What is happening in Cornwall to make things better for Children, Young People with SEND and their families?
Background
In February 2023, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed a Cornwall Local Area Partnership SEND Inspection; the results of which were published in a report in May 2023.
What has happened since February 2023?
Since the inspection, and in line with our Local Area Self Evaluation findings from Autumn 2022 (where lots of practitioners come together to celebrate what’s working well, and what could be improved), we have been updating the SEND Transformation Plan. 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 across the Local Area Partnership: Health, Education and Social Care.
Practitioners from health, education, social care and the voluntary and community sector have worked together to co-create action plans around 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 working with students, families and practitioners to find out what the experiences and challenges are for children and young people with SEND. 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 on a wide range of information around SEND
- there are live information reports that can help staff monitor the timeliness of EHCP assessments and Reviews, as well as 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)
We are working together to make sure children and young people with SEND and their families have easy access to quality information and support around neurodiversity.
Improve Communication
We are reviewing existing communication channels and content, recognising the challenges and identifying solutions. Through this, we will improve the experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. Collaboratively reviewing the existing Cornwall SEND Local Offer and how children, young people, families, parents / carers, and practitioners find out about what services and support is available in Cornwall is an example of a piece of work within this workstream.
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 across NHS Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT), Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), other NHS partners - via staff email
SEND Update for Parents / Carers
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Update is produced termly for parents / carers and to keep everyone up-to-date with developments.
Read the Spring 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
You can also subscribe to the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Team Update using the AAC Update tick box via the link above.
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