Purpose

For Cabinet to discuss the recommendations
within the Children's & Education Select Committee's inquiry
into the support and information available for parents of children
with autism, ADHD or anxiety.

Content

The Children’s and Education Select
Committee had agreed to set up a rapid review in November 2022
with the aim of investigating the pathways to
finding information for children and young people with SEND when
first trying to access services and support. This
involved:

(a)              
assessing views from different sources with regards
to the availability and accessibility of information required by
parents to gain support from services for their children,
and

(b)              
gaining understanding on information for services
specifically relating to gaining help for children with autism,
ADHD and anxiety/depression.
 
The group took part in a range of
evidence gathering sessions from November 2022 to March 2023 with a
wide range of council officers, through visits to primary,
secondary, grammar and special schools, with lead professionals
from related organisations and by interviewing parents with SEND
children.
 
The final stage of evidence
gathering with individual meetings with parents provided a crucial
insight into the first-hand experiences of parents in accessing the
system of services potentially available to them when concerned
about gaining help for their child. This process highlighted a
range of issues such as difficulties in knowing where to go for
assistance, how to gain diagnoses, and symptoms being recognised
and supported.
 
The review was chaired by Councillor Diana
Blamires and comprised Councillors Sarah James, Sophie Kayani, Paul
Turner and Julie Ward.  Following the evidence gathering meetings the
review group then met to discuss and agree its key findings and
recommendations, which were presented in the report found at
Appendix 1.
 
Cabinet was asked to consider the
recommendations of the Select Committee Review.
 
RESOLVED
 

That the Pathways
for Children with SEND Review Group, as well as the supporting
officers, be thanked for their work and subsequent
recommendations. 
That
Cabinet’s responses to the Pathways for Children with SEND
Review report and recommendations, as set out and circulated to
Members, be agreed. 

 
Note: a complete breakdown of the scrutiny
recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be found
here.