Our progress so far

Position in November 2019

We had:

• separate data systems across education and social care for children and young people with SEND
• not yet completed our SEND JSNA
• limited information from children, young people and their families on needs
• lack of mutual understanding across partnership services of outcomes for children and young people 
• little understanding by services of the impact they were having on outcomes
• no needs-based partnership strategy in place to deliver improvements

Position as of June 2022

Area leaders have a greater understanding of the needs of children and young people with SEND in Central Bedfordshire

We have:

• gathered further information to update the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) on children and young people with SEND in Central Bedfordshire
• developed an effective way for us and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership to share data with the SEND Partnership Board
• developed a plan to ensure the three main SEND improvement workstreams are joined up: the written statement of action; the Schools for the Future Programme; SEND transformation
• reported to the SEND Partnership Board termly, sharing metrics on our progress
• reported the first version of the children and young people’s SEND Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) to the SEND Partnership Board, to help inform our future SEND Strategy
• finalised the children and young people’s SEND JSNA and presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board (July 2021) – this was used to inform the SEND Strategy and Joint Commissioning Plan
• ensured data is regularly shared between SEND, education, social care, and youth support teams; this has resulted in significantly improved data quality and data consistency, with all areas seeing the same children and working together to improve outcomes
• taken a key step towards enabling data exchange between services through access to NHS digital
• mapped out feedback channels and mechanisms of upwards reporting across the system, demonstrating where regular touchpoints of engagement feed into strategic decision making

There is an agreed set of outcomes for children and young people with SEND, which informs the development of the SEND strategy

We have:

• developed a joint outcomes framework in partnership with parents, carers, children and young people
• developed an interim SEND roadmap; a set of priorities that we will focus on initially, informed by key statistical and stakeholder data
• started working on our proposals for the SEND element of the Schools for the Future programme, ahead of wider consultation in 2021
• ensured that our work is governed well, with good representation from partner agencies
• developed a first draft of the children and young people’s children and young people’s joint outcomes framework
• developed a plan of how we are going to make people aware of our interim joint outcomes framework
• developed a set of shared outcomes that have informed the SEND Strategy and Joint Commissioning plan
• embedded joint outcomes in the partnership data dashboard to monitor progress and inform service improvements

The area has a clear SEND strategy

We have:

• consistently used data to inform our planning
• developed an interim set of SEND priorities to inform our joint commissioning intentions
• engaged with children, young people, schools and families to ensure their views inform our strategy
• identified short-term service improvements that can be made straight away
• provided regular progress updates to key partners about our interim strategic priorities, and our plans for shaping our longer-term SEND strategy, which will be informed by the work of the JSNA
• published the draft SEND educational forecast and plans for public consultation
• reviewed feedback from families and incorporated this into our planning
• published termly updates on the Local Offer about our progress
• held SEND strategy co-production workshops with parents/carers, SENCOs, headteachers, social care colleagues, health colleagues and voluntary/independent organisations
• co-produced a draft SEND Strategy with a clear set of six priorities, which underwent public consultation (concluded on 22 June 2022), including engagement sessions with young people – the SEND Strategy is informed by local needs and the views of the community including parents/ carers, partners across education, social care, health and the voluntary sector
• begun development of our SEND Strategy action plan to set out how we will deliver success against each of the six priority areas over the next 3 years

Short term service improvements

Speech and language services

Outcomes we're aiming for:

• schools and families have better access to support for children with speech, language and communication difficulties, including from speech and language therapy (SLT) services
• promote Cambridgeshire Community Health Services (CCS) SLT website and Facebook page in the SEND bulletin and ensure the resources are linked or placed on the Local Offer
• a suite of resources developed for families and promoted on the Local Offer and CCS SLT website and Facebook page
• an online referral system to access CCS SLT service is implemented
• accredited courses delivered to our education professionals to enable more effective support of children with SLCN in the classroom
• reduced waiting times for speech and language therapy appointments, with recruitment of additional staff and implementation of a new model of support across Central Bedfordshire

We have:

• continued to deliver an accredited course to education professionals across our services
• ensured dedicated special school SLT services are in place in all four local area special schools
• established a pan-Bedfordshire speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) group to ensure equity of provision across Bedfordshire
• established an SLCN steering group to identify clear gaps and needs not being met through current offer, following the creation of two working groups to focus on teenage/adolescent speech and language therapy
• established e-referral pathways to access SLT via CCS website
• promoted a suite of support videos and e-resources for families via our Local Offer and Facebook page
• launched and promoted SLT e-learning for parents, early years and schools
• recruited for all vacancies; waiting times, COVID-19 restoration plans and response to EHCPs are reported to system partners regularly, including through SLCN steering group.
• established pan-Bedfordshire SLCN steering group has been established and a plan developed to identify and address and service gaps, including funding bids for SLT support in youth offending and adolescents

Short breaks

Outcomes we're aiming for:

• families have access to clearer and accessible information about the availability of the short breaks offer (respite and leisure)
• review existing information offer on short breaks and identify area of improvement through engagement with families
• update short breaks statement
• update information on Local Offer about short breaks
• publish and promote updated information to families

We have:

• analysed potential gaps in summer holiday 2021 provision with health colleagues and SNAP PCF in preparation for launching grant fund for additional services
• awarded additional funding for school holiday provision up until April 2022, seeking to address both geographic and needs-based gaps
• updated information on the Local Offer about new summer holiday 2021 services alongside promotion and communications through partners
• announced the postponement of the Short Breaks (Leisure) Funding Consultation until September 2021, with current providers services to be extended accordingly
• published and promoted a new Short Breaks Statement with more information for families based on what they feel is important

Neuro-developmental diagnostic (NDD) pathway

Outcomes we're aiming for:

• an established neuro-developmental diagnostic (NDD) pathway which better meets the needs of children and young people
• finalised and published NDD pathway information on the Local Offer
• promoted the NDD pathway in our SEND News email bulletin
• developed and review pathway through the NDD steering and operational groups.
• implemented and embed multi-disciplinary complex case discussions to improve support and co-ordination of services for children and young people
• published additional resources and support available for the pre-assessment/diagnosis stage of the pathway on the local offer, following gap identification from the NDD working group
• promoted the NDD pathway and newly updated information as part of this
• published co-produced Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) position statement
• promoted the published PDA position statement and accompanying training offer
• SNAP PCF will have launched ADHD Wise training for parents
• launched a pilot of the Clem Burke drumming project in Central Bedfordshire