SEN Health Check

With the implementation of the Children and Families Act, local authorities need to ensure that their systems are robust and able to meet their statutory duties and to reduce the possibility of complaints and appeals to the First Tier Tribunal, which can be costly and time consuming.

Rising complaints, unmanageable levels of SEN Tribunal appeals, staff on the brink? Time for our SEN Health Check.

The purpose of the SEN Health Check is to ensure compliance with the Children and Families Act and to build capacity and resilience in SEN Teams. The objective is always to improve the quality services offered to families and the outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs.

As part of the SEN Health Check we undertake an audit of your SEN policies and procedures and advise you on areas of risk and where cost savings can be made.. We will also advise you on how existing practices can be strengthened and improved.

Given our wide range of experience across the sector we are well placed, from a legal perspective, to advise local authorities on their compliance with the Children and Families Act.

WHAT WE CAN LOOK AT

We have experience across the SEN system and have carried out health checks in respect of:

Improving the EHC Needs Assessment Process
Improving the quality of professional reports
Developing the knowledge, confidence and compliance of officers working in the SEN system.
Improving the quality of EHC Plans
Improving the quality and lawfulness of decision-making and role of SEN Panels
Reducing the number of SEN Tribunals and Complaints

TYPE OF WORK WE UNDERTAKE

Every health check is different and depends entirely on the local authority. However, a typical audit may involve the following:

We will meet with your senior SEN Managers and agree a brief for the audit; we will set a timescale for completing the audit
We will attend your offices and undertake the audit which may involve:
- Observing several SEN Panel meetings
- Considering a random selection of Education, Health & Care Plans
- Considering a random selection of annual reviews
- Considering a random selection of case files
- Providing a questionnaire for officers to complete so as to establish the level of SEN awareness
- Liaison with Parent Partnership, which can provide useful feedback on how parents perceive the service
- Considering the number of SEN Appeals and the nature of the appeals
- Liaising with a selected pool of local schools to obtain their feedback on how they perceive the service.
We will prepare a preliminary report setting out our findings and recommendations
We will undertake any remedial action required on your behalf or provide you with the guidance to do it

Case Study: TribunalS and Mediation

We designed and implemented a Tribunal process for a South Eastern local authority, which also promoted and embedded the use of mediation. The process was fully managed and supported through SEN4You. During the period of engagement, the Local Authority successfully defended 60% of its appeals registered and also saw a significant reduction in placements at independent schools.

Case Study: Improving Statutory Advice

We reviewed the EHC Plans of a number of children and noticed that the quality of advice was often poor. To address this, we designed new model forms for completion by all participants in the EHC Needs Assessment process. This resulted in more specific information being captured which not only assisted decision making but helped to create more focussed EHC Plans.

Case Study: Policies and Procedures

We were commissioned to design a new EHC Plan template for an eastern region local authority. Following discussions with educational settings, parents and colleagues in the SEN Service a new, more user friendly EHC Plan templated was created. This resulted in a more succinct and specific EHC Plan being created.

CASE STUDY: TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

We delivered a bespoke and specifically focused training package for a local authority covering all aspects of the Children and Families Act 2014. Each session lasted a full day and was designed to test staff knowledge and to raise awareness of the relevant law and guidance.

CONTACT US TO ARRANGE YOUR SEN HEALTH CHECK

If you are interested in commissioning our SEN Health Check please contact us to have an informal discussion and how we may be able to assist you.