Brighton & Hove Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy

In this document the terminology differs across education and health, for example, ‘difficulty‘ and disability‘’ may be used by different services. This should not be a barrier to children and young people receiving appropriate services for their level of need.

Welcome to our co-produced Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy which has been updated to incorporate the areas highlighted in the SEND Area Inspection report May 2023.

Our aim is to enhance the outcomes and life chances of children and young people with SEND and adults with Learning Disabilities (LD) across the city.

The Local Authority (LA) and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are the leads for the strategy. But its success will undoubtedly lie in the effectiveness of the partnership between all stakeholders, in particular our families. 

The strategy sets out our six co-produced key priorities. These have been agreed by a partnership between the LA, CCG, families, schools, settings, other agencies and services in Health and Social Care, including Adult Services and the voluntary and community sector.

The new strategy will be steered by the city’s SEND Partnership Board. The Membership of the board is listed in the appendices.

Progress against actions specific to adults with learning disabilities will also be monitored by the city’s Learning Disability Partnership Board.

All partners will be accountable for delivering on the agreed actions. The progress against each of the actions will be monitored through the relevant boards.

It is vital that this is a meaningful, accessible, engaging and thought-provoking document. The city’s Parent and Carer Council, (PaCC) and Amaze have worked very closely with the LA and the CCG to engage a wide range of stakeholders. This is to ensure that the key priorities reflect the needs of the SEND community.

Central too is the voice of children and young people, in addition to those adults with  LD. With this in mind, we have used graphic facilitation to enable those who are not always able to express their thoughts to be visually represented. Their views are therefore illustrated throughout this document.

We hope you find our strategy ambitious, aspirational and a reflection of our core aim: to achieve the best outcomes for the city’s most vulnerable children, young people and adults with LD.

Deb Austin

Executive Director Families, Children & Learning

Brighton & Hove City Council

Georgina Clarke-Green

Assistant Director, Health, SEN & Disability, Families, Children and Learning

Brighton & Hove City Council

Becky Robinson

Chair of Parent Carer Council

Caroline Tozzi

Joint Director for CYP Commissioning

Sussex-Wide Complex Commissioning 

We worked with children, young people and young adults in 3 areas using graphic facilitation. They had a wide range of abilities and additional needs.

We asked three questions during this process, and responses were captured in words, colours and images. The questions were:

• what do you think about the six priority areas?
• what makes a good life?

We also asked them what images would be needed to make this strategy reflect Brighton & Hove. As young people shared their ideas, they were drawn in real time on a large piece of paper.

The drawings were summarised to make sure nothing was missed and that the images made sense to the children and young people. These images are included in the strategy.

We are committed to ensuring that the voice of children and young people continues to be heard throughout the delivery of this strategy. Each priority area will need to demonstrate how they are engaging with children and young people with SEND, young adults and adults with LD while implementing each of the action plans. This will be monitored through the SEND Partnership Board.

Our 2021 vision

Our children and young people with Special Educational Needs and adults with Learning Disabilities will achieve the very best they can so that they can lead happy, healthy and good lives.

‘Better outcomes, better lives’

Brighton & Hove is proud to be an inclusive city. Our mainstream schools have a range of specialist facilities, both in the primary and secondary phases. These support children and young people with a variety of needs. These needs include:

• Autism
• Sensory Impairment
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs
• Specific Learning Difficulties

We have an outstanding specialist nursery for young children with SEND at the Jeanne Saunders Centre. We also have two outstanding special schools – Downs View and Hill Park – within our three complex needs hubs.

In addition, we have a range of well-regarded support services such as Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Service.

The city is fortunate to have an active and representative parent carers’ forum – the Parent Carers’ Council (PaCC). This is hosted and supported by Amaze, a charity that is commissioned to provide the local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS).

Collectively, they reach a large proportion of families with children and young people with SEND. They target their services and outreach support in order to meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities.

Amaze holds data on about 70% of the eligible population on the city’s Children’s Disability Register, which is called the Compass. This provides an easy mechanism for gathering views across the city or targeting specific communities. It is supplemented by additional consultations and specific engagement work undertaken by PaCC that has elicited a good response.

Our Social Care Specialist Community Disability Service supports our children and young people with SEND and adults with LD. The support is provided through three assessment and care ‘pods’ that are age banded as follows: 0 to13, 14 to 24 and 25+ years.

This model is designed to place focus on transition for young people between the ages of 14 to 24. This is to ensure they have consistent and seamless support in a time in their lives when they will experience many changes. The service works closely alongside our colleagues in Safeguarding and Care.

Brighton & Hove has good and outstanding in-house residential provision that supports our most vulnerable children, young people and adults with a disability. There are two respite / short breaks homes for children and young people. The city also has nine residential homes that provide specialist residential care and supported living.

The Shared Lives scheme supports adults and young people over the age of 16 who are unable to live independently. The scheme currently offers 59 people the chance to stay in the community through being looked after within a family home.

The city’s day centre for adults with LD is based at Wellington House. It provides an innovative range of activities for those service users who need a stimulating programme throughout the day. It is greatly appreciated by the families of the service users it supports.

Sussex Community Foundation Trust (SCFT) provides health input for many children and young people with SEND. The health visiting team is key in the early identification of children with developmental concerns and provision of support for their families.

Child Development Services in Brighton & Hove include:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Community Paediatricians
• Audiology, and
• Specialist Nursing

There is a multi-disciplinary team at Seaside View Child Development Centre. This comprises community paediatricians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, specialist speech and language therapists, a specialist nursing team and audiology and clinical psychologists.

They provide assessment and intervention for children and young people with a range of developmental concerns and disabilities including:

• Developmental Delay
• Learning and Speech and Language Difficulties
• Social Communication Difficulties
• Physical Disabilities
• Sensory Impairment

Child Development Services are delivered in the child development centre, at special and mainstream schools, nurseries and at home. The community speech therapy team provides assessment and input for children with a range of needs in clinics, nurseries and schools. These needs include dysfluency, autism, hearing impairment, complex needs.

Neurodevelopmental assessment of those with suspected Autism over the age of 11 and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is undertaken by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). This sits within the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust (SPFT).

Here, there is close working within the teams and with hospital services (both local and tertiary), the community nursing team and General Practitioners (GPs).

SPFT provide the CAMHS in our city. Services are available across locations such as GP surgeries, clinics, hospitals and schools.

The specialist teams in CAMHS undertake assessment and provide treatment for children and young people up to age 18 who have emotional, behavioural or mental health problems. There is close working across the range of community and wellbeing support services.

We are also very lucky to have a strong voluntary and community sector within the city. They provide families with a wide range of valuable services. In terms of Adult LD services we have, amongst others:

• Speak Out, an independent advocacy charity for people with LD, and
• Grace Eyre, which provides a wide range of services including day activities such as yoga, art and cooking, supported living and a Shared Lives Project

Our children benefit from other services such as Extratime. This runs high quality, affordable clubs, holiday schemes and family events activities for children and young people with and without disability aged 4 to 25 years.

Here, children and young people with SEND have an opportunity to have fun, try new things and socialise with their friends. Barnardos Link Plus also provides highly valued short breaks for disabled children.

The Brighton & Hove community is already providing high-quality support, provision and services to many families with children and young people with SEND.

“I just wanted to thank you hugely for the amazing support you have given to my son over the last five years and the incredible commitment and dedication you have shown to his care.  You have seen him through many difficult times and a lot of highs and lows, and seen him grow and develop and start to self-manage his behaviours better.  I certainly believe that he has come a long way and you have played a hugely important part in this. So thank you so much for that.” (Parent)

However, we also hear concerns consistently expressed when delivering our services and support to families. So we are keen that this new strategy provides an opportunity to address some of these worries.

Families have told us that:

• they can feel lost and sometimes find it difficult to find out what is available for their child
• they can feel isolated and alone, stressed and exhausted
• they worry their child will struggle to ‘fit in’ or make friends
• there is too long a wait for some assessments and therapies
• some feel that getting an EHC Plan is the only way of accessing the support their child needs
• services are often not joined up, don’t always work together and families have to give the same information repeatedly, to different teams
• they worry the city hasn’t got the right range of educational provision to meet their child’s or young person’s needs
• they worry about how their children are supported in mainstream schools
• their child with SEND, their siblings and themselves as parent carers, are facing increasing levels of anxiety and poor mental health
• parent carers’ ability to maintain employment is affected and they are worried about not having enough money
• they are concerned about their child’s future, and the ‘cliff-edge’ of adult services

Our ambition is that all children and young people with SEND and their families are able to say:

• we are listened to and respected
• our needs are understood, acknowledged and provided for
• our voice and views are at the heart of all decision making for our child
• we are involved in co-production of services and support at all levels of the system
• we have access to good quality and impartial information, advice and support
• we have regular communication that is tailored to specific needs
• our needs are identified early
• the pathways to access help are transparent and equitable
• we have more help from a range of agencies for our children and young people on SEN Support
• we can access more support at home or locations of our choosing
• we can access a variety of short breaks and after school activities
• professionals work in partnership with parents, are well trained and empathetic, and work flexibly around us
• we are welcomed and included, and we are accessing education, social and leisure opportunities within our local community
• we are no longer excluded from schools
• we have earlier, person-centred and more aspirational / ambitious planning for a good adult life. This will lead to a smooth handover from children to adult services, where parent carers and children and young people know what to expect

Better outcomes, Better lives

Priorities described in the image:

• Inclusion
• Early Identification and Intervention
• SEND Pathway
• Achievements and Outcomes
• Transition Preparing for the Future
• Sufficiency of SEND services and Provision

Overall Absence Pupils with Special Educational Needs 2018/19 Academic

Overall rates of absence for children and young people in Brighton &  Hove with SEN are higher compared to the England average.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs defined as persistent absentees 2018/19

In addition, overall rates of persistent absence for children and young people with an education, health and care (EHC) Plan are higher compared to England average.

Rate of Fixed Term Exclusions for Pupils with Special Educational Needs 2018/19 Academic

Rates of fixed term exclusions for children and young people with SEN are higher compared to the England average.

Permanent exclusions are lower than the England average.

Three pupils were permanently excluded in 2019/20. All were on SEN support. Six pupils were permanently excluded in the Autumn and Spring Terms in the 2018/19 academic year.

There are 4,374 pupils in Brighton & Hove on SEN support. This equates to 13.5% of the pupil population. This is higher than the national average of 12%. But the trend shows that the numbers have decreased year on year since 2015.

Boys make up the majority of pupils on SEN support, at 63% compared to 37% of girls.

The number of pupils on SEN support receiving free school meals is slightly higher than the national average.

The profile of need for this level of support differs from that of the children and young people with an EHC Plan. At 26.2%, Specific Learning Difficulties is the most prevalent primary need. Speech, Language and Communication Needs is the second most common additional need requiring support in mainstream schools.

In total 52.4% of those children and young people on SEN Support are below 10 years old. Many of these convert to an EHC Plan upon transferring to secondary school.

At the time of publication, there are 1,676 children and young people aged 0 to 25 years with an EHC Plan in the city. This equates to 3.3% of the school population, compared to 3.1% nationally. The trend shows that EHC Plans have risen year on year.

Most EHC plans are held by boys, with girls making up only 29% of the entire cohort. Most of the EHC Plans exist in the secondary phase.

There is a higher percentage of children and young people with EHC Plans in mainstream schools and Further Education colleges compared to the South East and national levels. The percentage of children and young people in non-maintained and independent schools is lower compared to the South East and national levels.

Most EHC Plans are young people aged 11 to 15 years. There is a higher number of EHC Plans in secondary compared to primary schools

Most children and young people with an EHC Plan are from a white background and mixed dual background. 14.6% of children and young people with an EHC Plan are from BAME backgrounds.

Child Development Service

There is ongoing demand for all therapy services, which involve assessment and intervention, training workshops and parent support.

There continues to be a high level of demand for ASC assessment. This has meant that despite increasing capacity waiting times have increased. The CCG has identified funding to improve the services for children with Autism as part of a new Neurodevelopmental Pathway in Brighton & Hove. The service specification is currently being finalised for implementation in 2021.

Child Development Services are committed to working in partnership with parents / carers and children and young people.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

The performance information is a snapshot of Brighton & Hove’s current CAMHS service.

The Sussex CCGs have recently concluded a Sussex Wide Children’s Review. They will be working together over the coming months to address the key findings of the review. 

The aim of the review was to ensure good services for children across Sussex, and improved integrated pathways for our children and young people

Brighton & Hove currently have 106 children and young people open to Specialist Community Disability Early Help Service. There are 167 children and young people open to Specialist Community Disability Services.

Brighton & Hove have 31% of children in care to the Local Authority (CIC) compared to 29% in England. There are 30.4% of in the children in need (CIN) category compared to 21% in England.

Most of the children known to Specialist Community Disablity Services are aged 0 to 12 years. 

66% of children and young people are male and 34% female.

75.5% of children and young people supported by the Specialist Community Disability Service are from a white background. 11.3% are from a mixed / dual background, and 13.2% are from BAME and other backgrounds

At the time of publication there are 708 adults with LD who received long-term support.

The number of adults with LD in Brighton & Hove who are living on their own is 4% above national average.

The number of adults with  LD in paid employment is 2.9% above the national average.

60.6% are male and 39.4% are female.

91.4% of adults with LD are from a white background, with 16.4% from other mixed multiple groups and Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

28.1% of adults with LD live in supported accommodation. 23.2% live in long-term housing with family friends.

Vision

We will ensure there is a city-wide commitment to services and support that is inclusive to children, young people and adults with SEND.

What are the outcomes?

• There will be a commitment from all schools and early years settings to a city-wide charter for Inclusion
• Co-production will be central to the design and development of all services and provision
• Adults with LD will be able to access health services more easily, and more LD Annual Health checks will be undertaken
• The quality standard for inclusion must drive change for children and young people

Priority 1: Inclusion Strategic Actions

Workstream 2

We will:

Inclusion 1

Co-produce a city-wide charter for inclusion. This will be supported by a communication campaign on Inclusion. This will focus on engaging with harder to reach communities and promoting a shared ethos and commitment to disadvantaged learners, Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, those who identify as LGBTQ and children, young people and adults with SEND.

Inclusion 2

Co-produce and promote, including with schools, a city-wide self-assessment tool for Inclusion. This will cover best practice for children and young people with SEND and across all categories of need.

Inclusion 3

Co-develop new services that intervene earlier to support children and young people with SEN. This will enable inclusion and access to other services and opportunities. 

Inclusion 4

Co-produce a multi-agency training package for Social Care staff on SEND and Inclusion and for SEND teams on Social Care. This will enable better understanding and delivery of services to families across the system.

Inclusion 5

Enable a wider cohort of children and young people with SEND to access after school clubs, weekend and holiday schemes support. This is to ensure equal access to many universal learning and leisure opportunities.

Inclusion 6

Deliver training on awareness of SEND, ethnicity and culture. This is so that all staff across all settings can be supported to challenge cultural assumptions, and improve their understanding of different cultures and backgrounds and how this may impact upon SEND needs. This will be co-produced with parent carers and accessible to diverse communities.

Inclusion 7

Co-produce the Hidden Children Missing Education action plan with parents / carers and other partners. The plan must have a focus on ensuring a full-time education and flexible location to meet the individual needs of children and young people.

Inclusion 8

Ensure that buildings that house services for children and young people are accessible for all types of SEND. 

Inclusion 9

Develop a plan that focuses on providing support for young carers and siblings of those with SEN.

Inclusion 10

Ensure there is uptake of LD Annual Health checks for young people from age 14 years, and adults with LD, through the EHC Plan annual review process.

Inclusion 11

Develop further person-centred local medical / hospital passports using technology for children, young people and adults with complex needs. This is to ensure that their holistic needs are met during a hospital stay. 

Inclusion 12

Promote on-line GP consultations in primary care. This is because direct access online is more accessible for parents / carers and adults with learning disabilities.

Inclusion 13

Parents / carers to be involved in co-producing training programmes on Inclusion with the LA and CCG.

Inclusion 14

Develop specific support, activities, events and opportunities for BAME children and young people with SEND and their parent carers to come together. The support will also be for service providers to help them hear from and build relationships with these communities. 

Inclusion 15

Key services, Children’s Committees and Boards to review their staff diversity profile and set targets to increase BAME % representation. 

Inclusion 16

Develop an accessible and simple support system for parents of children and young people with SEND that has clear signposting.

Inclusion 17

Develop a scheme that shares good practice between schools through the primary and secondary SENCo networks.

Inclusion 18

Improve access to assistive technology to enhance the voice and lives of children and young people with SEND and increase their independence.

Inclusion 19

Develop training for school staff to create more child-led and relationship-led support for children with SEND.

Inclusion 20

Raise the profile of SEND in the wider community by developing a SEND Communications Strategy with partners. This will use a values-based approach to engage with providers and the community on the positive impact disabled people can make on the workforce and society.

Vision

We will ensure that children’s needs are identified, assessed and supported both early in life and when issues arise. 

What are the outcomes?

• There will be a reduction in the number of families reaching crisis point through timely Early Help intervention
• There will be an increased awareness of Early Help, intervention and inclusion across the city
• There will be a consistent offer of mental health and wellbeing services across Sussex

Priority 2: Early identification and intervention Strategic Actions

Workstream 2

We will:

EIAI 1

Review the early help offer in the city to reduce health and social care inequalities and to improve support for children and families with SEND . This will have a focus on hidden families and harder to reach communities.

EIAI 2

Develop guidance for delayed entry to school applications and applications to place children out of year group that fully considers the longer-term implications for children with SEND.

EIAI 3

Co-design with families the development of peer support schemes in the city that builds on what already exists.

EIAI 4

Implement the recommendations of the Pan Sussex review of Emotional Mental Health and Wellbeing Services. This will prioritise those recommendations that are most pertinent to the SEND community.

EIAI 6

Build on our SEND Guide for Professionals in a way that promotes the parent / child and young person voice. We will also develop a tool kit for early years settings and schools so that SENCO’s can identify and support additional needs at an earlier stage. To compliment this a SEND accessible guide for families will also be co-produced with our parent groups. This will enable better understanding of the tools used by schools to identify and support additional needs.

EIAI 7

Achieve an increased awareness in early years, education, health and care settings of inclusion issues and strategies / interventions. This is in order to support vulnerable children and young people and adults with LD. It will be delivered through an enhanced inclusion training offer from the Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Service (BHISS) and the Specialist Community Disability Service (SCDS).

EIAI8

Work with the city’s Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships (BAP) and other schools to ensure that children’s SEN and care status are fully considered in relation to school policies, including behaviour and safeguarding.

EIAI9

Strategic leaders will ensure that the whole-family approach is communicated effectively and embedded across all levels of the partnership and delivery teams. Supporting the needs of siblings of disabled children and young carers will be a key strand of this work.

EIAI10

Strategic leaders will give greater attention to evidencing impact alongside maintaining a focus on positive outcomes for families. This will enable best use of existing resources, with a view to developing the business case for investment in preventative services.

EIAI11

Implement personalised care and social prescribing for children and young people with complex health and SEN.

EIA12

Co-design with families the development of peer support schemes in the city. This will build on what already exists, and address the advocacy and support needs of all parent carers from diverse backgrounds.

EIA13

Monitor and publish the ethnicity breakdown of key services. This is to increase transparency and assess whether BAME families’ early help experiences are disproportionate to the wider SEND community.

EIA14

Schools to develop mentor systems to support BAME children and young people with SEND to develop effective individual plans for preparation for adulthood outcomes.

EIA15

Develop training for schools, parents and health professionals about the different way neurodevelopmental conditions including cross-gender can present. This will also cover pre-diagnosis and associated strategies for support.

EIA16

Ensure that early years providers and schools are equipped to identify and support children with high- prevalence additional needs pre and post diagnosis. This will be achieved through raising awareness, frequent and updated training and provision of appropriate teaching tools.

Vision

We will ensure that children, young people and adults with SEND and their families can access the right support from services - easily and quickly.

What are the outcomes?                                                            

• Our pathways will be clear, accessible and linked up across education, health and care for families
• A commitment to joint working and joint commissioning that recognises the value of working together to benefit the community and prevent children and young people falling through the gaps
• There will be a reduction in the duplication of meetings and families will only need to tell their story once
• There will be a short-breaks / respite service for children and adults that meets the needs of families

Priority 3: SEND Pathways Strategic Actions

Workstream 3

We will:

Pathways 1

Implement a communication strategy across services to ensure better lines of communication exist for children and young people with SEN and their parents and carers. This strategy will include data sharing agreements.

Pathways 2

Improve the timeliness of in-school triage for children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties. This is to ensure the right needs assessments are being identified and acted upon.

Pathways 3

Ensure that all meetings about the child / young person are brought together where possible. This is to save families and professionals attending multiple meetings and repeating the same information.

Pathways 4

Review our SEND decision-making systems and ensure that processes are transparent for families.

Pathways 5

Transform the Neurodevelopmental Pathway to increase capacity for Autism and ADHD diagnosis across both health and mental health providers. This is to ensure integrated pathways, approaches and packages of support for all Neurodevelopmental conditions. It will include the roll out of integrated clinics for complex and co-morbid cases.

Pathways 6

Co-design services to ensure a ‘whole family’ approach for all pathways pre and post diagnosis.

Pathways 7

Work with families and multi-agency professionals to ensure robust pathways for children “missing education” who are not eligible for support because they are not on a school roll. This must include electively home educated children and young people, and those who are in custody.

Pathways 8

Review our offer for children in care, children in need and children and young people previously in care. This is to ensure their needs are identified early, and they receive appropriate support in schools and colleges.

Pathways 9

Ensure that Children in Care Reviews and Annual Reviews are brought together once a year.

Pathways 10

Review the short break and respite policy and commissioning strategy for children, young people and adults with LD. This provides a range of opportunities through the extended day opportunities and short breaks in their community. The aim is to ensure it reaches more families and eligibility is equitable.  

Pathways 11

Ensure that EHC Plans better reflect the Health and Social Care needs of children and young people. For example short breaks provision will link to identified need and have clear outcomes.

Pathway 12

Ensure the Local Offer and information, advice and guidance through the SENDIAS Service is clear and accessible. This is so that families in Brighton & Hove know what the Health SEND offer is and how to access it. Information should include clear threshold criteria for accessing specialist services and provision.

Pathway 13

Develop with partners a Quality Assurance Framework for EHC Plans. This will have a focus on improved outcomes for children and young people.

Pathway 14

Co-develop a special schools admissions protocol.

Pathway 15

Deliver the recommendations agreed with parents / carers for the Home to School transport service that are cited within the Independent Review Report.

Pathway 16

Parents / carers to be involved in co-producing training programmes on Inclusion with the LA and CCG.

Pathway 17

Health and Mental HeMental and Physical health commissioners will review and co-develop, with families, the range of Child Development Centre Pathways. The aim is to clarify the offer and develop outcomes for ongoing monitoring.

Pathway 18

CCG will develop and implement an integrated commissioning model across Health and Social Care.

Pathway 19

Develop a more accessible and simpler support system for parents with clear signposting.

Pathway 20

Co-production with families at an individual level will be prioritised and monitored across pathways and services.

Pathway 21

Review and update the Brighton & Hove EHC plan template so that it is clear, simple and accessible; reflects the individual at the heart of the plan, and considers the support children and young people need to succeed. This will include a focus on improving the recording of Social care and health needs of children and young people.

Pathway 22

NHS Sussex ICB to review the time and resource allocated to the designated medical officer or designated clinical officer for SEND to ensure that it meets the needs of the SEND population.

Vision

We will ensure that all children, young people and adults with LD are able to achieve their full potential across Health, Education and Social Care.

What are the outcomes?

• Children and young people with SEND will have their achievements recognised and celebrated
• There will be a more flexible curriculum offer to provide more opportunities for success as recognised by Ofsted
• There will be a reduction in the attainment gap for children and young people at all key stages with SEND  
• Adults with LD will engage in ‘lifelong learning’ pathways and increase their independence

Priority 4: Achievement and Outcomes Strategic Actions

Workstream 4

We will:

AO1

Develop a city-wide approach to recognising and celebrating other outcome measures for young people with SEND and adults with LD. This needs to be embedded at an inter-agency / inter-service level, and done in partnership with the Local Authority, Voluntary Sector, children, young people and families.

AO2

Focus on aspirational and smart personalised outcomes across education, health and care in planning children, and young people’s EHC Plans and Social Care plans.

AO3

Encourage education settings to implement alternative qualifications that champion Life Skills. One such qualification is RARPA (Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement). This is a five stage process to measure the progress and achievement of learners on non-accredited learning programmes.

AO4

Work with schools to review the curriculum offer in the city for those with SEN. This should include consideration for expanding the city-wide vocational and alternative qualifications offer in secondary schools and for appointing vocational champions.

AO5

Develop a framework for wellbeing outcomes that makes explicit milestones for Mental, Physical, Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

AO6

Develop an aspirational outcomes framework for both EHC Plans and those children and young people on SEN Support.

AO7

Implement a co-produced attendance strategy for SEND learners to support increased attendance in school.

AO8

Continue to challenge and support schools to close the progress and attainment gap for ‘disadvantaged’ learners and those with SEND this may mean improving access to appropriate IT equipment for those who are unable to attend school.

AO9

The CCG will review current service specifications for Autism, Neurodevelopmental pathways and therapies such as Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Audiology and Speech and Language services. They will engage with children, young people and parent / carers to ensure that meaningful outcomes are defined and agreed.

AO10

Reduce the number of children and young people with SEND and those with SEND from a BAME background being excluded from education settings. This will be achieved through an enhanced training offer and the allocation of additional resources to the School Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships (BAP).

AO11

Raise the profile of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service and the support it can provide to SEND families who have English as an additional language (EAL). A variety of therapeutic interventions / subjects should be offered to BAME Children and Young People with SEND.

AO12

Schools to develop mentor systems to support children with SEND from the BAME community in developing effective individual plans for preparation for adulthood outcomes.

AO13

Raise the profile of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service and the range of interventions and support it can provide to SEND families who have EAL.

AO14

More collaboration between mainstream and special schools to share assessment methodology and adapt it to mainstream settings for Children and Young People with SEND.

Vision

We will ensure that moves between services or changes in provision and support across all ages are smooth, seamless and supportive.

We will improve the strategic approach to preparation for adulthood, so that all young people receive the right help and support they need to lead successful lives

What are the outcomes?       

• Transition for children going into reception and secondary schools will be well planned and supported
• A 14 to 25 co-produced pathway that includes Education and Care will be in place
• We will have increased employment and training opportunities for young people and adults with SEND

Transitions and preparing for the future Strategic Actions

Workstream 5

We will:

TPF 1

Establish a multi-agency preparing-for-adulthood group that reports to the SEND Partnership Board. This is to enable better transition into adult services and increase employment and training opportunities.

TPF2

Introduce person-centred planning reviews for young people in Year 9. This is to enable them to be more involved in all elements of their transition to adulthood.

TPF3

Develop and implement a co-produced 14-25 pathway for all young people with SEND. This is to enable them to understand and navigate their next steps into adult life. It needs to include earlier consideration of post 16 options.

TPF 4

Develop city-wide training / practice-sharing activities focussed on Year 6 transition.

TPF 5

Implement a clear process for phase transfers by working closely with families and statutory services such as School Admissions. This applies to the following: Year to 1 to Reception; Year 6 to Year 7; and Year 11 to post-16.

TPF 6

Increase the number of young people with SEND in employment through work experience. This will be achieved using the supported employment model alongside the development of supported internships and mentoring programmes with employers. It will include a review of Information, Advice and Guidance available in the city for young people.

TPF 7

Review commissioning approaches within health and mental health services. This is to ensure that children and young people up to the age of 25 experience a seamless service and age-appropriate care when transitioning from children’s services into adult services within community or acute hospital settings.

TPF 8

Develop and increase the opportunities for young people and adults with LD to enhance their life skills, interests and long-term outcomes. This applies particularly for those who have narrow interests and fewer life skills.

TPF9

Develop a range of tools for providers in the city to prepare our children with SEND for adulthood.

TPF 10

Provide training for foster carers and short breaks carers so that they can become shared lives carers. This will ensure consistency for young people with SEND who remain in family homes.

TPF 11

Expand the Move On project to enable more adults with learning disabilities to have greater levels of independent living.

TPF 12

Improve multi-agency working when planning the discharge of people with LD who are leaving their hospital placements.

TPF 13

Review the commissioning of services for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 with SEND. This is to ensure they experience seamless and age appropriate care. Young people will be included in commissioning decisions.

TPF 14

Develop an integrated, joined-up and multi-agency offer to support the transition of young people with SEND and complex health needs to adult services. This will apply even when there are no clearly identifiable adult services to meet their needs.

TPF 15

Commission services to ensure that providers of adult services actively contribute to transition care planning. This may include joint clinics held in a young person-friendly environment, where a holistic approach can be readily adopted.

TPF16

Focus on developing children and young people’s independence, confidence and social skills. This is so that they can access education and their local community. Ensure an independent travel training programme is developed within the city.

TPF 17

Build on the ‘What’s out there’ days for young people with Disabilities.

TPF18

Develop pathways that ensure a wide range of opportunities for young people to enhance their skills sets and increase their independence. The aim is for the focus to be less on training / education providers, and more on there being a different options for different young people.

TPF19

Ensure robust packages of support for children and young people with SEND in custody who are returning to school, employment or training.  Also, ensure that planning for any transition is undertaken with social care.

TPF20

Ensure the effective use of the Access to Work fund to help young people enter the workplace.

TPF21

Work with the community and voluntary sector to identify opportunities that will enhance the statutory offer for post 16 and 19 young people with SEND.

TPF22

Review and improve the post 16 and 19 education and training opportunities for SEND learners in the city. This will be done through engaging with 6th form colleges, FE colleges, Voluntary Community Sector, training providers and universities.

TPF22

Carry out a review of local preparing for adulthood arrangements using the NDTi national PfA Minimum Standards tool to inform a strategic action plan across education, health and care to enable young people with SEND and their families to achieve good life outcomes in all areas of life, including family life, education, social life, health and employment.

Vision

To ensure that the right provision is available at the right time for all children and young people with SEND. This includes Early Years, Post-16, Post-10, alternative provision and adults with LD .

What are the outcomes?

• A commissioning strategy for children and young people with SEND and adults with LD will be in place
• We will have a clear evidence base that supports the allocation of funding to further develop our specialist provision and services
• We will have a clear and accessible Local Offer of support

Priority 6: Sufficiency of SEND Services and Provision Strategic Actions

Workstream 6

We will:

SF1

Carry out a city-wide SEND sufficiency project.  The purpose of this will be to identify what provision and services we will require for children and young people from different backgrounds in terms of Education, Health and Social Care for a range of needs.

SF2

Continue to harness the reach / knowledge / input from the wide range of community support groups across the city that add value to all statutory services. These include parent /carer groups and advocacy groups.

SF3

Establish an LA commissioning and brokerage team to ensure a wide range of activities and provision are accessible for all children and young people with SEND. This will keep children and young people in their local community and use resources efficiently.

SF4

Continue to build on the Local Offer information, detailing provision available for children and young people with SEND across Education, Health and Social Care.

SF5

Develop our SEMH offer to support children to stay in mainstream provision. We will engage specialist support to work at an earlier stage with children to stabilise placements and prevent exclusion.

SF6

Be responsive to the changing needs of our local population. We will do this through engaging with families, using data and intelligence, and using local data sources such as the Disability Register.

SF7

Review how SEND is funded across the system at a local level, and explore alternative ways to manage the High Needs Block allowance for EHC Plans.

SF8

Carry out a skills audit. This will identify where we need to target support to improve staff recruitment and ensure retention in services that support SEND.

SF9

Review our offer for children and young people with Disabilities. The aim will be to increase the quality and capacity of Personal Assistants (PA) for young people in the city. We will do this by developing a recruitment and retention strategy, and providing an infrastructure that includes specialist training and a support network.

SF10

The CCG will improve their data systems. This will help us to predict need and to plan effectively how we will meet the needs of children and young people.

SF11

Equality and diversity must be considered as part of SEND Sufficiency planning and the associated design and delivery of all services.

SF12

Develop a joint commissioning protocol that ensures Commissioning decisions on specialist placements outside the city will be made with all agencies supporting the child or adult with LD. These placements will only be made on the evidence that the child or adult’s needs cannot be met locally.

SF13

We will work in partnership with schools to increase the supply of appropriate alternative provision through commissioning provision tailored to meet children and young people’s special educational needs (SEN).

Explanation of image

• SEND Partnership Board and Adult Learning Disability Partnership Board - accountability
  • Inclusion - workstream 1
  • Early Indentification and Intervention - workstream 2
  • SEND Pathways - workstream 3
  • Achievements and Outcomes - workstream 4
  • Transitions and Preparing for the Future - workstream 5
  • Sufficiency of SEND Services and Provision - workstream 6

We will deliver our strategy using a work-stream approach involving all key partners. Each work-stream will have named co-leads from Education, Social Care and Health and the Parent and Carer Council. The work-streams will meet bi-monthly. They will report directly to the SEND Partnership Board and the Adult Learning Disability Partnership Board on a termly basis.

The SEND Partnership Board will review its terms of reference and identify the steps that we will take to collectively monitor and measure the impact of this strategy and actions using a qualitative and quantitive data dashboard. These plans will be made clear to children, young people and their families with SEND in Brighton & Hove through regular communication.

Brighton & Hove Council Corporate Plan 2020 to 2023

Adults Learning Disabilities Strategy

Hidden Children Strategy

Health and Adults Social Care Commissioning Strategy

Health and Wellbeing Strategy

NHS Long term plan

The Carers Strategy

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

Joint Chairs: The LA’s Assistant Director Health, SEN & Disability and the Commissioning Manager, NHS Intergated Care Board

Parent Carer Council

AMAZE Charity that gives information, advice and support to families of children and young people with SEND in Brighton & Hove

Head of Service-Early Years Youth & Family Support

Head of Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Services

Head of Service 0-24 Specialist Community Disability Service

Head of Service 25+ and Specialist Clinical Services

Service Manager – Policy & Business Support

Head of SEN Statutory Service

Head of School Organisation

Designated Medical Officer

Executive Head, East Hub

Executive Head, West Hub

Executive Head, Central Hub

Headteacher, Secondary School

Headteacher, Primary School

SENCO, Secondary Phase

SENCO, Primary Phase

Performance Manager, Performance and Safeguarding Service

Head of Service 25+ and Specialist Clinical Services

Head of Service 0-24 Specialist Community Disability Service

Representative from Grace-Eyre

Representatives from Speak Out

Lead Councillor for Adult Social Care

Representative from Healthwatch

Deputy Chair of Parent and Carers’ Council

Representatives from Amaze

Representative from the Carers Centre

Assistant Director for Health, SEN and Disability

Commissioning and Performance Manager

Learning Disability Health Facilitator  

Representatives from Health & Adult Social Care:

Commissioning & Contracts Manager

Performance and Commissioning Manager (Engagement Lead)

Health Promotion Specialist

Representative from Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group:

Community Health Trainer, Healthy Lifestyles

Equalities Manager

Active for Life Sport & Physical Activity Worker

Employability Adviser, Employability Team

Representatives from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Learning Disability Liaison Nurse Manager

There are a number of actions identified within the SEND Strategy. But much of the key activity is focussed on:

• better working between agencies
• ensuring there is co-production with children, young people, adults with LD and their families when developing and designing services / provision
• streamlining processes so they are more accessible to families, and
• making systems more efficient so that children, young people and adults get the support they need when they need it

Training of the workforce by professionals and by families is also a key feature that threads through all priorities. But most of this can be delivered from within the current resources.

Much of this work will not require additional funding. It will just need a different approach to the way we work together to achieve the objectives we have set ourselves.

However, it is acknowledged nationally and locally that the public sector is under financial strain. This has been further exacerbated by Covid-19.

So the LA and partners will need to reflect upon how we use the current funding allocated to individual services and provision. A flexible approach will be needed to respond to the different priorities identified by the community. 

Where there is an identified need for some additional funding, a business case with supporting evidence will need to be submitted to the relevant organisation. 

Priority 6 – SEND Sufficiency – that will require detailed financial analysis, alongside a complete review of the High Needs Block.

Decisions will need to be taken collectively with stakeholders, including parents and carers, as to how the funding should be allocated in future. This is so that we can be assured the city has enough provision and services for children and young people with SEND and Adults with LD.

Risk assessment

Each priority will have an associated risk register. The register will identify the risks that may prevent the delivery of an objective, and the impact on the community if the objective is not achieved.

An officer from the relevant organisation will be responsible for managing the risk. A list of SMART actions to resolve / mitigate the risk will be monitored through the workstream leads and the SEND Partnership Board.

The risk register will be presented alongside the progress report by the Priority Leads at each respective SEND Partnership Board.

The impact of coronavirus on children and young people with SEND and their families has been significant.

There have been changes to children's daily routines, caused by the cessation of schooling and the reduced availability of therapeutic services. These have caused many children with SEND to struggle in adapting to new routines.

This may have impacted negatively on their emotional and mental wellbeing. For some it may have led to increased anxiety, agitation and more challenging behaviours.

Families have struggled as they have not been able to access their usual support networks. They have often been confined to their homes, sometimes with little outdoor space.

We know that for some families, Covid-19 has exacerbated challenges they were already facing. So it is critically important that we deliver this SEND Strategy.

The public sector has learnt a great deal from the lockdown experience. Specifically, it has learned how to deliver services and support to families in different ways. These include using a range of technology, social media and virtual platforms. 

We need to continue to listen to families about their experiences and ensure services are responding. Some of our systems and processes have become more efficient, and multi-agency working has become easier as we are increasingly able to meet virtually.

The local authority and CCG have maintained a close working relationship with the city’s SEND community. Together we have managed to deliver a range of successful interventions that have supported families through this difficult time.

Many of the priorities in the strategy can be delivered creatively. By this we mean using a variety of virtual platforms, social media or by the application of PHE guidance in settings / venues to maintain social distancing.

These priorities include:

• reviewing of processes and policies
• designing of pathways
• delivery of training
• effective communication between agencies and to the community
• improving access to advice, guidance and support
• data analysis to inform the commissioning of services and provision

All partners are determined that Covid-19 will not delay progressing the work contained within the strategy.We are committed to driving this forward by whatever means possible.

SEND Partnership Board

Send an email to SEN.Team@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Phone 01273 293 552