Reflections from Steve Crocker - 26 November 2024

Hello and welcome to my tenth blog as independent chair of the Oxfordshire SEND Strategic Improvement and Assurance Board (SIAB).

The board met once more on 26 November. 

Chair’s remarks

We began by reviewing the minutes and actions from our last board meeting. It's always crucial to ensure we are on track with our previous commitments and address any outstanding issues, including the importance of addressing funding issues, particularly NHS funding. This will be discussed further in a future meeting.

And in reviewing minutes I remarked that we needed greater clarity of government policies around SEND provision and the need for progressive change and transformation work going forward, with a focus on inclusion and tying together various policies within the Department for Education.

First on the agenda was Jules Francis-Sinclair, Chair of Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF) and her colleague Liz Knight.

OxPCF feedback

Jules and Liz Knight presented on behalf of OxPCF, highlighting ongoing efforts to enhance internal structures, processes and databases. They shared key issues raised by parents this month, which included access to COVID vaccinations; child and adolescent mental health service waiting lists; education, health and care plan one to one support gaps, and challenges for summer-born children.

They also introduced the board to a concerns tracker, which is a new initiative to systematically record and monitor themes and concerns raised by parents and carers, such as access to services, communication challenges and support gaps. This tool ensures key themes are effectively shared, addressed and used to drive service improvements across Oxfordshire.

Parent carer survey analysis – key findings

Andrew Cameron from Enventure presented key findings from the analysis of the parent carer survey that had taken place over the summer, which provided insights into the experiences and concerns of parents and carers who took part in the survey. These are highlighted below but we are mindful that because the survey was an open one, we have not gained the views from a representative spread of parents and carers of children and young people with a wide range of SEND.

The survey highlighted several key areas:

1. Communication and engagement: Parents and carers expressed a need for better communication and engagement from the authorities. They emphasised the importance of timely and clear information to help them navigate the services available to them.
2. Support services: There were concerns about the availability and accessibility of support services. Many parents and carers felt that the current support systems were inadequate and needed significant improvements.
3. Education and training: The survey revealed that parents and carers wanted more educational and training opportunities to better support their children. They expressed a desire for workshops, seminars, and other resources to help them understand and manage their children's needs.
4. Feedback mechanisms: Parents and carers highlighted the need for effective feedback mechanisms to ensure their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed. They suggested regular surveys and forums as ways to gather and act on their feedback.

As a board and partnership, we reflected that this survey was conducted at the early stages of our improvement journey. Much work has been undertaken on capturing the voice of the child and parent carers and to address the issues above to improve their overall experience. We are now looking at new and targeted ways of capturing feedback and measuring improvement at specific touchpoints from a much wider group of parents and carers of children and young people with a variety of needs.

SEND social care deep dive

Next on the agenda was Jean Kelly, Deputy Director Children’s Social Care, at the county council. She provided an overview of children’s social care in relation to SEND for the board.

Her presentation included detailed data and statistics. Jean emphasised the importance of accurate data in understanding the scope of the issues and in planning effective interventions.

Jean shared several case studies to illustrate the real-world impact of the current social care system on individuals and families – including helping families at an early stage and showing the positive impact of the children with disabilities team. These case studies helped to humanise the data and provided a clearer picture of the challenges faced by those in need of social care.

Her presentation concluded with a set of recommendations that would help to improve social care services, including improving staff training around SEND in mainstream social care services and enhancing collaboration between different service providers.

Jean's presentation was well-received and sparked a lively discussion among the attendees about the next steps and how to implement the recommendations effectively.

Programme updates

Right support at the right time

We started with Kate Reynolds, Deputy Director of Education, at the county council, and Nathan Thomas, CEO Acer Trust. 

Kate and Nathan presented updates on several key areas.

1. Early help and prevention: They emphasised the importance of early help and prevention in supporting children and families. This approach aims to identify and address issues before they escalate, ensuring that children receive the support they need as early as possible.
2. Targeted setting support: They discussed the need for targeted support in educational settings. This involves providing tailored interventions and resources to meet the specific needs of students, ensuring that they can thrive in their learning environments.
3. Early years: The update included a focus on early years education, highlighting the critical role it plays in a child's development. They stressed the importance of high-quality early years provision and the need for continued investment in this area.
4. Banding framework and alternative provision: These are both designed to provide appropriate support for students with different levels of need. This framework helps to ensure that resources are allocated effectively and that students receive the right level of support.
5. Special school outreach: They highlighted the role of special school outreach programmes in supporting mainstream schools meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
6. Professional development: Finally, they emphasised the importance of professional development for educators. Continuous training and development are essential to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to support all students effectively.

We all agreed that providing comprehensive support across various aspects of education will help to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Right plan, right first time, every time 

Deborah Smit, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of SEND, and Karen Fern, Designated Clinical Officer SEND 0 - 25 at NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), presented for detailed update on several key areas during their presentation.

They discussed the importance of the multi-agency quality assurance forum in ensuring quality and consistency in SEND services. The forum serves as a platform for sharing best practices and addressing common challenges.

They highlighted the ongoing deep dive into various aspects of SEND provision. This in-depth analysis aims to identify areas for improvement and ensure that services are meeting the needs of children and young people.

They emphasised the significance of timely and accurate education, health and care needs assessments (EHCNAs). These assessments are crucial for identifying the specific needs of children and ensuring they receive the appropriate support.

They introduced the newly launched education health and care plan (EHCP) audit tools to the board, which are designed to evaluate the quality of advice and plans. It also helps in identifying areas where EHCPs can be improved to better support children and young people.

They updated on the involvement of the youth forum in reviewing the annual review process. This initiative aims to incorporate the perspectives of young people in evaluating and improving the review process.

Right provision, right time, looking to independence

Emma Leaver, Service Director, Oxford Health, provided an insightful update on the work she and Chris Wright, Assistant Director, Partnership Development at BOB ICB, have been leading on. She focused on several key areas:

1. Partnership development: Emma mentioned the importance of partnership development in enhancing healthcare services. She highlighted ongoing collaborations between BOB ICB and Oxford Health to improve service delivery and patient outcomes.
2. Service integration: Emma discussed the integration of services across different healthcare providers to create a seamless experience for patients, ensuring they receive comprehensive care without unnecessary delays or complications.
3. Community engagement: The significance of engaging with communities to understand their needs better was discussed. Examples were shared of community outreach programmes and initiatives designed to gather feedback and involve the community in decision-making processes.
4. Innovative solutions: The presentation also covered innovative solutions being implemented to address healthcare challenges. This includes the use of technology and data analytics to enhance service efficiency and effectiveness.
5. Future plans: Emma outlined their future plans, which include expanding their partnership network, further integrating services, and continuing to engage with communities to ensure that healthcare services meet the evolving needs of the population.

Next and back on the agenda, Karen Fern and Deborah Smit led a discussion on the quality improvement framework.

Quality improvement framework

A key component of the framework is the commitment to continuous improvement for education, health and care plans. This involves regularly reviewing and updating practices based on feedback and new evidence, and adhering to established guidelines. The framework incorporates best practices and standards to ensure consistency and high quality service delivery. This includes having robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress and ensure that improvements are sustained over time.

Emphasis was also placed on the importance of data and metrics in driving quality improvement. Accurate data collection and analysis are crucial for identifying areas that need improvement and measuring the impact of interventions.

Equally important is engagement with staff, service users and communities in the quality improvement process. Their input is valuable in shaping and refining the framework. Added to this is the essential ongoing training and development for staff to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to implement the quality improvement framework effectively.

Wrapping up the meeting, there was a discussion about key performance indicators and the development of an infographic that shows progress against key measures. There was a request that the infographic is shared with the board in December, which it was, as we have already met on 12 December. More on that as soon as we can. 

So that’s it from me for now, and I hope, as always, this is useful.

If you are a parent or carer and have any thoughts or comments, please share with OxPCF by emailing info@oxpcf.org.uk. If you are a partner, please do feedback through your organisation. You can find a list of the LAP member representatives on the board on the SEND improvement webpage. Also don’t forget to sign-up to receive the SEND e-newsletter if you’re not already receiving it. 

May I end by wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

Until next time. 

Steve Crocker