Delivering Better Outcomes Together

The Delivering Better Outcomes Together consortium provide specialist advice, training and support to professionals and practitioners through the SEND regional structure to support them in implementing the SEND reforms.

The consortium is made up of three organisations; Mott MacDonald, NDTi and CDC. Together we deliver a range of flexible and tailored support to help improve understanding, build confidence and support best practice in relation to the reforms to SEND provision. Working with the sector we look at the issues and challenges of implementing the reforms and seek to find solutions by sharing and developing areas of good practice. 

Supporting local authorities 

We provide a range of flexible support to local authorities through a network of 9 regional SEND leads. The regional lead is a named individual/individuals in either an individual local authority or a consortium of local authorities and their partners. They provide intelligence from the ground to highlight areas where further support is needed and provide a route to cascade information back to local authorities. The 9 regional leads are:

• London: London Borough of Greenwich
• Yorkshire and Humber: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough working in partnership with City of York Councils
• North East: Durham County Council
• North West: Oldham, Trafford and St Helen’s Metropolitan Borough Council
• West Midlands: Coventry City Council working in partnership with Solihull Council 
• East Midlands: Leicester City Council 
• East of England: Peterborough Council
• South West: Torbay Council
• South East: Portsmouth City Council 

To support them in understanding their new legal duties and improve service provision we oversee a team of specialist SEND advisers who make regular visits to local authorities. They help identify any problems emerging and provide targeted advice and support to local authorities and their partners as needed. We also host a series of working groups that meet on a regular basis to share learning and exchange ideas for improving delivery.

To find out more about the SEND Regional Network visit https://www.sendpathfinder.co.uk/send-regional-coordinators

Senior Management Leadership Programme

Part of the support offer to local authorities is a leadership programme for senior leaders which provides a combination of legal training, personal development and practical advice on delivery. The programme has been running since its pilot in 2015 and is now accepting applications for Sept 2019 – March 2020, with 40 spaces in total.

For more information visit https://www.ndti.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/leadership/leadership-training

Supporting SEND practitioners

Preparation for Adulthood

A key focus of the SEND reforms is around supporting children and young people as they move into adulthood. This means ensuring that they receive the right support, advice and opportunity to find employment, live independently and enjoy good health.

NDTi supports practitioners as they take on these new responsibilities through the Preparing for Adulthood programme (PfA). The programme is built on four key messages:

• Personalise your approach
• Develop a shared vision
• Improve post-16 options and support
• Raise aspirations

This year, through PfA, NDTi will be working on six key thematic areas:

Local Offers around PfA EHC Plans around PfA; Progress on integration and strategic joint commissioning; Strategic engagement of parent/carers and young people; Employment and paid work for young people; Progress on personal budgets and personalisation.

For further info please visit https://www.ndti.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/preparing-for-adulthood1/ or contact [email protected]

 

Joint working

Key to the success of the SEND reforms is ensuring that practitioners across the sectors are working together to share information and collaborate effectively. To support that objective we are providing regions with a combination of network support, interactive tools and one-to-one advice.

CDC is leading work to support local areas joint working practice across LAs and local health systems. We are providing local areas with a combination of  support at a regional level and more bespoke advice in relation to joint working and integration to support the implementation of the Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms.

• Regional Joint Working Workshop: Each region has the option to bring together local authorities and health commissioners to look at context, process and best practice around joint commissioning. Each workshop will focus on a theme chosen by the regional leads, adapted to suit the region’s needs
  Data and information sharing
  Aligning Different Programmes
  Outcomes Based Commissioning
  Personalisation
  Regions not wishing to have a regional event are able to use the resource in a different way which is supportive of joint working.
• Targeted Support: We are offering bespoke support to 15 local authorities with a Written Statement of Action and 5 local authoritie who either have not yet been inspected or who have completed their inspection without a WSOA. This support consists of 5-7 days of staff time which can be used in a variety of ways, including hosting a workshop or event, desk based document reviews and facilitated discussions.
• Accelerated Working Groups: Following on from last year’s contract work,we will be working in depth with different local authorities on:
  Data and information sharing
  Aligning Different Programmes
  Outcomes Based Commissioning
  Personalisation
  This work will support the local area to make significant improvement in this area while supporting the development of guidance and resources for other local authorities to use in improving their own systems and processes
• Data dashboard: As part of the AWG on Data and Information Sharing, The Council for Disabled Children has developed the 0-25 Multi-agency SEND Data Dashboard, a commissioning tool to support local areas to understand their data relating to children and young people with SEND https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/0-25-multi-agency-send-data-dashboard
• Audit Tools: To help CCGs and Local Authorities self-asses and monitor their progress towards SEND implementation, we have developed both a range of audit tools. The audit tools pull together in one place the key pieces of evidence that CCGs and Local Authorities will wish to assure themselves on in terms of their progress towards implementing the 2014 Children and Families Act reforms in relation to disabled children and young people and those with SEN.

Usual resources:

The CCG tool
Local Authority Audit Tool
Audit Tools Hub (These tools may be helpful in supporting DBOT related work)

To find out more about any of the support listed above you can contact Philippa Watts at [email protected] or Ryan Nibloe at [email protected].

Supporting children, young people and parent carers

Information, Advice and Support

Each local authority hosts an Information, Advice and Support service (formerly called Partner Partnership Services) where children, young people and parent carers can receive impartial and confidential advice. There are 150 IAS services across England offering support. 

Local IAS services are supported  by the IASS National Network, hosted at the Council for Disabled Chidren. They provide staff employed in IAS services with legal training, one-to-one advice and resources. 

You can find out more about the IASS National Network and search for local IAS at www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/find-your-local-ias-service