17 March 2015

Caroline Bicknell, Deputy DirectorDepartment for Education, 0-25 SEND Unit

Contents

The aims and features of the SEND reforms

Implementation: progress and challenges

Current activities underway

We want all children and young people with SEND to achieve well in their early years, at school and in college; find employment where possible; lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives; and have choice and control over their support.

The SEND reforms join up support across education, health and care, from birth to 25. Help will be offered at the earliest point, and with children and young people and parents/carers fully involved in decisions about their support and what the young person wants to achieve. Measures of success include:

• Positive experience of the system for children, young people and families

• Improved outcomes for children and young people• Effective preparation for adulthood

We want all children and young people with SEND to achieve well in their early years, at school and in college; find employment where possible; lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives; and have choice and control over their support.

The SEND reforms join up support across education, health and care, from birth to 25. Help will be offered at the earliest point, and with children and young people and parents/carers fully involved in decisions about their support and what the young person wants to achieve. Measures of success include:

• Positive experience of the system for children, young people and families

• Improved outcomes for children and young people• Effective preparation for adulthood

Aims of the SEND reforms

From September 2014 new requirements on LAs and Clinical Commissioning Groups:• Work with children and young people with SEND and

families.

• Establish partnerships across education, health and care, including early years, post-16 institutions and housing.

• Co-produce and publish the Local Offer

• Develop plans for joint commissioning

• Develop processes for assessment, planning and EHC plans

• Identify what could be provided through personal budgets

• Local mediation and disagreement resolution arrangements

New rights for young people and parents

Young person or parent of a child has the right to request that a particular institution, including a college approved under section 41, is named in an EHC plan

The local authority must comply with that preference and name the school or college in the EHC plan unless it judges that: it would be unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or

SEN of the child or young person, or the attendance of the child or young person there

would be incompatible with the efficient education of others, or the efficient use of resources

Local authority to co-produce EHC plans, the Local Offer etc

Education Health and Care Plans• From 1 September anyone, including a post-16

provider, can request an assessment of education, health and care needs

• Young people with EHC plans can ask for a particular college to be named in the plan

• Final EHC Plan must be shared with institution named in Plan

• EHC plans must be reviewed annually and, from age 13 (Yr9) must include preparing for adulthood.

Section 41 and specialist post-16 institutionsSection 41 of the Children and Families Act

2014 allows the Secretary of State to publish a list of approved independent special schools and special post-16 institutions.

The approved list allows independent institutions to make themselves subject to duties in Children and Families Act

Young person has right to request that a S41 institution is named in their EHC Plan

LA under a qualified duty to agree that request

Some 18 year old students will need longer to achieve the outcomes in their EHC plans, so will need to continue in education with plans up to a maximum age of 25.

No automatic entitlement to continued support at age 19 Nor can an LA cease an EHC plan simply because a young person

is aged 19 or over. In deciding that SEN provision is no longer required, the local

authority must have regard to whether the educational or training outcomes in the EHC plan have been achieved.

As you told us, a special school is not the best place for a student of this age. DSG cannot be used to fund such places.

Students aged 19-25

Preparing for AdulthoodHow can we make sure young people are better prepared for adult life?

•Preparing for adulthood EHC reviews from Year 9 onwards•Better transition into post-16 education and training•High quality study programmes including pathways to employment such as supported internships•Multi-agency approach •Support for transition to adult services

• Study programmes for young people with LDAs or EHC plans

• Extended work placement plus further study in English and Maths

• 36% offered paid work in the pilot• Life changing transition into employment• £5m for LAs on supported internships and other

preparation for employment: just announced• Help on PfA’s website – supported internship

section with advice and link to Access to Work funding

Supported internships

Delivery partners everywhere working hard to implement reforms and good progress being made

Independent Supporters in place and positively received. February LA implementation survey shows further

improvements since October Positive feedback from parents and young people Minister Timpson asked Ofsted/CQC to develop inspection

framework Other feedback positive too, though challenges with:

Transitions from Statements and LDAs Meeting EHC timescales Building quality of Local Offers

Progress since September 2014

Capacity for EHC assessment and planning

EHC plan transfers – progress and involvement of colleges

Placements and funding - relationships with LAs and commissioning of specialist provision.

Local Offer – work in progress, particularly over post-16.

Some challenges in post-16

Dealing with multiple LAs with different requirements

DfE Action underway includes…• DfE SEND Advisers – continuing support and challenge to LAs

• Joint workshops for LAs and FE sector – underway now

• Ofsted/CQC inspection proposals on SEND – likely to consult soon

• Joint action with DH to improve health engagement – Designated Medical Officer conference 23 March

• SEND FE sector working group – NATSPEC member

• Call for Evidence on High Needs Funding – evidence being considered

• Extra £5 million for supported internships

• Future delivery support plans and VCS funding in 2015-16 – likely to be announcement shortly