Council and democracy

Agenda item

SEND

This item will be provided in three parts and cover:

 

·         SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

·         Thurrock Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disability Strategy 2018-2020

·         SEND Key Strategic Health priorities

 

Papers are included within member’s packs for the meeting

Minutes:

Members were provided with three presentations by Helen Farmer (Thurrock CCG), Malcolm Taylor (Thurrock Council, Children’s Directorate) and Elozona Umeh (Public Health).  Key points included:

           

JSNA

·         Thurrock Council has a statutory duty to provide certain children and public health services to children and young people aged 0-19 living in the borough. This includes provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) from age 0-25 years.

·         To enable the council’s Public Health team alongside Children’s Services and the CCG to commission services effectively, a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) is required to identify level of need, characteristics of children and young people with SEND, their health and wellbeing needs as well as current and future demand for services.

·         The main recommendations identified within the JSNA included greater collaborative  work between education, health and social care, development of a SEND strategy, further improvement in local data to aid detailed modelling of expected demand on services, enhancement of the local offer, strengthening of transition between child and adult services and re-commissioning of short break provision.

·         The number of children and young people aged 0 - 25 in Thurrock is set to increase over the next decade by approximately 10%.

 

Thurrock Council and Thurrock CCG SEN Priorities

 

·         All CCG key priorities underpinned by The Children and families ACT 2014 and SEND Code of Practice 2014

·         Thurrock CCG has a designated SEND Clinical Officer who has oversight across the range of health professionals delivering care to children with SEND, promotes best practice and works across service boundaries to enhance the provision of health care to children with complex health needs and medical conditions.

·         The SEND Champions Health Forum Meeting meets monthly with provider agencies.  The Forum aims to raise visibility and awareness across providers and enhance practice through, empowerment, effective communication and inter team working.  The Forum also shares best practice and specific case discussions to provide opportunities to reflect on practice.

·         Thurrock CCG and Council are utilising an integrated audit tool which can align priorities and support coordination of action plans.

·         NHS England East – Collating data and forming networks to support the health SEND agenda supported by the DFE regional advisor.

·         Key areas identified: Multiagency outcome measures, joint commissioning intentions, co-production.

·         Thurrock Council is responsible for the Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disability Strategy 2018-2020.  Key Strategic Priority Areas include to ensure:

o   That children and families are at the heart of an effective SEN system

o   Every child and young person is making good progress and attends a good place to learn

o   Children and families are well supported

o   An effective and responsive approach to assessing and meeting children and families’ needs.

 

During discussions the following points were made:

·         It is important to ensure that transitional arrangements are robust and enable people to continue to access relevant services during the transition from being a child to adulthood.

·         Substantial work that has been undertaken over the last few years was acknowledged by members and action has been taken to improve performance which includes a staffing review and utilising data across the system to inform medium to long term planning. 

·         Members noted that East Tilbury Primary School has made impressive progress and specialist schools Treetops and Beacon Hill are rated as outstanding.

 

RESOLVED: Health and Wellbeing Board members:

·         Provided comments upon the JSNA and approved the recommendations made Agree to the publication of the SEND JSNA and noted SEND priorities and action for both Thurrock Council and Thurrock CCG.

 

Supporting documents: