Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy 2019 - 2022 was developed with parents, carers and young people. The strategy has seen us make several improvements to SEND services across Medway over the last 2 ½ years.
From improving our Local Offer website to providing more opportunities for internships, we’re committed to providing children and young people with the local SEND services they deserve.
We’re on the right path to a brighter future. This edition of the SEND ebulletin looks back at what we've achieved so far as part of the strategy and how you can have your say on how we improve our services moving forward.
Medway’s Joint SEND strategy 2019-2022 was an ambitious plan which set out the joint vision across health, education and council services for children and young people aged 0-25 years who have special educational needs and disabilities, along with their families.
The strategy has seven main priorities:
- Early identification and help at all ages including an improved Local Offer
- Make sure that SEN provision in schools, settings, and services is high quality and ensure inclusion and good progress for all
- Plans for more provision in schools, settings, and services – more places locally
- Support young people to have more opportunities to be as independent as possible as they become adults
- Increase working together with CYP and parents/carers – participation and co-production
- Ensure joint planning and pooled resources for accessible services locally
- Enable CYP with SEND to have the best possible physical and mental health and wellbeing
To help us implement the strategy to improve SEND services, each priority has several actions. Many of these actions have now been completed and we are starting to see the impact of these on children and young people’s lives.
Work has already started on the new strategy: We'll provide further updates in future editions of the SEND newsletter
 |
|
-
What we said: Improve Local Offer
-
What we did: New website – take a look
|
 |
|
-
What we said: Provide accessible services locally
-
What we did: Set up a Community of Practice Group for parents and carers: take a look
|
 |
|
-
What we said: ‘Improve mental health and wellbeing support for individuals with SEN
-
What we did: New online hub listing local services - Check out the hub
|
 |
|
-
What we said: Cross-working between children, young people, parents and carers
-
What we did: Redesign of the Education, Health and Care Plan
|
 |
|
-
What we said: More specialist provision in schools
-
What we did: Setting up a Positive Behaviour Support Pilot across four schools
|
Many children and young people have benefitted from the improvements we’ve made through the current strategy. We’ve picked out some of the great feedback we’ve received from youngsters across Medway:
“The Local Offer website is much better”
“The EHCPs are easier to read now they have been redesigned”
“I am lucky because I go to a special school close to my house. It’s good that there will be more schools in Medway for young people who have autism.”
“Supported Internships are good and Bemix helped me to get my job.”
“Being part of the Young Persons’ group has helped me be brave enough to speak up when I need to”
We’re currently running a survey to get the views of both parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Tell us what you think of SEND services to help shape our 2022-2025 strategy: Complete our short survey by midday on Wednesday, 8 September:
For parents and carers, the full link to the survey is:
https://surveys.medway.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=162824578760
For young people aged under 25 years old, the full link to the survey is:
https://surveys.medway.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=162921956760
For more information and to read the current strategy, visit medway.gov.uk/sendstrategy
|
