EHCPs, Local Offer & Family Voices – 1 year on 24th August 2015 Dear All The summer is ending (‘cos it’s raining today)… Back to school, back to work… this is quite long, but it the first bulletin in nearly four weeks ! Word version of this bulletin is attached, as the formatting does its own thing sometimes. You can find previous bulletins here: www.richmondsendfamilyvoice.org/news
Education, Health & Care Plans – Sept 2015 We are one year into the SEND Reforms – and as these bulletins have oft said ‘this is the biggest overall to SEN in over thirty years - we are all learning & developing as we go’. Here’s where we are at locally… The SEN Team are crafting a full pack of information for schools which will also be available on the Local Offer in September. This will include: Transition timetables Guidance on how to use an EHCP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) by subject area * Escalation process if there are problems Examples of completed EHCPs Annual Review / Transition forms. The EHCP templates are being revised and an updated version – one year on – will be ratified at the SEND Implementation meeting on 7th September. This template should remain stable for a while, whilst the SEN Team test its effectiveness. A particular area of development is ‘section A’ which is currently a form. Section A is flexible and non-statutory; that’s because it’s all about the young person and their aspirations – and that’s not something anyone can challenge in a court of law. Because Section A is currently ‘a form to be filled in’ it’s limiting its usefulness. Section A can be a form, or a video, a Wiki, a photograph or a drawing – or whatever the child or young person chooses. It’s about the young person – and they or their parents’ can present this in any way they choose. What’s important is that the child or young person is represented – is a person, rather than a diagnosis or a set of needs – and contributes to the plan. The same working group is also developing how Health is effectively integrated into the EHCP – and will be focusing on Social Care in the near future. Who is this working group? The group includes parent representation; in our case, Penny Hoffmann-Becking ( e-mail: webphb@btinternet.com ) who is our EHCP lead and works with a small pan-disability representative group of parents. Also, Anna Chiva (Head of SEN for AfC), Sarah Herbert (AfC’s SEN Education Advisor), Paul Mowat & James Mannion (from AfC’s SEND Implementation team) plus Heath and Social Care practitioners. * do you have any unanswered questions on the EHCPs? If yes, please reply to this e-mail and we’ll ensure they are included. Or, contact Penny direct, if you would like to contribute to the EHCP development.
EHCP related links & documents From the DfE… The Department for Education invites views on two new draft statements of knowledge and skills for: practice supervisors of child and family social workers practice leaders of child and family social work Alongside the statement of knowledge and skills for approved child and family practitioners, they’ll use these statements to develop a national assessment and accreditation system for child and family social workers. Parents and carers are invited to contribute to this consultation (by September 1 st): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/social-work-knowledge-and-skills-forsupervisors-and-leaders From NHS England… A letter from NHS England, to all Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) reminding them of their obligations to children and young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities. For parents, it’s worth reading this (relatively brief) letter, so you know what you can reasonably expect. We can forward a copy on request. From the House of Commons… An introduction to the reformed system for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN), introduced in September 2014 The Children and Families Act 2014 provided for an overhaul of the system for identifying children and young people in England with special educational needs (SEN), assessing their needs and making provision for them. Some key points in the introduction of the reformed system are: The replacement of the dual system of SEN statements for children and Learning Difficulty Assessments for 16 to 25 year olds by a new single system of birth-to-25 assessments and Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans. The reformed system was introduced in September 2014, with transitional arrangements for those who already have support in place. Transition to the reformed system is intended to be complete by April 2018. EHC Plans aim to provide support for children and young people through a unified plan taking into account education, health care, and social care needs By September 2014, local authorities were required to have published a ‘local offer’ to clearly set out the services available for children with SEN or disability, developed in partnership with children and young people with SEN or disability and their parents, and subject to ongoing consultation and improvement Young people and parents of children who have EHC plans have the right to request a Personal Budget, which may contain elements of education, social care and health funding, to use in support of their needs The SEN Code of Practice states that because the legal test of when a child required an EHC plan is the same as for a statement under the Education Act 1996, nobody should lose support previously received as a result of these changes. This briefing provides an overview of the new system, the transitional arrangements, and how the new system differs from that which preceded it. It also includes a brief history of the movement towards reform that took place in the years preceding the 2014 Act. http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN07020 From IPSEA… Their very concise EHCP Checklist (April 2015) is here: http://www.ipsea.org.uk/file-manager/resources/ipsea-ehc-plan-checklist-2014-sept.pdf
SEND Family Voices Following on from our last bulletin’s update on the parent groups working across both Kingston and Richmond, we are now formally expecting to change our name to:
SEND Family Voices
…for Kingston & Richmond
And to use the e-mail address: SENDfamilyvoices@outlook.com This name and e-mail address will encompass both Richmond SEND Family Voice and LEAD Kingston. We already share a telephone number: 07469 746 145 We would expect to start using this new name and e-mail address from mid-September, and plan to transfer this entire e-mail distribution list accordingly. Until we complete this transfer formally (dot the ‘i’ and cross the ‘t’), the Richmond SEND Family Voice (RSFV) will continue to be the primary website. In the beginning…. note from Romany “From February 2014, this e-mail list began with the idea of creating a dedicated facility for integrated services for children with SEND in Richmond. This is a project still underway and Richmond SEND Family Voice came out of the need to have a cohesive parent voice in response. We formed in June 2014. The SEND Reforms provided the opportunity to develop services in equal partnership with the statutory services (eg AfC and the CCGs) which is why the SEND Reforms form so much of these bulletins. I genuinely enjoy researching and putting these bulletins together – and also believe the SEND Reforms will make our children’s experiences better (eventually)! This work is done, and has always been done, entirely voluntarily and there is no personal payment offered or taken. All members of the Steering Group are volunteers and we give our time and expertise freely. Now that we have successfully applied for funding from the DfE, we will be able to extend, our programme of participation events; and we will continue to work in equal partnership with the statutory services.”
Co-Production… More from Special Needs Jungle – an article on what Respect means to parents; we particularly liked the comments on C is for Co-production: What is co-production? Why bother with co-production? What are the benefits? Why is it so important to families? What is it? Involving parents at the beginning of the process Valuing the input and views of the parents as much as the practitioners in the room Agreeing the final outcomes together Agreeing an action plan together Being honest and transparent What it isn’t: Producing something and then asking us what we think of it? Asking parents for views and then ignoring them Presuming you know what families want Telling parents what you think they want to hear
What are the benefits? With true co-production comes trust. Families trust that you are working with them and you care more about the collective goals rather than something else. http://www.specialneedsjungle.com/when-families-ask-for-respect-what-do-they-mean/
SEN Transport This is a popular subject – and we are at the point of arranging the parent & carer consultations for these – more news to follow soon. We published an error in the last bulletin regarding the provision for under 5’s – we wrote that it exists in Richmond and not Kingston – in fact, the reverse is true. On our Useful Documents page, is a briefing document with the correct text. The correction understanding is: “Kingston very often provides transport to support Early Intervention & assessment places for under 5s, and has done for many years. In fact, the Early intervention places which Kingston have supported over that time have meant that many children (especially those who have needed speech and language support) have then been able to access mainstream school placements after the Early Intervention has been provided (i.e. having started the Early Intervention for pre-school years, they then transfer at the start of their official primary school career). Richmond's policy doesn't currently support transport for children who are aged under 5, as they don't support transport for children who do not yet have an SEN statement or EHC plan which can essentially only happen once the child has reached statutory school age of 5.” If you have any immediate queries about SEN Transport, please contact one of the following: Charlie Donhou (Richmond Taxi’s) Tel: 020 8547 5540 charlie.donhou@achievingforchildren.org.uk Rachel Freeman (Richmond Depot) Tel: 020 8547 6147 (desk) or 0208 892 7094 (depot) or 07826 863 142 (mobile) rachel.freeman@achievingforchildren.org.uk Molly Jones (Kingston) Tel: 020 8547 4708 molly.jones@achievingforchidren.org.uk If you would like to be a part of the steering committee for the SEN Transport Consultation, please contact Richmond SEND Family Voice, or LEAD Kingston by replying to this e-mail.
Kingston Ofsted inspection report The report of the Kingston Ofsted Inspection which took place in May 2015 was published on 3rd August 2015. Kingston went from Inadequate to Good – a phenomenal achievement for Achieving for Children (moving up two grades) and Kingston is one of only a few boroughs nationally to do so. You can read the report here: http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/local_authority_reports/kingston_u pon_thames/054_Single%20inspection%20of%20LA%20children%27s%20services%20and%20re view%20of%20the%20LSCB%20as%20pdf.pdf Although this is a Kingston inspection it is relevant to Richmond as the service is common to both boroughs and some of the positives, and the development needs, are likely to be the same.
Ruils News – and links to the Local Offer “ Support for parents of children with additional needs Family Matters is our new family support service that offers holistic support, information & advice to parents of children with additional needs. Why not come along to our support group 3rd Wednesday of every month (starting 16th September) at the Heart Centre in Twickenham TW1 4HF. Sitting and Befriending Service Branches Out! Ruils’ Sitting and Befriending service which gives parents a short break and provides children with access to activities is now available to young people with additional needs up to the age of 25. And it is also available to parents living in Kingston. Register to join the service today http://www.ruils.co.uk/Sitting-and-Befriending-Service/28/237 “ How does this link to the Local Offer? Did you know that if you are a part of an organisation (eg Richmond Dyslexia, Ruils etc) you can register on the Local Offer and create an account that allows you to update your details and add events to the Local Offer calendar? Please request the ‘Organisation Registration’ document for straightforward instructions on how to do this; contact Karen Lowry, Local Offer Content manager on: sendlocaloffer@achievingforchildren.org.uk
National Survey on the Local Offer The developers of our Local Offer (This is Focus) are doing a survey on this subject as it’s almost a year since it came into legislation - they’re very keen to hear from parent carers throughout the UK. They would like to hear what parent carers think about the Local Offer and how engaged they are with it. All the information is anonymous and This is Focus will be making the report available to everyone who takes part in October. The survey takes a very, very few minutes to complete and can be found here: https://focusgov.typeform.com/to/olWixq
What’s new on the Local Offer You can keep up to date with news and related information on the world of SEND by checking the Local Offer news pages (14 new articles in August!): http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles?date=2015-08-01 Articles include links, such as this website (“created by a group of young people with experience of CAMHS. They have worked with the Evidence Based Practice Unit (EBPU) at the Anna Freud Centre and Young Minds, in collaboration with Off the Record (Bristol) to create this website which we hope will help you.”) http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/182-launch-of-my-camhs-choices-website Also… videos! Made by the SEND Champions, these 2 or 3 minutes videos are now on the Local Offer Website: http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/pages/home/young-people-s-zone/our-advice-area/sendreforms
These have come about by the Champions thinking about how to help inform young people (and professionals) about the reforms in as an accessible way as possible. Apart from being in the Young People's Zone they are also dotted around the website where appropriate: http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/pages/home/assessment-and-education-health-and-careplanning http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/pages/home/preparing-for-adulthood
Wiki’s are Wonderful – How to get one! – reminder…. 1. If you haven’t heard of Wiki’s or don’t really understand them, please take 11 minutes to watch this video… it’s by far the best illustration: http://rixmedia.org/portfolio/case-study-video
2. Would you like your son or daughter to have a Wiki? If yes, please contact James Mannion: James.Mannion@achievingforchildren.org.uk or Tel: 020 8831 6394 Yes… it’s that simple !!
3. Still not convinced? Come to the AfC Wiki Showcase Event in October. More details to follow, and for now, it’s a date for your diaries. The AfC Wiki Showcase Langdon Down Centre, Normansfield, 2A Langdon Park, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9PS Monday 12 October - 5.00pm to 6.30 pm.
As ever, if you have any queries at all, please ask and we'll do our best to find an answer. With best wishes, Romany (for Richmond) and Caroline North (for Kingston) Phone: 07469 746 145 www.richmondsendfamilyvoice.org