Send code, wiki's, meetings and org charts

SEND Code, Wiki’s, Meetings and Org charts 1st April 2015

Dear All Even so close to Easter, there is still news and food for thought...

SEND Code of Practice and The Care Act ...both in one day!

The 270 page Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs & Disability has been updated today. Via the information mine that is Facebook, we've picked up a short article on the changes/updates (thank you to Family Voice Surrey). It's at the far end of this bulletin – and might save some of us a bit of reading!

Here are two links. One to a 3.42 minute animation from the Department of Health on the Care Act which came into force today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSFPc0RMPK0#t=15 ...and this from Preparing for Adulthood, which is their guide to the links between the SEND Reforms and the Care Act: http://preparingforadulthood.org.uk/news/news-2015/the-care-act-2014-in-effect-fromtoday Wiki's & Young People Wiki's are simple, accessible and easy to build personal website which are accessed over the internet using a PC or laptop computer, or devices like smartphones or tablets. They can include videos, photographs, text or documents.

I attended a showcase on RIX Wiki's today (it's a long way to the Docklands...) and was very impressed by the potential for young people with SEND to use this technology to have their voices heard - whether that be in their annual review, or sharing tips on independent travel. Here's a link to Ajay's own Wiki (he's made this a public Wiki). What do you think? Try clicking on some of the icons. Could something like this work for your young person? https://www.klikin.eu/page/view/cat/1035 Here's a couple of other thoughts...

"Sometimes professionals see a person as a series of disabilities rather than as a person. Wiki's are able to change that perception."

"Jane, mother of Lucy, gave an account of Lucy repeatedly banging her bead. Jane know that Lucy would not have demonstrated that behaviour at an appointment, so she took a video and shared it with professionals via the Wiki. Jane got an answer very quickly without the added stress of waiting for an appointment."

Wiki's can be used to show how to put on someone's AFO's correctly. Or to demonstrate a new skill (eg choosing your own snack from a selection). Or to give voice to someone's views and aspirations in an annual review.

What do you think? (btw - this technology is password protected, so a young person's privacy remains intact - they choose who see's what) Transitions Protocol Becky Powell, Transition & Family Support Team manager, has arranged two meetings for families to inform Achieving for Children about what they would like included in the new Transtions Protocol document (this will be the guide to 'what happens when a young person moves from childrens' to adult services). It would also be great to hear from parents with recent experience of transition to learn what worked well and what didn't.

Thursday 16 April 2pm - 3.30 pm Windham Croft Centre, 16 Windham Road Kew TW9 2HP (training room) Richmond Education & Enterprise Campus "A public meeting regarding the proposals for the new Education and Enterprise Campus at the Richmond upon Thames College site has been announced.

In anticipation of the Planning Application being submitted in May, the meeting will enable local residents to hear about the latest plans and how their views have been incorporated. They will also be able to ask key representatives of the organisations involved in developing the proposals for the Campus questions.

On the Q and A panel will be: Robin Ghurbhurun from Richmond upon Thames College, John Kipps from Clarendon School, Mike Cronin from Haymarket Media Group, Mark Addicott from Harlequins, Mandy Skinner from Richmond Council (representing the Free School Trust) Graham Willett from Achieving for Children (representing the Free School Trust) The Local Community Forum has also been invited to nominate two representatives to sit on the panel and answer questions.

The Q and A meeting is on the 21 April from 7-8.30pm in the Music Studio at Richmond upon Thames College" http://www.reec.org.uk/find-out-more-and-be-involved/ Achieving for Children - updated organisation charts Finally, below are two organisation charts - dated March 2015 - one for Achieving for Children (AfC) overall, and the other for the Special Educational Needs & Disability arm of AfC. As ever, if you have any queries at all, please ask and I'll do my best to find an answer. ...and Happy Easter !!

With best wishes, Romany RSFV phone: 07469 746 145

Shared via Family Voice Surrey (Facebook) …on the re-published SEND Code of Practice.

1st April 2015 This is helpful which has been put out on the media and shared via the Barrister Steve Broach.

As of today, 1 April 2015, a new Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice is in force (January version) .

We have looked through the new Code to see what changes have been made and whether these were expected.

Changes Earlier this year the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Detained Persons) Regulations 2015 came into force. As a result, the SEND Code of Practice required some amendment.

There are several hundred small changes including relatively inconsequential grammatical changes. The following are the most significant changes that we have noted. Paragraph references are per the new version of the Code.

There is a general increase in the duty to provide information to both children and parents.

All references to informing parents and young people about decisions, agencies etc. now includes references to informing children too. Whether this means separately is unclear. For example, local authorities must now share details of information and advice services available in the area with children.

Paragraphs 4.59 and 4.60 have been amended so that the duty to provide details of the Local Offer is extended to children. This could, arguably, mean that local authorities may have to address the style of their Local Offer and/or consider issuing an easy-read version for children.

The introduction at paragraph xix has been amended so that discrimination arising as a consequence of disability is included. It also explains the duty on all education institutions to be proactive about eliminating disadvantage for disabled people.

The duty on Health and Wellbeing Board has been extended. Para 3.70 clarifies that the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) that must set out future needs for the whole population must incorporate health, social needs, public health and children’s services.

The duty to be involved in the preparation of the Local Offer now falls on NHS England as well as local clinical commissioning groups (Para 4.15, final bullet).

The Local Offer should now include details of social care “and other provision”. The Code does not clarify what this “other provision” may include and examples of it are as previously set out in the 2014 version.

The duty of improving outcomes has been extended. At paragraph 6.1 all children are entitled to receive an education appropriate to their needs which promotes high standards and enables them to fulfil their potential.

This is a significant expansion to the previous provision which only required delivery of education which enabled children to make progress.

Unhelpfully, Chapter 8 now begins within two paragraphs numbered as belonging to Chapter 7. What is particularly odd is that these paragraphs were correctly numbered in the 2014 version.

When considering the request for an EHC needs assessment, the duty on a local authority has been increased so that it “must have regard”, rather than simply pay attention, to the wishes and feelings of the child, young person and parents (para 9.12).

In terms of the EHC needs assessment, the local authority must now seek advice from Youth Offending Team or any relevant organisation if the young person is serving their sentence in the community.

If a local authority refuses to make a Personal Budget, it is now required to work with parents to help ensure personalisation of support and any refusal should be recorded and reported back and considered in future joint commissioning arrangements so greater choice and control is secured (Para 9.106).

Chapter 10 has been widely amended to incorporate the additional duties to children and young people in youth custody. Those changes are substantive and wide-ranging and have been widely reported elsewhere.

What is particularly important is that if a child had an EHC Plan before going into custody, the education, health and social provision within that Plan must still be provided.

If a parent or young person wishes to go through mediation about health care issues, the local authority must inform the clinical commission group within three working days – previously this was simply three days.

Conclusions The amendments that have been made are broadly as we expected.

We had been cautious about this new guidance given the department’s recent track record on amending statutory guidance. However, these changes are unlikely to change much special educational needs advice, except to improve the position for young people in custody.

There are some changes which go beyond what we expected. It seems that if local authorities do refuse to make Personal Budgets they need to endeavour to remove that reason for refusal in future years. Further, the nature of education that all pupils can expect to receive goes beyond that previously stated.

S19 Children and Families Act 2014 creates a statutory duty to support a child so that they achieve their “best possible educational and other outcomes”. The previous version of the Code limited this. However, the new Code clearly requires that local authorities go beyond adequate and deliver a bespoke, tailored, highly differentiated and codified education for all children. In our view, this is more than an adequate education. …/ends