So what changes, what can we expect ? Christine Lenehan, Director CDC

Understanding cultural change Working with Parents Working with Young People Partnerships across agencies A word about outcomes Wins in practice A few examples Key areas of focus

A focus on outcomes Participation of children, parents and young people in decision-making Joint working across agencies, services and institutions Starting with culture change

Children, young people and parents at the centre of decision making Supporting children, young people and parents to participate A focus on achieving the best possible outcomes Principles - section 19

Developing a common understanding and language Embedding change in strategic and individual planning Workforce development Building on existing mechanisms and creating new ones Building a change in culture

Parents and young people involved in a local offer process that changes and develops Understanding the Local Transition plan and how it will affect you Understanding the new provisions for Information Advice and Support and how they build on parent partnerships Understanding SEN Support Understanding the contributions of health and social care In practice, to see

Developed through A process where; There is ongoing dialogue with Parents at every stage There are clear routes to access the views of Children and Young People themselves There are multi agency partnerships being developed

Achieved by ; Early conversations with children, young people and parents Person centred and focus on outcomes - avoiding a ‘change of name’ approach Full re-assessment may not necessary - existing evidence can be used if it is recent and relevant A joint understanding of the task

Key messages from Parents Engage with us every step of the way Be honest, even with the difficult bits Be clear this isn’t an excuse for cutting services Ask for our help Help us understand the cultural change

Getting partners signed up so they understand roles Using legal duties and financial incentives Understanding need Joint commissioning and EHC plans

What is Independent Support ? A 2-year programme to provide additional support to young people and parents during the implementation of the SEND reforms Independent Support is Government funded CDC will manage the process and oversee an independent evaluation

challenge:  articulating outcomes  knowing what a good outcome is dependent on engagement with children and young people dependent on engagement with all partners dependent on our data collection Defining outcomes well

Pathfinders: What are they telling us Engaging families and young people is critical Local offer needs to be engaging, accessible, transparent & comprehensive Requires a culture shift in thinking & approach: focus on outcomes; fully involving children, parents and young people in decision-making Takes time, energy and determination

This approach works 31 Pathfinder authorities have been testing the reforms. They found: Families feel more in control, better informed and more satisfied with the services they receive; Professionals are finding genuine partnership working with families is highly rewarding and generates better results; The reforms are bringing about a culture shift in assessment and planning, with a growing emphasis on personalisation, multi-agency working and outcomes- based approaches “It was really rather lovely to feel... heard on an equal footing!...Sometimes it used to feel as if being a parent was itself a disability. Now I feel that I am part of the team…Now it feels as though there is someone on my side. Before I felt like the enemy.” Parent from Surrey

What does it look like on the ground? In Greenwich, families are setting up password-protected websites personalised with music, short films and written reports to bring their EHCPs to life. Professionals regularly post video clips and other information to keep the plan up to date. In Gateshead, pupils at the Cedars Academy Special School worked with an animation company to create a DVD called “Thanks for listening” to tell parents, carers and professionals about their views and aspirations.

What does it look like on the ground? In Manchester, ‘planning live’ sessions were run for young people aged 16 and over. Colleges, service providers and families met in school to develop EHCPs together and allow families to meet the services included in Manchester’s Local Offer. A video of the students was shown to capture their aspirations and desired outcomes, and celebrate their characters. Parents, children and young people then presented their plans to commissioners from Education, Health and Social Care to inform funding decisions In Hartlepool, personal budgets are being been used to fund work placements. Claire hopes to work with animals in the future and is using her personal budget to fund a 10 week placement at a local charity with a small animal farm. The LA helped Claire and her mum negotiate terms and Claire is now using the personal budget to pay for support from a member of staff from the charity, at a cost of £15 per hour.

Resources on the Act CDC has an information sheet with resources available on SEN and disability policy The resources include: Implementation materials on the Act A checklist on drawing up Education, Health and Care plans Slide packs from the DfE on implementing the SEND reforms Good practice case studies

There is no big bang …this is phased implementation BUT, some things are core change, working with parents differently, understanding outcomes, the centrality of shared information and decision making. Its challenging but worthwhile and we ALL need to be partners in its success Final thoughts