Vision 2020, the hardest nut & a note about creativity

Vision 2020, the hardest nut & a note about creativity 15th November 2015 Dear All Please complete the consultation on the framework for next year’s first ever SEN Ofsted inspections…

Vision 2020 Last week the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) held a conference in London to talk about “Vision 2020” for Special Educational Needs and Disability support for children, young people and families.

Both Caroline and Romany went on behalf of SEND Family Voices and we heard from:  Minister of State for Children and Families, Edward Timpson  Deputy Director, Stuart Miller from the Department for Education (DfE)  Director, Flora Goldhill from the Department of Health (DoH)  National Lead of Disability and SEN, Ofsted, Mary Rayner  SEND Tribunal judge, Jane McConnell.

Without exception, every presenter said completing the consultation from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the forthcoming SEND Inspection framework is critical.

Getting the Inspection framework right is critical and the local area reports it will generate will show the impact of the SEND Reforms and make recommendations for improvements to our boroughs. Dear All, please complete this consultation…

Here are the links for both the adult and the young people’s consultations: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-area-send-consultation And…whilst the Word document is 21pages, the consultation itself is a widely spaced 7 pages (14-21). Please complete this – and if you would like us to send (or post) a Word or paper version – just ask.

Vision 2020 - notes Attached are Romany’s notes taken during the conference, including the Q&A’s. Here are a few extracts…

From Flora Goldhill at the Department of Health (DoH): “No-one gets up in the morning planning to be obstructive.” The DoH promotes the idea of ‘Tell Us Once’. It’s a good approach and requires leadership and culture change.

From Mary Rayner on SEND Ofsted: “The Inspections will focus on:  Identifying Special Needs  Meeting Needs and Improving Outcomes” The first inspections will be a challenge – post SEND Reforms – and we’ll see the reality of the programme, plus who is making a good job of it.”

From the first Q&A session: Q: Is co-production still a key element of this? We’re not hearing the word so much.

A: Yes, without a doubt. Co-production is still key to success.

From Edward Timpson MP: Ed recognised that “Health are the hardest nut to crack.” Ed’s full presentation is here: http://www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/news/july-december-2015/minister-reaffirmshis-commitment-to-send-at-cdc-conference-vision-2020 From questions to Ed Timpson MP: Q: “What training are you putting in place for schools that say No to taking a child or young person with SEND.” A: This is “against the law” and “unacceptable”. “It might be that school doesn’t want that kind of child. However, what we have to ask is Why? Is it the school’s approach or a finance concern?” Ed then referred to a Department for Education director (Stuart Miller) and asked that he follow up on this point.

From Judge Jane McConnell – First-Tier (SEND) Tribunal: Last year, there were 4000 appeals to Tribunal. Following the SEN Reforms there were 3200.

Of these, around 2000 were under the old law, and the rest (1157?) were EHC Plans. (There’s more in the attachment) We don’t have the slides electronically yet, but when we do, we’ll let you know and forward them to Karen Lowry at the Local Offer for publication.

Short Breaks, Post-16 and the Local Offer …are all themes from our Open Meetings.

For Short Breaks – we are undertaking a consultation to inform the current short breaks commissioning process. We need to know what you and your family would most benefit from in order to assist Achieving for Children in providing the most suitable services. The consultation is attached, or you can discuss & complete one at an Open Meeting.

For Post-16 – we’re very fortunate to have a member of the 14-19 team to explain available services and to hear your ideas for more. Current services include the Future Hub, available post-16 education and work experience (or similar) opportunities.

For the Local Offer – Karen Lowry comes along, takes parents through the Local Offer & Wiki’s and asks for parents’ comments and ideas for improvements.

All the dates are here: www.sendfamilyvoices.org/events

Only twenty years ago…

November marks the twentieth anniversary of the passage of the Disability Discrimination Act. To mark the moment Scope are celebrating the civil rights activists who fought for equality: http://www.scope.org.uk/DDA20

What’s New on the Local Offer For young people who have an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) to come along and enjoy the Museum, with their families, free from the hustle and bustle of the general public.

Night Owls is an evening event for young adults aged 16-25 and Early Birds is an early morning event for children aged under 15. http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/313-early-birds-and-night-owls-at-the-sciencemuseum-booking-opens-on-12th-november

Life Courses for Richmond 14-17 year olds - run by the Fire Service http://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/312-life-courses-for-richmond-14-17-year-oldsrun-by-the-fire-service …and keep an eye on their Latest News pages for SEND friendly Christmas activities.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Edgar Degas Many years ago, one of us ran an after-school Art Club. Needless to say, it was an inclusive club and there was a particular girl (age 10) who clearly had learning difficulties and no specific diagnosis. This girl had the most incredible colour sense. Whatever she produced took ages – but it was always exquisite and unexpected. Hope she got to follow the right path for her.

From the Guardian: “In the future being adaptable, able to learn how to learn, rather than learn how to remember, will be the only way of staying afloat in a swirling labour market.” http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/jun/17/academic-subjectsalone-wont-set-every-child-up-for-life 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.sendfamilyvoices.org