Purpose

This report provides (a) a progress update on
the SEND Improvement Programme since inspection; (b) an overview of
current challenges across the system and the evolving strategic
plans to address these and; (c) a brief overview of the new area
SEND Inspection Framework and outcomes to date.

Content

Cabinet received a report
providing:

·              
a progress update on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
(SEND) Improvement Programme since inspection.

·              
a brief overview of the new SEND Inspection Framework and outcomes
to date.

·              
an overview of current challenges across the system and the
evolving strategic plans to try to mitigate the challenges.
 
The local authority and the Integrated
Care Board (ICB) were jointly responsible for services provided to
children and young people with SEND in Buckinghamshire and were
subject to inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission
(CQC). Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) was
the partner ICB.  Ofsted and the CQC
inspected the services provided for children and young people with
SEND in Buckinghamshire between 7 March and 11 March 2022.
Following the local area inspection, the Local Authority and the
Integrated Care Board (formerly the Clinical Commissioning Group
[CCG]) were jointly responsible for submitting an action plan to
Ofsted, detailing how 3 areas of significant weakness would be
addressed. The plan, submitted on 8 August 2022 was approved by
Ofsted on 25 August 2022.
 
The 3 areas of weakness identified
related to:
• The lack of a cohesive area
strategy to identify and meet the needs of those children and young
people requiring speech and language, communication and
occupational therapy.
• Waiting times for assessments on
the autism and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder
diagnosis pathways and the system-owned plans in place to address
this.
• Waiting times to see a community
paediatrician.
 
The current challenges across
the SEND system related to:-
 

·      
waits for access to diagnoses and therapy support
being still too long,

·      
a sharp rise in requests for EHCP assessment,
together with a shortage of Educational Psychologists (This had led
to a decline in performance against the statutory 20-week EHCP
needs assessment measure.)

·      
the number of EHCPs maintained by Buckinghamshire
was also increasing

·      
there were very significant financial pressures on
the High Needs Block.
 
Buckinghamshire was not alone
in facing challenges in meeting the needs of children with SEND.
The local area has sought to deliver against a wider improvement
programme to ensure the experience of children and families
improved across all areas of SEND.
 
RESOLVED –
 
That the
update from the Area SEND Partnership be
NOTED.