SEND & Alternative Provision Strategy
Telford and Wrekin’s local area strategy for Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) & Alternative Provision (AP) required an update (previous issue dated 2016) in line with proposals laid out in the Department for Education’s national SEND and AP Improvement Plan March 2023 and OFSTED/CQC new inspection framework of local area SEND arrangements (January 2023).
The strategy sets out Telford & Wrekin’s local area’s vision for children and young people aged 0-25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for children and young people who are accessing or may need to access alternative provision (AP). It is a partnership document across the council, NHS and third sector services recognising that children and young people with needs will require and receive support from across education, health and care services.
The strategy, that weaves together SEND and AP for the first time, recognises that many children that attend alternative provision will often have SEND. Alternative provision refers to a range of providers that offer educational provision outside of mainstream education.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 states that children, young people and their families should be involved in decisions that are about them at all levels and that coproduction should be at the heart of developing services. Coproduction therefore features at the heart of the new strategy and sets out our clear intention to work with our parents, children and young people.
The strategy was developed through workshops with professionals across education, health and care, parents and carers and young people during November and December 2022. The final strategy includes amendments made in response to feedback received.
Downloads:
Download - SEND & Alternative Provision Strategy 2023-2028
Area SEND and Alternative Provision Action Plan
The Area SEND and Alternative Provision Action Plan outlines the key areas of development and workstreams across the local area partnership, including Health, Education and Social Care.
SEND JSNA
The 2018 SEND Joint Strategic Needs Analysis (JSNA) brought focus to a shared understanding of the actions needed to improve the lives of children and young people with SEND in Telford & Wrekin. We have more to do with some issues having been addressed, some have not, and the impact of the Covid pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people is apparent. The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) refresh, published in February 2023 enables us to bring to the new Integrated Care System (ICS) evidence of our need and improvements required locally, enabling multi-agency joint commissioning to ensure best use of our collective resources and services covering all levels, with an aim of preventing escalation in need. Within this document is a collection of a wide range of data, information and lived experience from which to identify and implement the improvements needed within our collective ambition to achieve.
Belonging Strategy
The Belonging Strategy is an overarching strategy that describes the priorities for all partners across Telford and Wrekin in addressing some of the key issues described through an increased sense of belonging. This is underpinned by a Belonging Action Plan where progress towards delivering the objectives described will be tracked. It is also underpinned by the Fair Access Protocol which describes the operation of the Fair Access Panel and the support available to young people and schools. The Hard to Place Protocol which sits under the Fair Access Protocol describes the process to ensure that the most vulnerable young people are placed in a fair and equitable way.
Children's Services Core Offer
As a service, Children’s Services strive to work collaboratively, and in partnership to ensure that the best positive support is provided, to enable all families using the service to be as independent as possible and achieve positive outcomes.
The Core Offer outlines key priorities and provides details for each team and service area who help work towards these.
Telford & Wrekin Partnership Threshold Guidance
Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership endorses and actively promotes the use of the partnership framework for assessment and support outlined within the Threshold Guidance to promote best possible outcome for children, young people and their families.
This guidance is for everyone who works alongside children, young people, their families and carers in Telford. It is how we work together, share information and ensure that children and their families remain our main focus and that we provide effective support to them. To enable families to become stronger and more resilient so they can identify the challenges they are experiencing and find solutions at the earliest possibility. Taking a partnership approach from the earliest opportunity should mean that fewer children in Telford and Wrekin experience serious harm from abuse or neglect.