SEND reforms autumn 2014 A briefing for Speech and Language Therapists

Children and Families Act 2014 These are significant reforms requiring a cultural shift - not just changes to paperwork and procedure. SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 years is the statutory guidance for organisations who support children and young people with SEND. From 1 st September 2014 This presentation introduces the main changes and the ethos of the reforms.

Which of these could you explain to a colleague or parent? 1. Why does the legislation need to change? 2. What will be different? 3. Who does it apply to? 4. What’s in it for families? 5. How is an Education Health and Care Plan different from a Statement? 6. What happens to School Action/ Action Plus? 7. What do we need to do now?

It's too slow It's not integrated We've got no control It's impersonal It feels like a fight It feels like a fight Why did families feel things had to change?

So what are the principles behind the changes? Collaboration - between professionals, with families Outcome focused - working towards agreed aspirations, with a focus on an independent adulthood Faster - smoother, faster processes Personalisation - bespoke solutions and personal budgets Choice and control - services centred around families

Collaboration Every LA must publish a local offer summarising the support available in their area for children with SEN across all agencies, including voluntary. Provision for children with disabilities must be jointly commissioned by the LA and Health. It is believed the provision in the local offer will meet most children’s needs. Children who require additional and different support in school will be logged as needing “additional support”. This replaces School Action and School Action Plus

education, health and care provision for children and young people with SEN universal, targeted and specialist services provision in-county and out post-16 education, training, and employment leisure and sports travel arrangements how to access them A published Local Offer must include information about :

Local offers will be structured in different ways - this is a geographically based example

Does your area have a web-based local offer yet? How is your service reflected within it? Does your area have a web-based local offer yet? How is your service reflected within it?

Collaboration and personalisation Children who need more support than is available in the Local Offer and within school/setting, may need the new 0-25 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan This replaces the previous system of Statements of SEN and Learning Difficulty Assessments. A more streamlined and faster (20 week) assessment process, coordinated across education, health and care.

Local offer Additional support in school Education, Health and Care plan If the local offer is comprehensive only a small number of children and young people will need an EHC plan…

Personalisation EHC plans will extend choice and control for families and young people, as they will be written with them, and all the relevant professionals They will receive a plan for their support, including the option of a personal budget. The LA may help them spend that budget, a third party agency may help, or families can manage it themselves as a direct payment.

Government Changes to High Needs Funding For LAs School responsibility out of Delegated Funding LA responsibility out of High Needs Block Element 1 Funding (funding per pupil) Equivalent to £4,000 per pupil Element 2 Funding (Formula for additional educational needs) Equivalent to £6,000 per pupil Element 3 Funding (Top-up funding) Assessed on an individual pupil basis Total Equivalent of first £10,000 per pupil Personal Education Budget

Outcome focused The first stage of planning meetings will be to consider the child‘s and family's aspirations for the long term. Plans and short term targets will focus on preparing for adulthood and working towards independence. There will be new statutory protections for young people aged in Further Education, who can also access EHC plans.

person-centred - drafted with the family present based on aspirations for the future outcomes focused – what do you want your child to be able to do in the next year? wider than the next step in the classroom It is not: written by officers in County Hall just about services or support assistant hours An EHC Plan is:

Aspirations A chance to discuss what the child‘s and family’s long term dreams are…. Recent examples: To be a paralympian To have a job To live with a girlfriend in a maisonette so I don’t have grass to cut To be an astronaut To get the bus to school on my own

Setting outcomes to meet aspirations: 1. What do you want your child to be able to do (in 12 months) that s/he cannot do now? 2. What support does s/he need to achieve these outcomes (i.e. to be able to do this)? 3. Which services/people are best placed to provide that support?

Thinking time… What might be the steps towards living independently (in a maisonette) with your girlfriend? What skills will this young man need to learn?

How confident are you in writing outcomes?

Collaboration - who does all this apply to? All education institutions from early years to further education (but not higher education) Maintained or independent, mainstream and special Social care: children to adults Local authority housing, leisure and employment services All CCGs and Health Trusts

segregation integration inclusion personalisation What is personalisation? Provision for children with SEN has moved a long way in recent years, from segregation in special schools and caring institutions for the "ineducable" to inclusive education. Personalisation is the next step...

Personalisation of services Services designed in partnership with service users themselves Based on the needs of the child, not the needs of the systems Services are regularly evaluated by service users with feedback sought and acted upon Practice is evidence based and this is shared Objectives are set in partnership Choices are available - ultimately leading to personal budgets

How personalised is our service?

Which of these could you now explain to a colleague or parent? 1. Why does the legislation need to change? 2. What will be different? 3. Who does it apply to? 4. What’s in it for families? 5. How is an Education Health and Care Plan different from a Statement? 6. What happens to School Action/ Action Plus? 7. What do we need to do now?

What do we need to do now? Be proactive – find out how you can get involved Contact your LA to find out:  How are they going to convert statements to plans?  On what timescale?  Can you get involved with planning? Look at your local offer - can you contribute? How can you support children and families to feel their voice is heard?

What do we need to do now? Think about how you write outcomes and how you may contribute to a child achieving those outcomes in creative ways. How personalised is your service? How much choice and control do families have? Keep looking at the RCSLT website for further guidance: