SEND Team Expansion
We are looking to increase the number of staff across the SEND Service. We reviewed our staffing following the outcome of the Local Area’s SEND Inspection and Ofsted’s direction to improve our SEND services as part of our Written Statement of Action (WSOA).
We will be recruiting 16 additional staff over the next six months into the SEN Assessment team and will endeavour to have a complete team – pending successful recruitment – by summer term 2023 and will include a new Complex and Vulnerable team and eight new Annual Review Officers.
To help improve the responsiveness of our services we are strengthening the back office, to meet the increased demand. The Business Support function has been designed to best support the front line services by providing a stronger management support team and creating new posts for FOI, SARS, Tribunal Support and Complaints.
The SEND Transformation and Compliance team helped to prepare the Local Area for the recent SEND inspection and following the outcome of the inspection, the team is being strengthened to support areas for development identified and the delivery of the WSOA. As part of the increase in these services we will be recruiting a SEND Children’s Participation Officer, two SEND Auditors and a SEND Marketplace lead.
Over the next two years we will be focussing on improving the quality of EHCPs, timeliness of Annual Reviews and responsiveness, which were all identified as areas for development in the Joint local area SEND inspection in Bradford - Full report.
We hope that the above information around our structures provides an insight as to how we support our children and young people. If you would like any more information please do not hesitate to contact the SEND T&C team on SENDTandC@bradford.gov.uk
Are you a parent/carer to a child or young person with additional needs in the Bradford Area? Would you like to have your say, help provide feedback to services and get involved in SEND service design delivery and reviews? We always welcome new parent/carers joining to help strengthen the voice and breadth of the group. We would particularly like to hear from any parent/carers with children and young people in special schools or with complex health problems.
The SEND parent/carer ambassadors meet monthly and you can attend either face to face or online. Please email SENDT&C@bradford.gov.uk if you are interested.
Some of our SEND parent/carer ambassadors also attend our SEND Workstreams to represent the parent/carer voice.
Preparation For Adulthood Prospectus
Have you got a child or young person in year 9 or above at school?
The PfA Prospectus is now live on the Local Offer, please share with children, young people, families and professionals where appropriate. This is a fantastic prospectus which we are sure will help many people learn about what is available in Bradford.
Thinking Big – Puberty workshops for parent and carers
Thinking Big have a number of sessions running for friends and family members of children and young people with additional needs to connect, share information and learn new skills. This month: -
Join our Puberty Workshop delivered by Claire Warne School Nursing Special Needs Team and Children’s Learning Disability Team in December. We will explore how puberty may impact on children and young people with additional needs including hormonal changes, behaviour and how parents and carers can support young people growing up with their hygiene and development, we will cover:
- Understanding/knowledge of puberty
- How to support your child both emotionally and practically
- Supportive strategies and resources
Parents/carers only need to attend one session, we have a number of options available across our Hubs on:
Tuesday 13 Dec – Bradford, 10am-2pm, Wedgewood House, BD4 0NQ
Wednesday 14 Dec – 10am-2pm, Kirklands Community Centre, LS29 6HT
Wednesday 14 Dec – Online - 10am-12pm – Zoom
Thursday 15 Dec –Keighley -10am-2pm – Clockhouse BD21 1QX
If you would like to know more please get in touch at friendsandfamily@thinkingbiguk.org where we will be happy to chat.
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SEND EHCP Annual Review Portal
As some of you may have heard, we will soon be launching our brand new Annual Review module within the SEND Online Portal. The purpose of this module is to ensure schools are able to monitor the progress of an Annual Review as well as, to allow us to make sure the children of Bradford are being supported.
The portal is due to be launched in early 2023 and prior to the module going live, we will be holding a series of training events for all schools across Bradford. This will be a complete run-through of the new system and how to use it as well as an opportunity to provide feedback on the system.
“Our vision is to provide high quality support for all Bradford children and young people using a collaborative approach through transformational learning experiences so that they can flourish, make excellent holistic progress and successfully transition to responsible citizens.”
As we approach the end of the Autumn Term, so far 142 schools and 29 settings have requested SCIL Team SEND Specialist Support. A link Specialist Teacher, Access and Inclusion Officer or Specialist Practitioner has been allocated, collaborative plans are in place and agreed actions are well underway.
Our offer focuses on equipping mainstream schools/settings to identify and effectively support children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities through high quality teaching, reasonable adjustments and additional provision.
We’re receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback so far about our proactive and collaborative way of working. If you are a school/setting that has yet to request this free offer of specialist support, the form can be found at Referral Forms | Skills 4 Bradford.
Dates: Various dates between December 2022 – March 2023
Timings: 2 hour session, start time either 10am or 1pm
Location: BTM 11/12 Eldon Place, Bradford, BD1 3AZ.
As part of the Living Well Mental Health Programme, The Cellar Trust and BTM are delighted to work in partnership to deliver some unique training on neurodiversity and how this can intersect with mental health difficulties.
This excellent face-to-face training is provided free of charge to any attendee who lives in the Bradford and Craven area. Each two-hour session will explore the definition of ‘neurodiversity’, detail the different conditions that this can cover, in addition to looking at which services are available and what sort of reasonable adjustments could be considered within the workplace.
The training is coproduced with people with lived experiences and includes case studies of their experiences.
SORM- Into Employment Group
The SORM Into Employment Group remain busy venturing into new work experience placements. The group have produced a video to share with others about their placements.
Watch the video here.
Click the button below to learn more about them.
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SkillsHouse celebrates success of Kickstart Scheme
Young people and businesses gathered to celebrate the achievements of the Kickstart Scheme across the district.
Launched by the Government in September 2020, the scheme aimed to link young people to quality job placements and improve their prospects of securing long-term employment.
Over the course of the scheme, over 800 young people were successfully placed across the Bradford District with support from SkillsHouse, the Department for Work and Pensions as well as 150 local businesses who took on young people.
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