SEND Conference The effective identification of need Charles Savage, Principal Educational Psychologist charles.savage@nottscc.gov.uk

Effective identification of need - Ofsted “How would your area demonstrate it effectively identifies disabled children and young people and those who have special educational needs?” “Would this information identify areas of strength, where further improvements need to be made and where the situation is improving or deteriorating? And across education, social care and health needs?” “Is there information that is available but not currently used that would contribute to your self-evaluation?” “Is there information that is not currently available that would be valuable?” “Is the information sufficiently specific to allow consideration of different groups of children and young people, and their services and providers?” “Does your information show convincingly that children and young people, and their parents and carers are properly involved in identification? And are satisfied with their experience?”

What does this mean? How do we currently identify the cohort of children and young people who are considered to have a disability or special educational needs, from a health, social care or educational perspective? What is the purpose behind identifying this cohort as distinct from non-disabled and non-SEND? Once identified: how are their needs assessed and described? how is appropriate provision determined and described? how are appropriate outcomes determined and described? how is progress towards these outcomes measured and evaluated? how is the evaluation of progress used to inform the assessment of need, the provision determined, and the outcomes set?

Identification of the cohort Needs and disability are not absolute but relative terms: Relative to what is being expected of the person at the time taking account of age the task or activity 2) Relative to the strengths of other people normal distribution of strengths which strengths or abilities are considered to be important Hierarchy of needs, e.g. Maslow, Every Child Matters. 3) Relative to what is ordinarily available how accessible is the environment how routinely accessible is support how independent are people expected to be

Identification of vulnerable groups Known vulnerable groups, e.g. Looked After Children (LAC) Asylum seekers Victims of abuse Proxy indicators, e.g. Poverty measures Family-based factors, unemployment, crime, school attendance Population health measures Children attending failing schools Identifying vulnerable groups in order to: Implement proactive interventions Implement systemic and organisational change

The functions of identification Labelling for the sake of labelling To justify differential access to resources special provision specialist placements specialist services special processes, e.g. EHC assessment To justify the setting of different outcomes

The function of assessment The function of assessment is to elicit a common understanding of a situation, and to find a shared view which is helpful to the process of bringing about beneficial change. In Nottinghamshire, assessments should: Be collaborative, respectful, and have the child’s goals at the heart Be solution-focused Be dynamic and experimental Take place over time Be underpinned by the social model of disability

Further notions of assessment Diagnosis Normative assessments Criterion-referenced assessments Dynamic assessment Functional assessment Assessment underpinned by a social model of disability Assessment using a solution-oriented approach Assessment as a collaborative process

Assessment as ‘removing barriers…’ Removing barriers to a child’s: inclusion in their community, including family life and to their local community access to education, including to good, appropriate schooling healthy developmental and academic progress feeling safe, belonging and happy

Existing processes in Nottinghamshire Pathway to Provision Concerning behaviours pathway, including GP referrals CAMHs referrals Education, Health & Care (EHC) assessment Creation of an integrated Children’s Disability Service Early Help Unit (EHU), including The Family Service Children’s Centres The use of Early Help Assessment Framework (EHAF) Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) School-based assessments, including Springboard meetings, SEND funding moderation: additional family needs (AFN) & high level needs (HLN) Schools Health Hub Targeting Emerging Threats to Children (TETC)

Effective identification of need What is currently working well? What else? What would be even better if….?