Devon welcomes a new, permanent Director of Children and Young People’s Futures
Stuart Collins is joining us from Kent County Council, where he is currently Director of Integrated Children’s Services and the strategic countywide lead on all their Early Help Services. He is a qualified social worker, with more than 29 years’ experience in local authority Children’s Services.
Stuart said:
''I look forward to working with all DCC staff, partners and parents to help shape and develop a consistent, county wide, SEN area response which meets assessed need.
“Improving the experience of children, young people and families will be one of my key priorities and I want to work with schools, health colleagues and the wider partnership to ensure that children and young people with SEND have equitable educational and employment opportunities, choices and aspirations.
“I look forward to working with families, staff, partners and stakeholders to ensure children receive the right service at the right time, in the right place''.
The May SEND Improvement Partnership Board met on Wednesday 24 May. You can read the minutes here.
Neurodiversity
This month the Improvement Partnership Board took a deeper look at the work to support children and young people who are neurodiverse. This area of work includes support for children and young people who have or may have autism.
NHS Devon presented a range of work that aims to develop a system-wide understanding of neurodiversity and to simplify getting support for children and young people with different cognitive styles.
We will be sharing more detail of this work across the partnership and with families, over the coming weeks and months.
Education Health and Care plans
The Board also looked at trends around the issuing and reviewing of Education Health and Care plans (EHC plans). Devon has high levels of referrals from both schools and families – higher than the average for the region. The Board has asked for more information to understand what is driving this.
Get involved
Ambassador Volunteer programme
Whatever your situation or experiences there are some things that all parents and carers need – access to information you can trust and support from other parents who understand what you’re going through. Many parents also want to share what they have learned and help services get better for everyone.
The Ambassador Volunteer Programme, run jointly by Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) and the Parent Carer Forum Devon, has successfully built local connections for SEND families and delivered training. It has been recognised nationally as a model of good practice.
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Youth Voice opportunities for June
Devon Youth Council exists to get the voice of young people heard and to make a positive change. We’re continuing to grow and develop our youth council, and there are lots of opportunities coming up that we’d love to have you involved in!
Upcoming opportunities this month include attending our Youth Voice Saturday, taking part in an International Essay Contest or becoming an #iWill Ambassador.
Find out more on the Devon Children and Families Partnership website.
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New DIAS guide to SEN support in schools
From the kind of support that’s possible, through to school plans and meetings and getting more help when things aren’t going well, it’s a big and important topic. So, to help answer your questions, Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) have brought lots of information together in a new booklet. Learn more and download the booklet on the DIAS website.
Young adults with autism support group launched in Devon
Dimensions for Autism are a friendly group of independent autistic adults who meet regularly for discussions, mutual support and community outings in Devon. They are now running a monthly online session for young adults with autism. The next session is on Thursday 15 June. Learn more on the SEND Local Offer news page.
Mill Water School proposal to increase pupil numbers to 112 in September 2023
Mill Water School in East Budleigh will be continuing to provide places for post-16 pupils. The Governors have listened to parents’ concerns raised in an informal consultation.
The school has now opened a formal consultation to increase their overall pupil numbers to 112. The consultation is open until Monday 3 July.
Visit the Devon County Council to have your say on Mill Water School’s proposal to increase places from 100 to 112.
Organisations invited to apply to open and run proposed Cranbrook special free school
Following a successful bid by Devon County Council to open a new special free school in Cranbrook, the Government's Department for Education has now published details on how proposer groups can apply to set up and run the new school. The proposed school will be a 70-place special free school for pupils aged 9-16 years old. Potential applicants can learn more on the DCC planning website. The deadline for applications is 16 June 2023.
Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) annual report
DIAS has published its Annual Report for 2021-22. In it you can find details about what they have achieved, people they have supported and how they influenced local and national policy and services. Read the report on the DIAS website
Here are a few of the highlights:
- The service saw rising demand for yet another year, up 40 per cent. There was a significant increase in both health and social care related enquiries – a rise of 96 per cent and 157 per cent respectively.
- The service continues to be highly valued by its users. 90 per cent of enquirers responded with the highest rating to the question ‘How helpful was the information, advice and support we gave you?’ on their feedback form.
- The development of the children and young people’s offer has been very successful and contributed to a Devon-wide vision to promote the voice of the child.
DIAS are now working on the 2022-23 report so look out for that soon.
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