Across the Region

The day started – as perhaps it should – with the voice of young people themselves. The Children and Young People’s Advocacy Group (CYPSA) is a regional forum for children and young people with SEND to have their voices heard regarding health topics. CYPSA also supports the develop of local self-advocacy groups and links children and young people with local health systems. The overarching aim is to raise the profile of children and young people’s voices both regionally and nationally.
The CYPSA project manager, Sian Smiley, and Emily, one of the young people in the project, gave a presentation about selected “moving on” stories, in which the impact of the CYPSA project was shown to create a positive impact by sharing the lived experience of young people in the region. The team is now looking for children and young people with SEND who are willing to share their views and opinions of regional health systems – both their own and others. You can find out more here: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/somerset-young-peoples-voice/

This was followed by a talk about the parent carer perspective on transitions, by Kenton Mee (Director, SW, for the National Network of Parent Carer Forums or NNPCF), and Ruth Hobbs from Somerset PCF. This focused on the SW Regional Forum and how it was commissioned by the NHS’s Learning Disability and Autism Programme to undertake a project to capture the transition experiences of children and young people. The project’s report had identified a consistent gap across our region in data relating to transitions. This found that, although up to 43% of parents reported a good or excellent experience for this child, there were five key themes which were problematic:

-Not all relevant people are involved during transitions
-There’s a lack of good quality accessible information
-Communication issues
-Transitions were too late or delayed
-There was a lack of person-centred planning and follow-through

The speakers linked these shortcomings to work ongoing within the NNPCF on improving provision around preparing for adulthood in terms of education and employment, health and wellbeing, community. You can find the report here: https://tinyurl.com/4dybn99e

Next, Alice McColl from NDTI (National Development Team for Inclusion, see www.ndti.org.uk) talked about sustainable paid employment for young people, focusing on a project funded by the Dept for Education called Internships Work. Across the South West, this project had £1130,000 of funding to create Supported Internships for young people with additional needs.

Through the project, all Local Authorities are required to:

• Establish a SEND Employment Forum
• Develop and Monitor a local area Action Plan for SEND Employment

The aim for Internships Work was to raise aspirations, involve young people in planning their futures from Year 9, and to raise awareness for schools, families and education providers of what’s available to support young people into work. Using a person-centred approach, the project was based on the four Preparing for Adulthood Pathways outlined in the SEND Code of Practice: employment, independent living, community inclusion and health.  You can find out more here: https://www.ndti.org.uk/resources/preparing-for-adulthood-all-tools-resources

This presentation by Liz Curtis-Jones (Principal Lead) and Rachel Nesbitt (Early Years Lead) focused on a project called Best Start in Life in Dorset which created partnerships between teams in the Local Authority, Dorset Parent Carer Council (Dorset’s PCF), and health and education providers. It was singled out for praise in the region’s 2024 Ofsted and CQC inspection, which said: “Transition into school is a strength of the partnership”. Support with Early Years transitions is provided by dedicated Best Start in Life Advisers. You can find out more about the project here:  https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/best-start-in-life-advisor

This talk by Dr Duncan Gillard, Lead Psychologist in the Enable Inclusion Team, described a three-year pilot project funded by NHS England and Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council and South Gloucestershire Council and hosted by Enable Trust. The project used a flexible psychology model to provide complex case work with children and young people and was entirely outcomes-based. You can find out more here: https://www.enabletrust.org.uk/

This project, called Somerset Works, was presented by Richard Lucas from the Preparing for Adulthood team in Somerset Council, and Alison Douthwaite, a research associate in the Dept of Education. Somerset Works is a project run by a team of psychologists and so it straddles education and health. It focuses on a preventative approach to reduce issues in Years 12 and 13 in schools, and promotes consistency across services, agencies, provision and partners. The team works to identify what motivates each individual young person with SEND and to map the most appropriate intervention for them, with the aim of preventing issue building up which can then cause them to leave education early and become “NEET” (Not in Education, Employment or Training). You can find out more here: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/school-life/somersetworks/

The final presentation of the day was given by Jessica Trahar, Deputy Director of the SW Regions Group in the Dept for Education. She talked about the Regions Group’s roles and responsibilities and its Opportunities Mission, which is focused on breaking down barriers to opportunity. She described key elements of the new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is currently working its way through Parliament, which includes:

• Strengthening multi-agency child protection and safeguarding
• Implementing a package of support to drive high standards in education and care systems 
• Keeping families together and children safe
• Driving high and rising standards for every child
• Removing barriers to opportunity in schools
• Creating a safer and higher quality education system for every child

Jessica explained that the government aims to create a more effective and financially sustainable system by prioritising early intervention and driving up standards and inclusion across all schools. She described how the Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report, which the government commissioned from Prof Becky Francis, feeds in to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. She also referenced a recent (October 2024) National Audit Office report on “Support for Children and Young People with SEND which evaluates the current SEND system and identifies its strengths and weaknesses. You can find out more, and download the report, here: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/support-for-children-and-young-people-with-special-educational-needs/?nab=2