Statutory Assessments and Annual reviews

The SEND LGA Peer review told us:

A multi-agency recovery plan needs to be put in place to improve the quality and timeliness of Statutory Assessments and Annual Reviews.

To ensure that EHC Plans are comprehensive and incorporate relevant health and care provision in addition to education. There is a need for further investment to address the growing pressures in order to produce plans in accordance with statutory requirements.

What we have done already:

We have established a Send and Inclusion Local Area Partnership Board (SILAP) which meets regularly, and which is overseeing the development of a clear Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan.

We have secured investment for SEND Services with further investment bids submitted for 24/25.

The Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) pathway has been redesigned to give a better experience for families and practitioners, and improve the quality of plans, annual reviews, and escalations.

ICB investment has also been secured to fund a health assessment service to inform EHC Needs Assessments for children and young people who are only known to universal health services. This is to ensure their needs are understood and advice on further support can be provided.

What’s next

We are working as a partnership to develop the Local Area EHC Recovery Plan in the coming months and council’s cabinet will make a decision around future investments in January 2024.

A Multi Agency EHCP Quality Assurance programme will be developed to include multi agency agreement on “what good looks like,” including effective use of multi-agency contributions and funding to EHC Needs Assessments, reporting, action, and evaluation.

The ICB will develop and recruit to its health assessment service in the next six months, whilst working with health providers to ensure contributions to EHCNA for children known to targeted and specialist health services are timely and in line with required practice standards.