The Local Offer October 2013

When the Children and Families Bill becomes enacted in 2014 local authorities will be required to publish and keep under review information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs aged 0-25. This is the local offer.

 

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What is the Local Offer?

What is the Local Offer?

• The Children and Families Act(enacted 2014) will introduce a requirement for every Local Authority to publish a Local Offer.

• This will contain information about services the local authority expects to be available in their area for children and young people (from birth to twenty-five) who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

• Services outside of the area, but which the Local Authority expects to be used by children, young people and their families, will also be included.

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The draft Code of Practice explains that the Local Offer has two main purposes:

• To provide clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the support and opportunities that are available; and

• To make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving children and young people with SEN, parent carers, and service providers in its development and review.

• The Local Authority must involve parents, children and young people in developing and reviewing their Local Offer. Local services, including early years settings, schools,colleges, health and social care agencies, must also be consulted.

 

• The Local Offer is a new way of providing information and should not simply be a directory of existing services – an address and telephone numbers will not be sufficient.

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What it is not….The Local offer is not a directory of services.

Similarities with a directory…..• It will provide contact details for services in the area.• It will be a comprehensive record of services in the area.

Differences from a directory…..• It will provide threshold and referral information• It will provide detail on schools and colleges and how they do

things• It will have reference to the legislation underpinning services• It will set minimum expectations for schools and colleges• It will be searchable for stuff you don’t know you need to find• It will have a feedback facility• It will inform joint commissioning

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Principles for our

Local Offer Framework

Co-produced with parents, carers, young

people and professionals

Delivers a comprehensive, multi-service

offering

Easy to understandEasily

accessible

Regularly reviewed and

updated

What the Draft Regulations Say

‘’A local authority must consult children with special educational needs, their parents and young people with special educational needs in their area about—

(a) the services children and young people with special educational needs require;

(b) how the information in the local offer is to be set out when published;

(c) how the information in the local offer will be available for those people without access to the Internet

(d) how the information in the local offer will be available to those with a disability which prevents them from accessing the information on the Internet;

(e) how they can provide comments on the local offer.”

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What the Draft Regulations Say cont.

‘’A local authority must also consult with: • the governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained

nursery schools; • the proprietors of Academies; • the governing bodies, proprietors or principals of post-16

institutions; • the governing bodies of non-maintained special schools; • the management committees of pupil referral units; • the advisory boards of children’s centres; • the providers of relevant early years education; • The youth offending teams that the authority thinks have

functions in relation to children or young people for whom it is responsible.’’

• Health

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Accountability

“A local authority must from time to time publish.

(a) comments about its local offer it has received from or on behalf of children and young people with special educational needs, and the parents of children with special educational needs, and

(b) the authority's response to those comments."

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NB. The Equality Act

From September 2012, governing bodies’ or proprietors’ policy for pupils at the school with special educational needs (accessibility plan) should provide information about:

(i) the arrangements for the admission of disabled persons as

pupils at the school;

(ii) the steps taken to prevent disabled pupils from being treated

less favourably than other pupils;

(iii) the facilities provided to assist access to the school by disabled pupils;

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What will schools have to do?

Schools will have to provide information about:• their approach to teaching of children and young people with

special educational needs; • how they adapt the curriculum and additional learning support

available to children and young people with special educational needs;

• how the progress towards any the outcomes identified for children and young people with special educational needs will be assessed and reviewed, including information about how those children, their parents and young people will take part in any assessment and review;

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What will schools have to do?

• how the effectiveness of special educational provision will be assessed and evaluated, including information about how children, their parents and young people will take part in any assessment and evaluation;

• how facilities that are available can be accessed by children and young people with special educational needs;

• what activities are available for children and young people with special educational needs in addition to the curriculum; and

• what support is available for children and young people with special educational needs.

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Developing the Local Offer

“Children and young people with SEN and parents should be at the heart of the local offer and should co-produce it with the local authority. Local authorities are best placed to decide how to do this but it needs to go beyond a simple sign off process. Children, young people and families can influence usefully both the type of provision and how it is made accessible” Code of Practice.

• It will start by asking parents and CYP what they want from the offer and design from there up

• It will be developed through a partnership process in which parents, schools, health and social care play a leading role

• It will be easy to use in an age of technology• Its language will use a strengths not a deficit model

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Developing the Local Offer cont.….

• It will be precise in drawing the line between what setting/school/college should provide or commission from its delegated funding, and what LA and NHS should provide or commission over and above this

• It might encourage schools to collaborate, working in Partnerships to pool some funding and commission expert services

• It must match at school level roughly what £6K can provide, and clearly define what high needs are

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Essex- The story so far & next steps

Set up Task & Finish Group March 2013

Develop a communication strategy March-April 2013

Briefings for schools March-June 2013

Stakeholder workshops April – June 2013

Develop the draft ‘Local Offer’ & June – Nov 2013

present to stakeholders

Develop a template that schools can use Sept-Dec 2013

School local offer template approved March 2014

Consultation on the draft local offer Nov – Jan 2014

Amend Jan – Feb 2014

Corporate approval process March-July 2014

Local Offer in place September 201416

http://www.essex.gov.uk/Education-Schools/Schools/Special-Education-Needs/Pages/Local-offer.aspx

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Strategy for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 2014 -19

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The strategy’s vision

To ensure that all Children and Young People with SEND have a full range of support and opportunities available to them and are provided with opportunities to maximise their life chances, goals and aspirations.

The priorities

• Priority 1 - Ensure every child with SEND can go to a good or outstanding school or education setting

• Priority 2 - Commission/deliver a range of high quality provision for all children and young people with SEND

• Priority 3 - Ensure a smooth progression to adulthood for all young people with SEND

• Priority 4 - Improve the Assessment and identification of SEND across agencies

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Next Steps

18 Sep 2013 - Draft shared with key stakeholders for information.

http://www.essex.gov.uk/Education-Schools/Schools/Special-Education-Needs/Pages/Essex-SEND-consultation.aspx

17 Dec 2013 - ECC Cabinet asked to approve Strategy and implementation plan

01 Jan 2014 - Strategy launched