1. SEND Conference The effective identification of need
Charles Savage, Principal Educational Psychologist

2. Effective identification of need - Ofsted
“How would your area demonstrate it effectively identifies disabled children and young people and those who have special educational needs?”
“Would this information identify areas of strength, where further improvements need to be made and where the situation is improving or deteriorating? And across education, social care and health needs?”
“Is there information that is available but not currently used that would contribute to your self-evaluation?”
“Is there information that is not currently available that would be valuable?”
“Is the information sufficiently specific to allow consideration of different groups of children and young people, and their services and providers?”
“Does your information show convincingly that children and young people, and their parents and carers are properly involved in identification? And are satisfied with their experience?”

3. What does this mean?
How do we currently identify the cohort of children and young people who are considered to have a disability or special educational needs, from a health, social care or educational perspective?
What is the purpose behind identifying this cohort as distinct from non-disabled and non-SEND?
Once identified:
how are their needs assessed and described?
how is appropriate provision determined and described?
how are appropriate outcomes determined and described?
how is progress towards these outcomes measured and evaluated?
how is the evaluation of progress used to inform the assessment of need, the provision determined, and the outcomes set?

4. Identification of the cohort
Needs and disability are not absolute but relative terms:
Relative to what is being expected of the person
at the time
taking account of age
the task or activity
2) Relative to the strengths of other people
normal distribution of strengths
which strengths or abilities are considered to be important
Hierarchy of needs, e.g. Maslow, Every Child Matters.
3) Relative to what is ordinarily available
how accessible is the environment
how routinely accessible is support
how independent are people expected to be

5. Identification of vulnerable groups
Known vulnerable groups, e.g.
Looked After Children (LAC)
Asylum seekers
Victims of abuse
Proxy indicators, e.g.
Poverty measures
Family-based factors, unemployment, crime, school attendance
Population health measures
Children attending failing schools
Identifying vulnerable groups in order to:
Implement proactive interventions
Implement systemic and organisational change

6. The functions of identification
Labelling for the sake of labelling
To justify differential access to resources
special provision
specialist placements
specialist services
special processes, e.g. EHC assessment
To justify the setting of different outcomes

7. The function of assessment
The function of assessment is to elicit a common understanding
of a situation, and to find a shared view
which is helpful to the process of
bringing about beneficial
change.
In Nottinghamshire, assessments should:
Be collaborative, respectful, and have the child’s goals at the heart
Be solution-focused
Be dynamic and experimental
Take place over time
Be underpinned by the social model of disability

8. Further notions of assessment
Diagnosis
Normative assessments
Criterion-referenced assessments
Dynamic assessment
Functional assessment
Assessment underpinned by a social model of disability
Assessment using a solution-oriented approach
Assessment as a collaborative process

9. Assessment as ‘removing barriers…’
Removing barriers to a child’s:
inclusion in their community, including family life and to their local community
access to education, including to good, appropriate schooling
healthy developmental and academic progress
feeling safe, belonging and happy

10. Existing processes in Nottinghamshire
Pathway to Provision
Concerning behaviours pathway, including
GP referrals
CAMHs referrals
Education, Health & Care (EHC) assessment
Creation of an integrated Children’s Disability Service
Early Help Unit (EHU), including
The Family Service
Children’s Centres
The use of Early Help Assessment Framework (EHAF)
Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
School-based assessments, including
Springboard meetings,
SEND funding moderation: additional family needs (AFN) & high level needs (HLN)
Schools Health Hub
Targeting Emerging Threats to Children (TETC)

11. Effective identification of need
What is currently working well?
What else?
What would be even better if….?