18 November 2016
Our Peer Review is
coming - 22-25 November
Dear Colleague
As part of our programme to improve services for
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND),
we asked the Local Government Association (LGA) to undertake a Peer
Review of the Council and our partners, to provide challenge and share
learning to support implementation of the SEND reforms in the local area.
The review is taking place next week - from Tuesday 22 to
Friday 25 November. Throughout the week, the Peer Review team will
participate in a number of focus groups with staff and partners from across
education, health and social care, visit settings and talk to children, young
people and parents and carers.
We will be sending out daily bulletins like this throughout
the Peer Review period next week, to let you know how the review is
progressing, and what is coming up.
Following their visit, the Peer Review team will compile a
report, which will be shared with all partners and stakeholders, and will
form the basis of our future planning process.
Who are the Peer Review Team?
The Peer Review team consists of four peers plus LGA Peer Manager, Jill Emery.
- Chris Baird, Assistant Director of Education and Commissioning at Herefordshire County Council
- Linda Williams, Independent Health Consultant. Linda is a former registered nurse and midwife with significant operational experience.
- Margaret Mulholland, Director of Development and Research, Swiss Cottage School, London. Margaret is a former teacher and a spokesperson and advocate on SEND.
- Andy Lawrence, Head of Disabled Children’s Services, Hertfordshire County Council. Andy is SEND lead at the Council for Social Care and a trained SEND Ofsted inspector.
What will the Peer Review Team be looking at?
During their visit the Peer Review team will be looking at the overall progress with implementing the SEND reforms and assess the effectiveness and impact of the SEND reforms in the local area.
In particular they will look at:
- How effective services are at identifying children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities;
- Assessing and meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities;
- Improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
- Whether the views of children, young people and their parents/carers are at the centre of all services and to what extent are they involved in the strategic development of services;
- The sense of common purpose and agreed objectives across the local area;
- Pathways for referrals to health and social care services for assessment;
- How well educational institutions identify, plan, arrange provision and review within their setting;
- The quality of leadership across the partnership with regard to strategic planning and operational delivery.
SEND Local Offer
Devon’s SEND Local Offer provides up-to-date information on support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It covers provision for children and young people with SEND from birth to 25, including information on education, health and social care services and how to access them. Visit the SEND Local Offer website.
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