1. Implications of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act for children, young people, families and professionals
Philippa Stobbs, Council for Disabled Children

2. Implications of Part 3 of the Children and Families Act for children, young people, families and professionals
NatSIP National Working Day
4 June 2014
Philippa Stobbs
Council for Disabled Children

3. Broad purposes of the legislation
What they mean for different groups
How they might be realised
First steps in implementation and how this might affect what we achieve longer term

4. The information and support necessary to enable participation
The culture change, s19
The views, wishes and feelings of the child and their parents, or the young person
The importance of children, parents and young people participating ‘as fully as possible’ in decision-making
The information and support necessary to enable participation
Support to ‘achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes’

5. Young people in their own right from the end of statutory school age
The culture change
Young people in their own right from the end of statutory school age
Disability included in the strategic duties in Part 3
Joint working across agencies, services and institutions: duties to co-operate, jointly commission and integrate

6. Participation in decision-making
The big difference for children and families
Should feel listened to
Paperwork should reflect their views
Should be involved, in all the meetings where decisions are made
Should feel in control

7. What this means for professionals
Listening to parents
Parents in the meetings where decisions are made
Involving parents in identification of SEN
Being able to reflect views of children, young people and parents in reports
Bringing relevant evidence and expertise to the discussion
Additional time, SQW
Period for transfer from statements to EHC plans

8. Information and support to enable participation
Parent partnership services (PPS) become information, advice and support services (IASS) extended to include:
health and social care
IAS on disability
children and young people
Provision of Independent Support for 2 years over the period of transfer form statements to EHC plans

9. Information and support: local offer
Developed with children, young people, parents, schools, colleges, other services
Builds on existing legal requirements (e.g. short breaks statement)
Includes what schools and others expected to provide from their delegated budget
Using comments on the local offer to inform future commissioning

10. Information and support: Schools’ SEN Information Report
Information about implementation of the school’s policy for pupils with SEN
Must be on website
Must be updated annually
Includes a range of policies on: identification, involving parents, support at transition, staff expertise and training, how specialist expertise secured, how children with SEN engage in activities with others

11. Best possible educational and other outcomes
EHC plans must focus on education and training, health and care outcomes that will enable progress
Distinction between aspirations and outcomes
‘A benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention’
Personal and ‘not expressed from a service perspective’ and not a description of a service being provided
What needs to be achieved by end of a phase or stage

12. Best possible educational and other outcomes
To be able to go out with my friends
To be in school more
To have three hours speech and language therapy a week
To be able to communicate with my friends at playtime
To enjoy school
To be able to travel to school on my own
To recognise that the classroom is not a playground
To get on to the college course I want

13. Best possible educational and other outcomes
Challenges for professionals:
Cultural and educational baggage
Expectations
Data
Equality Act and entitlement
Challenges for parents

14. Young people in their own right
Young people in their own right from the end of statutory school age
Rights to participate in decision-making transfer to young people
Subject to mental capacity
Anticipated that ‘in the great majority of cases’ parents will continue to be involved, or will be asked to act on behalf of their child

15. Young people in their own right
Children and preparing for decision-making
Establishing child’s preferred method of communication
Challenges for parents and for young people
Challenges for professionals
Where there is disagreement

16. Disability included in strategic duties in Part 3
Overlap: estimates suggest 75% disabled children may have SEN
Children and Families Act 2014 and Equality Act 2010, SEND Code of Practice
Section 100 C&FA, duties on schools in relation to pupils with medical conditions
Individual benefits: thinking about reasonable adjustments and special educational provision together
Strategic benefits: planning across both groups

17. Joint working across agencies
Integrate services to promote the well-being
Joint commissioning by local authorities and clinical commissioning groups
Requirement to co-operate to meet EHC needs:
Schools
Colleges
Local authorities, including social care
Alternative provision
Health agencies
LAs to keep education & social care under review

18. The information and support necessary to enable participation
The culture change, s19
The views, wishes and feelings of the child and their parents, or the young person
The importance of children, parents and young people participating ‘as fully as possible’ in decision-making
The information and support necessary to enable participation
Support to ‘achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes’

19. Building a change in culture
Developing a common understanding and language
Embedding change in strategic and individual planning
Planning for success in early encounters
Workforce development
Building on existing mechanisms and creating new ones