Governance Today Summer 2021

SEND TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME Devon County Council has launched a new strategy to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Devon County Council, NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Devon’s Parent Carer Forum and partners have worked together on the strategy, setting out how they will help and support Devon’s children and young people living with special educational needs and disabilities. The SEND Strategy 2021 - 2024 has been developed as part of the SEND Transformation programme, which was established to transform the experience of children and young people with SEND, and their families. Just before half-term Devon County Council invited parents and carers of children and young people with SEND to join a virtual roadshow event, where they could find out more about the new strategy, how it will be embedded into practice and the difference it will make to young people who need help and support. The team also presented the latest SEND design proposals on how services will be delivered in the future, and parents and carers will be given the opportunity to feedback on these ideas to help shape the future of SEND services across the county. These events followed similar events with school leaders, SEND co-ordinators and service providers, to gain feedback from as many people and organisations as possible. These events were informed by initial research that involved speaking to parent carer representatives and staff in education, health and social care services to better understand how the current service feels for them, how Devon can improve the SEND offer and the best way to ensure each service area works more collaboratively together. When all the feedback has been gathered and analysed, the SEND Transformation Steering Group will consider the new designs for the service structure and once these have been agreed by all those involved, including children, young people and families, will move into implementation. The new SEND service is on schedule to be in place by autumn 2022. Devon County Council, CCG and partner organisations are committed to ensuring that every child with a special educational need or disability has the best start in life and the opportunity to thrive. Through this transformation programme, they hope to change the way children and young people with SEND and their families are supported so that they are listened to, have the support they need at the right time and have the guidance they need as they transition into adulthood. Devon County Council has received widespread agreement from amongst families and professionals that the SEND process needs to be integrated across all agencies and partners to ensure children and families only have to tell their story once and feel they are working with one team. The system needs to be more consistent across the county, with better communication between agencies and professionals and providing clearer and easy to access information for young people, their parents and carers. The aim of the new service will be to ensure that every child has the support they need as early as possible, to prevent the need for more complex care at a later date and to support their transition into adulthood. Change the way children and young people with SEND and their families are supported so that they are listened to, have the support they need at the right time and have the guidance they need “ Designedwith children and young people at the centre, so they are heard by the team and are able to be part of the decision-making process “ The system will be designed with children and young people at the centre, so they are heard by the team and are able to be part of the decision-making process. It will also ensure better communication and partnership working between agencies and professionals, to enable a more consistent and collaborative approach and ensure the best possible outcomes for children and young people. We want to strengthen the trust and confidence between families and the system, as well as between each different part of the system so we’re all working more closely together. The final phase of the programme will involve extending the integrated SEND system to include preparation for adulthood, health, schools and commissioned service functions to provide a seamless service. This phase will commence when the new strategy has been developed and implemented across DCC’s and NHS Devon CCG’s SEND services. You can read more about the SEND Strategy 2021 - 2024 o n the DCC website. Education Care Health Dream Believe Achieve We have high aspirations for all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities so we want to ensure that our 4 priorities are embedded into our practice: Our SEND priorities are that children and young people will be able to: • Trust that they will recieve effective, reliable and consistent support which enables them to be happy and healthy • Work in co-production with us so they are fully engaged in their education and local community • Have early access to services so they are thriving and resilient • Have better life chances so they are fulfilling their potential and achieving their goals. 5 Summer 2021