WEBSITE http://localofferwirral.org/
Local Offer ? I hear you say….what’s that? Section 4 of the Code of Practice states that all Local Authorities must publish a ‘Local Offer ‘ The Local Offer sets out, in one place, information about the provision you would expect to be available across Education, Health and Social Care for children and young people who have Special Educational needs or a Disability including those who do not have an EHC plan.
Think of it as a shop window…… A place where people can browse and find what they’re looking for all under one roof.
It has two key purposes Firstly to make local provision more responsive to the local needs and aspirations by directly involving our young SEND population, their parent/carers and service providers in its development and review. Secondly, to provide CLEAR, COMPREHENSIVE, ACCESSIBLE and UP TO DATE INFORMATION about the provision and how to access it.
So just who is it for?
Communication officer role Borne out of the SEND Reforms of 2014 In post 17 months Improve content and accessibility Increase engagement with Wirral’s young SEND population and their parent/carers Promote inclusion and participation Act on feedback and bridge identified gaps in service Single point of contact for Parents, Young people Professionals and Wirral’s Parent/Carer Forum (PCPW) Advance co-production of services provision.
Parent/Carer feedback We wish we’d known about this useful resource earlier! Documents in an ‘Easy Read’ format would be a big help Love the clear signposting Jargon – we don’t understand it! Great to have a named point of contact
Young Person Voice Real need to hear more from the young people using the site. Established a pupil forum to facilitate a site review. Assure them they are being listened to. Let them shape the future shaping of the services Wirral can offer
Youth SEND Voice Conference
Here’s what happened.. 80 professionals from Health, Education and Social Care came to listen to the ‘voice’ of a fantastic group of young people I have the privilege to work with at Pilgrim Arts Centre. Before the day, the young people had chosen their top 4 problematic topics to discuss: Independence, Safety, Relationships and Engagement. On the day they performed moving drama pieces to illustrate their feelings. They articulately and passionately conveyed their views and the audience members were hugely impressed and responsive to us working together to address the areas the young people would like our help with. A range of pledges were made on the day and in the 3 months that have passed more offers/suggestions have been made. The young people feel listened to and have a healthy amount of HOPE. Maybe you can help?
WEBSITE UPDATE
Disability Register
Never enough hours in the day? What’s New
Here’s where you come in…. Any provision/services/clubs/resources supporting our SEND population in the age range 0-25 SHOULD & MUST be listed on Wirral’s Local Offer. Anything we’re doing, anything we’re offering MUST go on the website. I NEED YOU TO TELL ME, TO SEND ME THE INFORMATION. I’m a team of 1 so I really need you to help me raise awareness when you’re working with families. THIS IS OUR LOCAL OFFER AND WE ALL NEED TO TAKE OWNERSHIP!
LOCAL OFFER CHAMPIONS Too big a job for one so recruiting Local Offer Champions. Need a named point of contact in each area/service. SENCOs are, by default, the go to person for Wirral schools. CAMHS have appointed Kate Burnett and already the content has significantly improved.
If you struggle to find information If you identify gaps in information If you spot out of date information…..just let me know and I’ll put it right. If you have any suggestions/feedback You can call me on 666 4488 or e mail me at sallytittle@wirral.gov.uk