Welcome
Welcome to the SEND Improvement Programme newsletter for October and November 2019.
Please remember that news and updates are also regularly uploaded to the SEND Local Offer Website - including updates on progress we are making against the Written Statement of Action (WSoA).
We are pleased to update that the recruitment of the additional 6 staff in the SEN team is moving along, some have already started.
This has been part of the actions following the WoSA and allows us to maintain the progress made in improving timeliness of assessments and also add our new case managers to managing annual reviews.
Please bear with us as we manage how the extra staff take on existing EHCP cases, we are working hard to ensure any handovers are done sensitively and with as little disruption as possible to children, families and schools.
Our phone numbers and emails mailboxes have not changed so please contact the team as usual.
A series of events and meetings has been arranged through the NHS South West Personalisation Programme with the aim of ensuring that people who have a learning disability and/or autism are involved in developing local plans on personalisation. A workshop is taking place on Friday 15th November in Taunton - please follow this link for more information and the link to the event booking page.
Further progress has been made in the timeliness of Education Health and Care assessments - an average of 40% of plans were issued on time during the period August to October - continuing the positive path we are now on.
 From Virtual Reality to biscuit decoration to hat-designing, activities for young people were in full swing at the champions for change Fun Day on 28th September. Young people from as far afield as Dartmouth and Barnstaple (as well as a few Tivvy locals) dropped in to the first ever Champions for Change Fun Day at Tiverton Youth Centre.
Devon County Council is inviting your feedback to co-design services and support that really works for disabled children, young people and their families. We want to hear your views so we can shape Devon County Council Short Breaks offer together. We have a range of different ways for people to get involved, including some events in November. |
New IT System for SEND
There will be a new and improved IT system that will manage EHC assessments and reviews, and enable parents to keep track on the progress of their EHCP assessment. We plan to pilot this with some schools and families before we roll out the system for new assessments in February 2020. The annual review process will be added to the system later in the year. Updates will be available on the SEND Local Offer Website.
 Did you know that October was International AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Awareness Month?
There was a lot going on for the SLCN team during the month. Click the following links for:
The aim of the Small Grants Scheme is to increase the number of activities and resources that children and young people (0-18) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families can access across Devon.
Access more information about this scheme, from the Local Offer Website, here.
Devon County Council is improving the information available for parents of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
We'd like to find out about your experience of using the Devon SEND Local Offer website: http://www.devon.gov.uk/send
This survey will only take a few minutes to complete and is anonymous, although there is an option to add your email address at the end if you would like to help us with further user research.
Your views, comments and thoughts are really important and will help us improve the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
The Make your Mark ballots took place during September and October. Official results will be announced soon, but we can already see local issues which young people have raised, including access for children and young people with disabilities and more autism-friendly areas.
On behalf of parents and carers and everyone who benefitted from her dedication and enthusiasm for helping to support children and young people with SEND, the SEND improvement board would like to thank Mel Webb for all her hard work during her time working for DCC and wish her all the best for her new job!
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