Short Breaks, SEN Transport & the importance of participation 31st July 2015 Dear All This is the last bulletin for a couple of weeks. Our phone & e-mail is still answered though… (Word version of this bulletin is attached, as the formatting goes a bit loopy sometimes)
Short Breaks – consultation matters Whilst the Short Breaks & Aiming High team in AfC have been working hard to combine activities across Richmond & Kingston, there are always going to be challenges in such a project, and therefore learning. In our 21st June bulletin, we commented on the need for more activities for those with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) and the need for some clarity on how families get short breaks. To this end, we made a public query to Richmond Council’s Children & Young People with Disabilities & Learning Difficulties Partnership Forum (CYPwDLD link below) and agreed an action plan. We will publish this as soon as it’s been agreed by everyone involved. http://cabnet.richmond.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=637&MId=3778 In addition, we have done a straw poll on what children & young people with MLD would like. The overriding message is ‘activities that stimulate friendships and build peer groups’. Much more important than the nature of the activity, is the friendships the activities promote and that is where the value lies. We look forward to a more thorough consultation, with AfC, in the autumn. To all this, we would add a note of caution. Last week George Osborne (Chancellor of the Exchequer) launched a spending review; “Each unprotected department has been asked to come up with savings plans of 25% and 40% of their budget.” Foreign Aid, Defence the NHS are protected and in education; ‘per pupil spending’ is to be maintained (with thanks to my politically aware 18 year old for this research!). We have to be realistic about what the effect of this could mean for all of us. We should be clear on asking how realistic it is to expect AfC to offer sufficient short breaks. What we can do is: Ensure full and transparent consultation in commissioning (this will give families some ownership of what is available) Where there are other suppliers of short breaks out there, we can encourage them and ensure they are publicised as much as possible
Accessibility Strategy – participation Following on from last week's mention of the Accessibility Strategy, the current vision is here: http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/pages/home/education/achieving-for-childrenaccessibility-strategy-2015-2018 We are working with AfC on developing this, with particular focus on useful actions that we can plan for the future – more news to follow later in the summer. These are the areas of focus and we welcome your input: Curriculum Physical environment Providing and sharing accessible information
Here are a couple of reminders of why the parents, carers and particularly young people’s involvement is important. First, an article on why ‘disability doesn’t make’ someone special: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jul/30/im-a-student-with-a-disability-thatdoesnt-make-me-special?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Gmail And the experiences of Simon James, Achieving for Children’s Associate Director for SEND, talking to Young Champion, Zoe North: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA_fSMJNdos
SEN Transport Kingston & Richmond councils have agreed to bring together all SEN Transport arrangements under Achieving for Children with effect from July 2015. For now, this simply unites the management and the budgets under one organisation and there should be no visible change to anyone’s services. The current provision will continue under the current policy until September 2016; therefore there is no immediate change to the policy. Consultation on policy will take place from October 2015 and be concluded by February 2016. This consultation will be between both Kingston & Richmond boroughs and will be offered to all parents, carers and young people through a variety of media (eg Open meetings, surveys etc). There is now one team managing & planning Transport and therefore an expectation of one policy across both commissioning councils – if possible. If this is not workable, then different policies in each borough could be retained. Why is this happening? SEN Transport facilitates children and young people getting to school or college; this may be because they attend a specialist school some distance from their home, or it may be because they cannot currently manage to travel independently. By combining resources across both boroughs, there is the opportunity to be more creative and save money. Like it or not, that will be one of the outcomes of this change. What is important is that parents, carers and young people have some say and ownership of this policy. What does a more creative approach look like? For some young people, some form of transport will always be necessary. For others, it may be that transport is needed when they’re younger, but as they grow and develop the desire to be more independent; their needs will change. In some cases, Independent Travel Training may be the next step and a plan will be made to support these young people. In one Kingston specialist secondary school (St.Philips), the SEN Transport team worked with the school to identify young people who were currently using transport but wanted – and were capable of – greater independence. These young people were given mountain bikes, helmets etc and supported through a bespoke Cycling Proficiency programme. They now all cycle to school and these skills will hold them in good stead for an independent adulthood. In Richmond, the Taxi companies are told that they must take specific routes – this makes no allowance for roadworks or other delays. In Kingston, the Taxi companies make their own
decisions about the routes and have a direct relationship with the families which allows for more personal service. In Kingston, under 5’s cannot use SEN Transport, in Richmond they can. There is some discussion to be had whether AfC can replicate this across both boroughs – depending on the outcome of these consultations. Medically trained staff are in attendance on some Richmond routes and, whilst this is not in line with NHS guidelines, there is also work to be done to understand the benefits and limitations of this. 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.
Reminders… 1. Kids have just taken over the SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities, Information, Advice & Support Services) which provide Information and also what used to be known as Parent Partnership Services. They are recruiting – please read and apply if this could be you. http://www.kids.org.uk/sendiass-coordinator http://www.kids.org.uk/benefits-information-advice-and-support-practitioner 2. “If your statement is being transferred independent supporters can advise you. If you live in Richmond, Kingston or Hounslow, and want to find our more please get in touch with us; staff are available all summer to talk to you about the process.” http://www.richmondaid.org.uk/services-disabled/independent-support-partnership/
Kingston & Richmond parent groups The past year has seen the implementation of the SEND Reforms nationally; and locally the combining of children's services for Richmond and Kingston under the community interest company ‘Achieving for Children’. We work very closely with LEAD Kingston (Kingston’s parent forum) and are looking to merge both groups to be united equally across both boroughs. LEAD Kingston and Richmond SEND Family Voice now receive funding from the Department of Education to support parent/carer participation in both boroughs. Over the next few months, we’ll be making adjustments including changing the names of the group/s to reflect cross-borough working. In the meantime, Richmond SEND Family Voice (RSFV) will be the primary website. Our new name is likely to be SEND Family Voices …for Kingston & Richmond and we welcome your comments and ideas.
SEN Pathfinder Impact report The SEN Pathfinders are (were) a limited number of local authorities that were given additional funding to test out the SEND Reforms; to report back and make recommendations as the legislation developed before becoming law. In September 2014, most of the Pathfinder local authorities, testing the SEND reforms came to an end and the reality of the changes came into force. Below is Special Needs Jungle’s summary of family’s experiences taken from the ‘Impact Report’ (= what difference did it make) and a link to their full article. http://www.specialneedsjungle.com/special-educational-needs-and-disability-pathfinderfinal-report/
“Family Experience: Pathfinder families were more likely than comparison families to state that their views had been taken into consideration in assessment and reviews (84 per cent Pathfinder families; 73 per cent comparison) The difference in Pathfinder and comparison families’ understanding of the process was not statistically significant, but it was for their understanding of the decisions made (up from 60 per cent to 65 per cent) Pathfinder parents were more likely than comparison families to report that they: were encouraged to think about goals; felt their suggestions were listened to; and believed the decisions about their child’s support reflected the family’s views. Although Pathfinder parents were significantly more likely than comparison group parents to agree that their child had a say in the support planning process, still only 37 per cent of Pathfinder parents and 29 per cent in the comparison group did so; implying room for improvement in relation to considering the views of young people Pathfinder parents were more likely to agree that their process to get support had been straightforward – 52 versus 40 per cent of Pathfinder and comparator families agreed that it had been straightforward Although Pathfinder families were significantly more likely than comparison families to report that planning had been undertaken jointly across services (45 per cent versus 33 per cent), substantial proportions (38 per cent) reported it being undertaken separately. In addition, the Pathfinder did not seem to have impacted on parents having to explain their child’s needs on multiple occasions Pathfinder parents were statistically more likely than comparison group parents to feel that the various professionals involved in their child’s assessment had shared information well - 71 per cent of Pathfinder parents said this had been done well or very well compared to 63 per cent of comparison group families Pathfinder parents were significantly more satisfied with the assessment and planning processes they had participated in than comparison parents - 33 versus 26 per cent of pathfinder and comparator families reported being very satisfied” 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