1. BTEC AWARD in SEND assessment and coordination Workshop 1
Liz Malcolm
Ian Palmer
September 2015

2. Outline of the workshop
"The Award" how to achieve it and what it entails
Overview of person centred approaches to defining outcomes
Activity: Roles and responsibilities (Level 3 and 4)
Activity: Drafting outcomes and quality plans ( Level 3 and 4)
Summary-questions and answers
Opportunity to complete and have evidence signed off

3. Aims of the workshop Participants will:
Have shown that they understand the importance of working with parents and young people and how to engage them effectively
Have shown knowledge of the main requirements of an EHC needs assessment and what is expected of educational settings
Have demonstrated clear understanding of the roles of different agencies involved
Be more confident in generating aspirational goals and drafting outcomes with relevant timescales
Have signed off at least one assessment requirement and partially addressed a number of others e.g Level 3 (2,3 and 4). Level 4 (2,4 and 5)

4. How "The Award" operates
On-the-job training : must be realistic and manageable
Assessed by a portfolio of accumulated evidence
Candidate- assessor- internal verifier- standards verifier
Workshop each term of this academic year- fix dates today
Regular candidates and assessors contact desirable within and between authorities
Confirm level and register with Pearson (Edexcel) by December
Name (as you wish it to appear on certificate) and date of birth- today
Support and moderation for assessors (meeting at coffee break)

5. Manual and website
Overview and structure of manual- now just one for each level
‘Getting started’ guidance
Further advice for assessors
Malpractice and Appeals policies
Evidence templates on the website
Use of reflective accounts and witness testimonies
Feedback forms for every significant contact
Structure of each unit
Self-evaluation grid exercise
Evidence grid or assessment grid?
www. sencaseworkaward.com

6. Thinking in a person centred way
“Nothing about us without us”
Person centred is a way of organising around one person to define and create a better future (Pete Richie 2002)
It supports people to think about what’s important in their lives now and to think what would make it a good future.
It is essential that people plan with the person and not for them.
A Person Centred Outcome is:
a personal goal not a service goal
something you have influence and control over
designed to keep something working or change something that isn’t working
help to move towards the desired future
measurable and specific (short term outcomes)
may have obstacles in the way of achieving it

7. Person centred approaches
Are used to engage with the child and young person to ensure that their views are fully explored and included. For example:
Preparing a powerpoint presentation
Creating a poster or Wiki
Meeting at a place where the young person feels comfortable
Enabling the young person to be supported by a friend or peer mentor
Use of translators and enablers
Gathering ideas through play or craft
Allowing time for the young person to express their views and possibly building up the picture over a period of time
Think about: what is important to them and for them
possibly explore how they describe a good or bad day
what works for them that could be continued and built on and what they would like to change

8. Thinking about person centred outcomes
What would it give you?
What would it do for you?
What would it make possible for you?
How will you know when you have reached it?

9. Ordinary Life Outcomes
Friends, Relationships & Community
Good Health
Employment
Independent Living & Housing

10. What do families say? We want our son or daughter to be:
Happy and healthy
To reach their potential
To have friends
To do better than me
To have a good education
To have a job they enjoy

11. Example:- Jo
Need described as: “Jo needs to increase independence and be more confident in making relationships apart from his family”

12. Jo’s Outcome
I will be attending leisure activities in my community and have a wider social network of friends by the time I am 16 and leaving school

13. Possible solution - 6 hours short break

14. What would it give you? What would it do for you?
Time with other young people
Space away from my parents & siblings
Chance to meet new people
What would it do for you?
Choice to undertake an activity that I like /choose
to undertake and be part of an activity
Make me feel less reliant on my family members
Widens my circle or friends and contacts
Spend more time outside the home

15. Level 3 Activity A: roles and responsibilities
Work in threes
Take it in turns to play a role as SEND officer and parent/carer with one person as an observer
Explain to the parent
what is meant by the “local offer” and how to find out about the services that are publicised within it
the range of things it is expected that a school will provide within SEN support;
what additional support can be provided through a Plan and which agencies are usually involved in agreeing and providing it
Parent/carer asks clarification questions
Swop roles
Provide witness testimony of the activity for the person in SEND officer role

16. Level 4 Activity A: roles and responsibilities
Work in groups of three
Work together to draft a guidance note for educational settings that illustrates the EHC needs assessment pathway showing
Expectations of what the setting will be doing for SEN support
Evidence expected by the LA to accompany a request for an EHC needs assessment
How to make a request
Timescales and process once the request has been agreed
Bullet point notes for the guidance are all that is required
Provide witness testimony of the activity for each group member

17. Level 3 Activity B: drafting outcomes and quality Plans
Work in pairs
Draft the outcomes section of a plan based on the vignette provided (year 9 young person)
Confer with another pair to agree that the outcomes are relevant, SMART and appropriately time limited
Provide a witness testimony of the activity for each other

18. Level 4 Activity B: drafting outcomes and quality Plans
Consider the sample Plan provided
Work in pairs to decide:
what has been done well
what if anything is missing and
what improvements could be made to assist with decision making
Confer with another pair to agree any areas for improvement in the Plan provided and what you would expect to see in a high quality Plan
Provide brief feedback on the key points to the group
Provide a witness testimony for each other

19. What works well - is of quality in the plan reviewed
Timebound outcomes
Personal budget section clear
Layout of front page with link to Local offer
Use of language
Confidentiality and permissions statement
Social care and health strengths section
Low contrast print
Complaint with Code of Practice
Short and concise
Professional network at the beginning

20. What is missing? LA contact Authors of section A
Child’s voice – eg could use PECS
More detail about the child
Who makes decisions for the child
Community support
Specificity of outcomes
Information re LAC or CiN

21. What could be improved Mismatch of needs and provision
How do outcomes make a difference to the child
More personal front sheet/confidentiality of parent info
Child’s view – photos/symbols etc
Provision should not be in needs section
Outcomes need to be SMART and not a package
Section ! Should name school
Take out mention of behaviour as not in Code of Practice
Appendices – name author and date of their input