What is happening in Cornwall to make things better for Children and Young People with SEND and their families?
Background
In February 2023, Cornwall Local Area Partnership SEND Inspection received a SEND Inspection. This was carried out by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The results were published in a report in May 2023.
What has happened since February 2023?
Since the inspection, we have been updating the SEND Transformation Plan. This is in line with our Local Area Self Evaluation findings from Autumn 2022. (At this event, lots of practitioners come together to celebrate what’s working well and what could be improved). The plan sets out what everyone has to do. It is fundamental in making sure we are all working to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. It applies across the Local Area Partnership: Health, Education and Social Care.
Practitioners from across the sector worked together to co-create action plans. This included people from health, education, social care and the voluntary and community sector. They came up with five themes:
- Quality Assurance of Education Health and Care Plans
- Experience and outcomes of children and young people
- Effective Data Management and Intelligence
- Reduce waiting times for health services (specific focus on neurodevelopmental conditions)
- Improve communication
Quality Assurance of Education Health and Care Plans
We are building a framework for Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in Cornwall. This framework will promote consistency and quality of information within EHCPs. We will make sure that the views and wishes of children, young people with SEND and their families are integral to the framework.
Experience and outcomes of children and young people
We are want to find out what the experiences and challenges are for children and young people with SEND. We are working with students, families and practitioners to do this. Some examples of our work so far are:
- staff are creating one-page profiles about themselves to send to children, young people and their families ahead of a visit
- Boxall Profile training has been undertaken by staff. This helps staff to have a greater understanding of personal, social and emotional development
- case studies are being created of schools and settings where there is evidence of an inclusive environment. These will be shared to help schools and settings have lots of ideas and examples of things that work well
- we developed a student survey to ask their views, helping us shape the priorities for this work
Effective Data Management and Intelligence
We are working to improve the quality of data we have in Cornwall. This includes looking at how we collect data and how we make sure data is accurate. This will make sure the data we have can be used to help us understand need and develop appropriate services and support.
- Staff can see how Cornwall has performed historically against other Local Authorities. The data covers a wide range of information around SEND
- There are live information reports that can help staff monitor the timeliness of EHCP assessments and Reviews. They can also see trends in the population
- Maps show us areas where there might be greater need, to help inform decisions
Reduce waiting times for health services (specific focus on neurodevelopmental conditions)
Children and young people with SEND and their families need easy access to quality information and support around neurodiversity. We are working together to make sure this is provided.
Improve Communication
We are reviewing the way we communicate with families and what we tell them. This is helping us to recognise the challenges and identify solutions. Through this, we will improve the experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. For example, we are collaboratively reviewing how people find out about the Cornwall SEND Local Offer. We're looking at how children, young people, families, parents / carers, and practitioners find out about what services and support.
There will be several developments we want to keep you updated on. These will be posted throughout existing channels over the coming months.
- for parents/carers - subscribe to our update below
- for education staff in settings - sign up or log in to our schools / early years platform
- for practitioners and staff working in Together For Families - via staff email
- for practitioners and staff working in wider Council services - via staff email
- for practitioners and staff working in the NHS - via staff email. (Integrated Care Partnership, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, other NHS partners)
SEND Update for Parents / Carers
We produce a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Update every term. This is for parents / carers and aims to keep everyone up-to-date with developments.
Read the Autumn Term 2025 SEND update
Read earlier versions of the update below:
If you’d like to receive the SEND Update direct to your email inbox, please use the link below and complete our newsletter subscription form:
Subscribe to receive the SEND Update
We also have an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Team Update. You can subscribe using the form above. Just tick the AAC Update.
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