SEN Support?

Assess – Plan – Do – Review

All settings must 1.

Identify a child’s additional needs 2. Plan interventions or support 3. Put in place the support 4. Monitor its effectiveness over time

Parents must be involved in all of these steps

Guidance for all settings about SEN Support will shortly be available via the SEN Handbook

My child has very significant SEN or a disability. How can SEN Support help them?

• South Gloucestershire is committed to every child having the most inclusive education possible. All children, regardless of need, should have access to universal services that support them in their daily life. SEN Support is the foundation for learning and we build our specialist services on the top of that strong foundation modelled on a pyramid of need

How will support be organised?

The school has put SEN Support in place and reviewed it but its not helping. What next?

• The school should discuss with you whether it may be useful to apply for an EHC Needs Assessment • The school should work in partnership with you to fill in the form and gather any evidence to support the request • They may ask you about how things are at home as well so we understand all of your child’s needs

How can I make an application for an EHC Needs Assessment? Can I do it myself?

If you are a parent or a young person over 18 but under 25 you can request a 0-25 Self Referral Form from First Point. It can be helpful to ask for independent advice or support when filling out the form so the 0-25 Service gets good quality information and evidence. Your child’s school SENCO can be helpful here too. From the day we get your completed referral the 0-25 Service has 6 weeks in which to make a decision whether or not to do an assessment

What happens next?

• All referrals are considered at our weekly panel • The panel is made up every week of a Team Manager, EP, Head Teacher and Support Services • If we agree to start an assessment you will be allocated a named Lead Worker. They are your main point of contact for the next 20 weeks • If we feel an assessment is not necessary we will explain why and you have the right to mediation or appeal

The EHC Assessment Process

1. Your Lead Worker will agree a time to meet you and your child to start gathering information for the assessment 2. They will request advice from a number of services including Health, Educational Psychology and Social Care 3.

When all advice is gathered there will be a ‘team around the child meeting’ usually about 14 weeks after your referral 4. At this meeting everyone will agree together the outcomes for your child. You and your child are a very important part of that meeting too.

EHC Assessment Process contd.

• At the meeting everyone should consider whether the assessment shows that an EHC Plan is needed • After the meeting the Lead Worker will draft the EHC Plan and send it to the 0-25 Panel to get their agreement to issue it • If panel agree then you will be sent a draft copy and asked if you have any amendments and to express your preference of school • If Panel disagrees about issuing a plan you have a right of appeal

Referral sent to First Point Tel 01454 866000 First point acknowledges receipt and pass on to 0 25 service within 48 hrs. Have 0-25 Service Thresholds been met?

Yes

, Lead professional/ worker and assessment co ordinators allocated Lead professional/worker meets with young person/ parent to complete Part A EHC assessment co-ordinator gathers professional’s existing assessments.

Request for Education Health and Care Plan

This should be read in conjunction with the EHC Guidance document . (20 weeks ) Young People, Parents, Health Professional, Schools, Early Y ears…… No, Young Person/parent ’s informed of the decision and given advise and guidance. Nursery, Health, Early Years, Portage, Educational Psychology, etc Multi-agency planning meeting to draft needs and outcomes and shared with the young person/parent Lead professional/ worker to produces draft EHC Plan Educational resources approached with draft EHC plan for potential place ( 15 days to respond) Young person/ parent has 15 days to comment on the proposal Draft EHC plan presented to Panel

If not agreed.

Multi-agency summary recommendation made which Lead Professional shares with Young person/ Parent. , Sign post to the appropriate advice and guidance. Young person/parent is given the right to appeal. Yes - Plan agreed and services commissioned Review date agreed by lead professional/worker

My child already has a Statement of SEN or an LDA. What about them?

• All children and young people with Statements or LDAs will be transferred onto EHC Plans by 2018. We are making sure that the highest priority groups are transferred first which are school leavers and phase transfers.

• Although the new Code of Practice is now law children and young people with Statements are still protected under the previous Code until they are transferred

The future of the 0-25 Service

By the end of April 2015 we hope to…… • Have trialled and consulted on a new EHC Plan pro forma and designed new annual review forms including ones for Year 9 and Conversion reviews • Have established a Disabled Children Partnership Board • Have employed a young persons Ambassador as an apprentice • • Implemented and published a Single Transitions Pathway

Embedded person centred thinking and practice into our service in everything we do

The future is person centred…..

• As a service its important to us that we embed the principles of the Children and Families Act into everything we do. We will continue to review our own practice and listen to all our partners including parents about how we can improve. Person centred practice will be the cornerstone of our service, enabling and empowering children and young people to have their voices heard and be aspirational for themselves with the support of us all

Where can I find out more?

• All our policies, guidance and information is available on the Local Offer http://www.southglos.gov.uk/health-and social-care/care-and-support-children-families/local-offer • For independent advice and support contact Supportive Parents 0117 9897725 • For independent support through the assessment process you can also contact KIDS 0117 947 6111 • Contact our Duty SEN Lead Worker for an informal conversation on 01454 868008

Questions

Any questions?

www.southglos.gov.uk/0to25disability [email protected]

01454 865903