London Region 1 SEND Reform Partnership

Information, Advice and Support – for the whole journey – from first concerns through to

a plan or mediation/appeal

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Introductions and Welcome – Helen Norris , Pathfinder Champion lead, Bromley

What research evidence shows about families of children with additional needs

and/or disabilities

Tribunal

Mediation/Disagreement

Resolution

IASS/IS

Universal Keyworking

Parent Carers' & Young People’s Views

Key working approaches

Principles

Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes clear that local authorities, in carrying out their functions under the Act in relation to disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN), must have regard to: • the views, wishes and feelings of the child or young person,

and the child’s parents • the importance of the child or young person, and the child’s

parents, participating as fully as possible in decisions, and being provided with the information and support necessary to enable participation in those decisions

• the need to support the child or young person, and the child’s parents, in order to facilitate the development of the child or young person and to help them achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, preparing them effectively for adulthood

Option of a Personal Budget

Integrated assessment and planning

Joint commissioning

Better disagreement resolution processes

The SEND reforms: putting children and young people at the centre

0-25 Children and

young people with SEND

and families

Where disagreements happen, they can be resolved early and amicably, with the option of a Tribunal for those that need it

Children, young people and parents understand a joined up system, designed around their needs

Having friends

Outcomes

Employment prospects

Positive

Wellbeing

Good qualifications

Making their

views heard

Local offer

Enablers

Education Health and Care Plan is holistic, co-produced, focused on outcomes, and is delivered

Extending choice and control over their support.

Information, advice and

support

What young people say is important (Triangle 2014)

• Approach and culture threading through all we do in order to reflect the Section 19

• This applies to all services and settings including schools and colleges

• Keyworking approaches will form the ‘early intervention’ function for potential disagreements

What has changed?

The move to outcome focused planning

• The shift from a service-led to an outcomes focused approach ... is key to creating innovative and responsive services, capable of satisfying the needs of individuals and those that support them, as well as an important means of achieving cost effectiveness.

• This approach emphasises the strengths, capabilities and resilience of individuals, and builds upon natural support systems such as family and local community. By focusing on strengths, capacities and goals, the role of the person is maximised. Services do things with people.

• By engaging with individuals about their desired outcomes as a starting point for decision-making, the approach focuses on possibilities rather than on problems

How key working supports the culture change

Key working is:• An approach to support that helps build strong and resilient families which is underpinned by the Early Support Principles• Defined by a set of functions rather than being defined by a job title• A way to facilitate the coordination of an integrated package of solution-focused support• Family centred as well as child or young person centred• An open, equality promoting and supportive relationship that involves children, young people and families as partners• A way of working – not a separate service

Key working is everyone’s business

• All should apply the keyworking principles in their own context• Is your workforce aware of this?• Is your workforce ready for this?• Is this expectation included in JDs• Is this reflected in your communication with families?• How are frontline staff supported and supervised?• Are you getting the right feedback?

Key working functions

Emotional and practical support

• Providing emotional and practical support as part of a trusting relationship

• Enabling and empowering for decision making and the use of personal budgets

Planning and assessment

• Supporting and facilitating a single planning and joint assessment process

• Identifying strengths and needs of all family members

Coordination

Coordinating practitioners and services around the child, young person and family

Being a single point of regular and

consistent contact

Facilitating multiagency meetings

Information and specialist support

Providing information and signposting

Advocating on child’s, young person and/or family’s behalf

Facilitating clinical and social care seamlessly, integrated with specialist and universal services

The key working process

(Adapted from the helping process, Hilton Davis, 2002)

EXPLORATION

UNDERSTANDING

GOAL SETTING

STRATEGY PLANNING

IMPLEMENTATION

REVIEW

END

RELA

TIO

NS

HIP

B

UIL

DIN

G

• Think about your own context and identify:

• What’s different now? Leading to good outcomes for families and young people

• What’s still to do? To ensure disagreements remain an avoidable outcome for families and young people.

Discussion

Information, Advice and Support Service

Tribunal

Mediation/Disagreement

Resolution

IASS/IS

Universal Keyworking

Knowledge is power

Transparency is key

L Clarke 2013 Parental Journeys Research: Parent Voice and Hampshire parent Carer Network

Information makes a difference to parents because…

The principles (2.8) Impartial and at arm’s length

Free, accurate, confidential, accessible and responsive

Review and publish annually information on the effectiveness of IASS including customer satisfaction

Work in partnership with children, young people, parents, local authorities, CCGs and other partners

Help promote independence and self advocacy

Work with PCF and other representative user groups to ensure views inform policy and practice

What parents have said about the reforms

• “There seems to be a lot of advice out there, but you get a slightly different slant depending where it comes from”

• “ As a family we need information to help us plan and make decisions and although the school has been trying to help us they don’t seem to understand what we need to be doing either!”

• “ My son is 18 and has one year left at school. We have had very little advice about the reforms. I do know that he will have a new plan, but I don’t know what that means and my main concern is that there is actually somewhere for my son to go”

• “I believe there should have been some support with completing the form. For me, it was more about confirmation that the example I was providing was sufficient”

What evidence shows about support for parent carers

Arrange for children, young people and parents to be provided with information and advice about matters relating to their SEN or disabilities, including health and social care (2.17) Local policy and practice The Local Offer Personalisation and Personal Budgets (take-up and

management) Law on SEN and Disability, health and social care

through suitably independently trained staff Advice for children, young people and parents on

gathering, understanding and interpreting information and applying to their own situation

Information on the processes for resolving disagreements, complaints and means of redress

Informed decision making

Have regard to the importance of providing children, young people and parents with the information and support necessary to participate in decisions.

Young people Young people must have confidence that they are

receiving confidential and impartial IAS

Ensure that IAS for young people separate from their parents is possible

Provide independent advocacy for young people undergoing transition assessments (S67 Care Act)

Direct young people to specialist support to help them prepare for employment, independent living and participation in society

Provide access to impartial careers advice

Staff

Staff should be trained to support and work in partnership with parents

Staff working with young people should be trained to support and work in partnership with young people

Staff should be clear about the transfer of some rights and responsibilities to young people and work sensitively with parents to help them understand their role

Recognise the specific needs of young people

Forms of support IAS should cover from initial concerns to ongoing support and

provision

Signposting

Working with individual families and representation

Help when things go wrong

Provision of advice through work with support groups and forums or training events

What does this mean in practice?

A whole system change reflected in LA policies, processes and structures that

deliver differently by engaging and involving the widest possible stakeholder groups; where there can be a consensus that organisational culture is different.

IASS should be:

Open and transparen

t

Co-produced

Agreed and

shared

Readily available

Generating good

outcomes

Information

Is it accessible?

Co-produced?

Is it in your Local Offer?

How would you know if it is effective and helpful?

Advice

Is it impartial?

Is it factual?

Is it consistent?

What steps have you taken to ensure that all your key partners are consistent in the advice they give?

Does your list look like this?

Good listening?

Proactive solutions

Open and transpare

nt processe

s?

Proactive solutions

Person centre

d culture

Training for all

Lunch

Independent Supporters