Making it Happen Implementing the SEND reforms Graduated

Making it Happen Implementing the SEND reforms: Graduated approach to meeting Needs

Housekeeping

Firstly…. . Thank you! • We know it’s been hard work and there’s a rapid pace of change • Lots of work together to get this far • Excellent work from SENCOs and support services to ensure needs are met • We are listening to concerns and making changes to make it work as well as possible

Aims of the session • To provide an update on SEND in Sheffield • To give guidance on a ‘graduated approach to meeting needs’ • To consider Person Centred approaches and setting Outcomes • To give guidance on completing and implementing the new My Plan and requests for EHC Needs Assessment • Reviewing My Plans and Education, Health and Care Plans

In your packs • Copy of today’s power point • Copies of new My Plan paperwork including training copy • Annual Review Process and paperwork • Copies of advice templates and EHC template • Outcomes and steps towards

Questions and extra information • Time for questions at the end • Please write any questions down on post-it notes • If there is additional information you would like that is discussed then please put your details and what it is on a card and we will try to respond

A reminder • The changes are all about: • Putting the child and their family at the centre – person centred • Working together in partnership – Joined up services • A Tell Us Once approach • A graduated response to needs • Clear outcomes that make a difference • Supporting the development of independence and preparing for adult life

Children & Families Act, 2014 • • • S 19 – Local authorities must have regard to: Views, wishes and feelings of C/YP & parents Importance of participating in decision making Assisting C/YP & parents to participate Achieving best possible outcomes for C/YP SEND Code of Practice details how the act should be implemented

Statistics in Sheffield • All Statements converted to EHC Plans done • 3155 Education Health and Care Plans by end of August 2018 • Increase of over 1000 since start of SEND reforms • 556 requests for EHC Needs Assessment last academic year – 1770 since September 2014 • Timeliness of assessment has increased to 43. 2% within 20 weeks • Quality assurance of EHC Plans shows issues with quality of information about a child’s needs

What we need schools to do Continue to talk to us and work with us Develop and embed person centred processes Develop skills and expertise Put in place the right support at the right time Ensure that SENCOs and school staff have the time to implement and embed the changes and plans to ensure best outcomes for all children and young people • To follow systems and processes within localities and for the graduated approach • • •

Waves of Intervention Specialist Targeted Universal

Graduated Approach Assess Review Plan Do

Graduated approach

SEN Support – Learner profile and Support Plan • Meeting needs at lower stages of support (Level 1 -3 on the SSG) • Have a look at the profile and support plan (profile embedded in part 2 of My Plan and support plan at end of My Plan) and how it may relate to what you do now to manage low level needs • Developing a yearly plan with the learner for support • If you have something very similar you may want to continue using it – check what is and isn’t in your current paperwork • How will you review at this level with parents/carers? Code of Practice says 3 x per year

SEN Support – The My Plan • Revised paperwork for My Plan • Combining with Whole Family Assessment (FCAF) for education – further guidance over time on this • Have a look at the new paperwork and what has changed / what’s the same • Learner profile incorporated to the plan to bring all to one place • My Plan is a living document that is added to over time. It’s not the finished article!

EHC Plan • Where there’s a statutory need for a plan ie where provision is only available through a plan or a plan may be needed to ensure that provision is in place due to concerns that it would not otherwise be • In general would have needs on the SSG at level 4 or 5 • New EHC Plan template already being used • Advisory services using common advice giving template. Work ongoing to utilise prior to EHC Needs Assessment

Tell us Once – Child’s views, families views • Child’s views and Family’s view are central to the reforms • Tell us once to prevent the repeated telling of ‘the story’ • Can be done in variety of forms both written and visual • Use appropriate documents to gather information if more suitable to child / family needs • You will know much of the information already – about gathering into one place • Should contribute over part 2 / 3 of the My Plan • Will be copied into EHC Plan as Section A

Person Centred - Changes in approach Traditional Approach Person Centred Planning • Clinical • Diagnosis and treatment • Deficit focus: What’s wrong? • Adults/Professionals Meet • Reports • • • Person Strengths Listening Connections Relationships Graphic style

Person Centred Questions • • • What are your child’s strengths? What does he like? What do you like and admire about your child? What do others like and admire about your child? What is important for him, now and in the future? What is important for you now and in the future? Who are the important people in your child’s life? What is working for your child at home and at school? What is not working for your child at home and at school? How does your child learn best? What needs to change? What help does your child need?

Activity Divide yourselves into groups of 3, to play the SENCO, Parent & Observer. The “Parent” comes to talk to the “SENCO” about their concerns regarding their child’s progress at school. The SENCO should ask the parent the following questions: • What is (name) good at? • What are (name)’s strengths at school. • Tell the parent what you think (name) is good at. • What do you like and admire about (name) • What do you think is working for (name) at school? • What is not working for (name) at school? • What do you think should change? The Observer should comment afterwards on whether the interview was “Person Centred”.

What does Person Centred mean? • Child is involved, and is present • The Parents are involved, and are present • Use recordings child will understand (visual, graphics? ) • Ask Person Centred questions: – – What am I good at? What is working for me? What is not working for me? What needs to change? • Action Plan – What are we going to do?

Good Quality Person Centred Meetings Have a good facilitator Put the child at the centre of all decisions made Involve parents in all decision making Are transparent, where power is equally shared Ensure that everyone is equal and everyone has a contribution to make • Result in a clear set of actions that reflect the person as a whole. The process is positive and the outcomes clearly focussed • • •

Questions

Areas of Need – Education, Health and Care (My Plan Part 4/5/6, EHC Plan B/C/D) • Focus on Strengths and Needs for areas in Co. P • You know how the child is doing • Involved agencies should provide advice – common template developed for EHC Assessment that services are starting to use the same headings for – reference where it comes from • Should provide a picture of where the child needs support and move towards future • Spend time looking through it with people next to you

Provision to meet Need – Education, Health and Care (My Plan Part 4/5/6, EHC Plan F/G/H 1/H 2) • Where there’s a need, there should be provision to meet that need • Provision should be specified and quantified • Provision detailed by a professional involved with the child • Where there are conflicting views these should be resolved through agencies • Provision in an EHC Plan is a statutory requirement and must be put in place

The Sheffield Support Grid • What’s the difference between needs and provision? • Moderation information should be added as it becomes available • Further exemplification and training being put in place over the Spring/Summer Terms

Developing Independence • Statutory responsibility to focus from year 9 • Preparation for Adulthood agenda – employment, independence, community participation, managing health • Independence doesn’t start at 14 though! • Need to gather information about barriers to independence and therefore what ‘teaching’ and ‘training’ is required to support this and what are the barriers to ‘independence’ • Everyone has a responsibility to consider independence

Time for a break

The Golden Thread Aspiration • Where does the YP and their family want to be in the future? Outcomes • What will be different ? • What impact will it have? Strengths and Needs • What’s working? • What’s not working? Provision • What needs to be put in place to get there?

Why Outcomes are important Independent Living Community Participation s e m o c t Ou Better Health Work

What is an Outcome? • COP 9. 64 – 9. 69 • Enables Child/Young Person to move towards long term ASPIRATIONS (eg. paid employment/higher ed/independent living/community participation) • Defines benefit/difference as result of intervention • Provides focus for ‘Steps Towards’ target setting • Not provision • Exit strategy (ceasing plan)

Creating Outcomes Know the pupil and parent ASPIRATIONS Aspirations always drive OUTCOMES creation Key Stage or Phase focus / Yearly outcomes SMART What will be able to do at end of Year/Key Stage/Phase to progress into next? • States benefit of the intervention for outcome • Consider ‘Important to’/’important for’ (best interests) • By ? ? ? I will be able to ? ? so that ? ? • • •

Writing SMART Outcomes S pecific M easurable A chievable R ealistic T imebound

Exercise 1: Writing an Outcome Think of a young person with SEN that you know. Write at least one outcome that will help progress them (or someone like them) towards the following aspiration: To be able to live in my own house near my Mum and Dad

Exercise 1: Results To be able to live in my own house near my Mum and Dad

Outcomes: Good Examples • By the end of this school year, I will be able to communicate in sentences so that I can be understood by my friends and I can play happily with them at break time every day without getting frustrated at not being understood. • By the end of key stage 4, I will be able to use the bus to get to school every day by myself and to go shopping on my own once a month on Saturdays so that I can be more independent. • By the end of Year 1, Jimmy will be able to go to the toilet by himself so that he has no more accidents and so that he is able to clean and dress himself afterwards. • By the end of this year, I will be able to dress for and travel to work, turn up for my shifts on time, talk to customers and colleagues appropriately so that I can do a good job. • When I am well enough, I will be able to go out and spend time with my friends twice a week and maintain my oxygen saturation at above 96% when I am out. Achieved by September 2019.

Steps towards • COP 6. 64 – 6. 78 • Must link to an Outcome (breaking down into smaller steps) • An outcome for one learner may be a ‘step towards’ for another • SMART • min three time per year, to, review ‘steps towards’ report progress and re-set – use of support plan • Led by a teacher who knows pupil best (supported by SENCO) • Parent, pupil & others responsible for outcomes

Steps towards – an example • • Outcome: By the end of Year 9 James will be able to attend Rugby training once a week after school in order to develop his friendships and independence. Steps towards meeting the outcome: James will know the day and time of Rugby training – provision needed to ensure he can tell the time and days of the week and has prompts to be able to find the time James will remember his Rugby kit, including his boots – provision needed to help him plan for bringing his kit and reminders in order to do so James will be able to wash his Rugby kit – provision needed to ensure he can clean his clothes and boots and bring them back the next week James will be able to get home from training – provision needed to support James re travel training and understanding of the use of money for the bus, plus how to contact someone where he needs help James will play Rugby safely and within the rules – provision needed to ensure that he is aware of the level of force he can and cannot use as part of training in line with his needs James will be able to get help if he is hurt – provision to support him to communicate his needs

Questions

Request for EHC Needs Assessment • My Plan should be completed and reviewed • Supporting documents from professionals involved demonstrating action taken should be gathered • ‘all education providers to have taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the special educational needs of a child prior to requesting an assessment’ (SEND Co. P) • Send electronically via Anycomms with supporting documents with a covering note • Ensure that parental permission signed

EHC Assessment process • Graduated approach – some localities will have moderation of My. Plan • Request to EHC Panel – completed My Plan and supporting documents – agree or refuse assessment - ‘May have SEN and May require provision in line with a plan’ – working on a process for localities to detail what they’ve done • 6 weeks to gather any updated information – if all present can be done in less – important to note when submitting request • Decision that EHC Plan will be issued based on gathered information • Statutory Assessment Meeting (SAM) to agree content of the plan – currently through request only due to pace of change! • Consultation with parents and education providers • Finalised – Maximum 20 week process • Schools can submit to locality panels re funding

SAM – Statutory Assessment Meeting • Should consider content of draft plan • Should agree outcomes • Not the decision making meeting

SEN Support Review • Code of practice states that all young people at SEN Support level should have 3 reviews of progress a year • Review built into support plan – more formal discussion for My. Plan • Support plan integrates a year long review cycle • Focus on progress measures over the year – consensus views or recorded as such if not • What’s working / What’s not working / What needs to change

Annual Reviews • All EHC Plans must be reviewed annually – process not just meeting • New Annual Review Paperwork – more person centred and simpler – have a look • Will not always be a large meeting, but should have regular review of progress • Have a look at new Annual Review Paperwork

Annual Reviews – who should attend? • Child/ Young person must have a chance to attend or contribute – this will vary depending on individual • Involved professionals will not always be able to attend – though everyone should be invited RED Safeguarding concern Risk of exclusion / Disaffection Risk of placement breakdown Request for change of placement Significant areas of dispute / disagreement Historically contentious case AMBER Major changes expected to be made to content of plan Transition review (Year 4, Year 9) Phase transfer year (Year 6, Year 11) Plan expected to cease GREEN Minor or no changes expected to be made to content of plan Progress being made

Expectations of reviews • Person centred • My Plan to be reviewed before request for statutory assessment • Timeframes for Annual Review and completion of paperwork • 6 weeks before meeting to contact involved services for updated reports and invites • 2 weeks before review send out gathered reports to all • 2 weeks after meeting (max) send report to SEND SARS • By 4 weeks after review LA notify parent of outcome and then update and finalise plan

Measuring progress • Progress is based on academic and progress against outcomes • 1. No progress or deterioration – if nothing has changed or things have gone backwards • 2. Limited Progress – if there are some small improvements but not significant enough • 3. Moderate Progress – making progress towards the outcome in line with what you’d perhaps expect • 4. Significant Progress – making progress at a faster rate than expected or outcome nearly achieved • 5. Achieved

Updating the plan • Completion of report and sending to Local Authority within 2 weeks. Report is new paperwork plus supporting documents • Suggested changes must be evidence based with reports as necessary • If there is a request for change of placement clearly detail this on the paperwork • Articulate changes on copy of plan either via tracked changes (new version) or written on / typed up (old version)

Transition points • Work under way to develop key ‘Transition reviews’ at age 2, 9 (Year 4) and 14 (Year 9) that support progression to next stage of life • Further information on this will follow

Next Steps What Will I leave behind? What Will I take away?

Time for questions