April's news and updates from the SEND Improvement Board

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                                                                                                                                                 April 2019

Welcome back!

We hope to issue the SEND Improvement Programme Newsletter after every SEND Board meeting.

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Joint Local Area Inspection - update

In December, Devon had its Joint Local Area SEND Inspection, which included health, adults' and children's social care, and education. We are now working on a Written Statement of Action which addresses the four priorities in the inspection outcome letter:

- embedding our SEND Strategy

- communication

- autism

- Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

Have your say!

We are working with families and professionals to put the statement together. If you would like to contribute your ideas, visit devon.cc/wsoa 


Children and Family Health Devon logo

An alliance of local NHS providers was successful in its bid to provide community health services for children, young people and their families across Devon. The alliance will be taking over the contract from Virgin Care Limited on 1 April 2019 and is led by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Devon Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and Livewell Southwest.


Launch of the 'No Need to Exclude' Toolkit

We are very pleased to announce the launch of The ‘No Need to Exclude’ Toolkit to support staff in reducing exclusions.

The toolkit has been developed by schools and professionals, working together to end exclusions in Devon.

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Devon's Parent Carer Forum

Parent carers and officers from Social Care, the Clinical Commissioning Groups and Education came together on 27th March to look at options to develop Devon’s Parent Carer Forum. We are moving towards a consortium model for the Parent Carer Forum – this will mean working more closely with existing groups all over Devon. Professionals and parents worked together to contribute to the discussion and parents came to a consensus that we would find a temporary host organisation for the Forum. We agreed next steps, including co-producing a mission statement, action plan and terms of reference.


Champions for Change update

Devon's Champions for Change met in January, where we were joined by young people from KIDS, a national charity associated with the Council for Disabled Children. We have been sending postcards back to professionals who made pledges last year. We met again in March and talked about the issues in the SEND Inspection and our plans for 2019. Look out for a Champions for Change flag at the Ten Tors this year! You can read the notes from our meetings here. And make sure you have watched our film and shared it with everyone you know!

Group of children and young people cheering

SEND Board update

Here's what we did in the SEND Board on 28th March 2019 that will make a difference to children, young people and families: we used the opportunity to get input on Devon's Written Statement of Action from organisations represented at SEND Board (education and schools, health, and social care). We will include the views and ideas from parent carers, ultimately trying to make the best possible plan to support children and young people with SEND and their families.


New Special Schools in Devon

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The new special school in Tiverton, Charlton Lodge, is currently being built and due to be complete in time for the new school year, September 2019.


In Newton Abbot there will be a new school, Glendinning House Academy. The Department for Education are building the school and are in the process of putting in a planning application. The funding agreement will need to be completed before the school can officially offer places and this should be completed in good time for the school to open in 2020.