SEND Reforms – our journey through the process, successes challenges and solutions York’s experience Dr Christine Clarke Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist (Early Years and Portage) 1

Charter for Disabled Children

Introducing SEN Reforms – building on existing good practice in Early Years in York Integrated Specialist Early Years Service Portage Services - working in partnership with families and the inclusion of the child’s voice Early Support Programme – Child and family centred planning and multi-agency working in Partnership Early Years SENCO training programme 3

Specialist Early Years Support Team Early Support Service Portage Service Specialist Early Years Teachers (SEN) Educational Psychology (Early Years) 4

Voice of the child and family Pre Early Support and SEND reforms ‘This is me’ booklet format to depict in words and pictures the child’s strengths and needs. Also submitted as appendix A Parental Advice when a Statement of Educational Needs was requested and as information at times of transitions (non–statutory) ‘Look at me’ record of skills a child has achieved between Portage 6 monthly review reports 5

The Early Support programme The Early Support programme ran from 2002 to 2015 as a national initiative with some funding by the DCSF. Early Support aimed to improve the delivery and coordination of family services and provide families with a single point of contact (key worker). Early Support focused on ensuring that service delivery was child, young person and family centred and that services and practitioners worked in partnership with children, young people and their families. Child and Family/Person-Centred Planning multi-agency planning and review meetings 6

Joint family-centred planning Family Service Plans: Enables everyone working with a family to review how things are going and to agree joint, shared priorities. Keeps families at the heart of decision making about their child Prevents professionals working in a vacuum This approach has been adopted and integrated into the FEHA and the EHCP/MSP to some extent.

Early Support approach 2014 Shared information Integrated delivery key working Joint planning and decision making with families Education, Health and Care plan 8

Education, Health and Care Plan The aim is to provide a more person centred approach with the co-production of plans Not about substituting one set of paperwork for another but taking a different approach underlined by the key principles set out in the Children and families Bill York model built on good practice from Early Support (0-5 years) and Preparing for Adulthood. In York the development work started with families as early as September 2013 though it didn’t become a statutory requirement until September 2014 The stage prior to EHCP is a My Support Plan (MSP) which York and many other LAs have developed at the non-statutory stage of the SEN Pathway but not necessarily called a MSP. 9

My Support Plans 10

York’s Early Years SEN Pathway 11

CYC SEN Threshold Bandings Provide detailed examples of good practice to be used by parents / carers, practitioners, LA SEN officers and all who support children with SEN As a prompt when considering appropriate strategies and interventions to support through all the levels To provide clarity about decisions made around the allocation of resources and the eligibility threshold for a additional resources such as Early Yeas Inclusion Funding (EYIF) or an enhanced resourced place (ERP) nursery or an Education, Health and Care Plan. 12

Banding Thresholds - Learning 14

What has gone well? York started by working groups of parents to develop the EHC plans and identical MSPs based on existing good practice; especially in Early Years (Portage, SEYST and Early Support) and Transitions team (14+). Local offer booklets complied/written through parents and multi-agency working groups and consultation (now electronic) Revised paperwork and processes piloted since 2013 with revisions based on feedback received Training was provided early and has been ongoing for early years practitioners. Early Years Inclusion Funding (EYIF) increased with criteria revised to link in with new SEN Pathway and Threshold banding for funding (banding 2b and 3).15

Challenges? Can be challenging to keep the MSP/EHCP planning meetings as child and family led/focussed and as multi-agency as the Early Support Family Service Planning (ESFSP) meetings were. Revisions to our EHC plans made based of DfE feedback seem to have moved to a more education-led process/paperwork similar to previous Statements of SEN compared to ESFSPs Paperwork and processes/meetings are very time- consuming and can be challenging, especially for PVI settings (time, resources, secure s, etc). Some support services are also reporting it has reduced time for direct intervention with children/families Concern for continuation of non-statutory services with reductions to Local Government funding.16

Possible solutions? Feedback has been sought by the SEN team in York by surveys and focus groups. EHCP paperwork is being revised and reduced slightly based on feedback received and different formats welcomed My Support Plan are to be reduced in length Schools and EY Settings to use significantly reduced paperwork for SEN Planning for children unlikely to need an EHCP. Revised documents are being based on those already developed by SEYST Secure electronic systems have been investigated and identified by EY leaders and funding sought.17

Preparing Early Years sector to implement SEND Reforms in York Training for Early Years practitioners in PVI Settings SEN reforms and York’s MSP/EHCP paperwork and processes introduced in the two hour termly EY SENCo training sessions from Also attended by EY Advisory team. Fuller training included in the 5 day EY SENCo Training course 2014 and 2015 – taught in small steps over the 5 days with 2 week gap between each session to practice activities in their settings. SENCo has to complete a MSP as part of their portfolio- course assignment. Member of the SEYST or STT joined/s the EY SENCo at their first MSP meeting to co-chair/minute if requested + offers support through further consultation (phone/meetings) have also provided admin support if EY setting has none (small Playgroups).18

An easy to understand LOCAL OFFER …..so parents can make informed choices