The original 18 month SEND pathfinder programme was launched in
September 2011 with an additional 18 month extension, announced on
6th November 2012. This has altered the completion date from March
2013 to September 2014. During the programme, the 20 SEND
pathfinders will test many of the commitments of the Green Paper,
Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational
needs and disability, Department for Education, 2011.
This ‘food for thought’ page has been designed to provide a flavour
of pathfinder activity throughout the programme. It will include
updates such as pathfinders' newsletters, case studies, write-ups
from events and supporting documentation that underpins the
trialling of new ways of working within individual pathfinder
areas. Any documentation should be viewed as work in progress and
is included to provide a snapshot of pathfinder activity, rather
than a representative picture of the programme on a pathfinder by
pathfinder basis.
LATEST NEWS
Updated Principles of Emerging Practice for SEND
As you may be aware, an original version of the Principles of
Emerging Practice for SEND was sent out to all pathfinders in
Autumn 2012 by the Department for Education and Department of
Health. These emerging principles set out ways of working that
pathfinders and DfE delivery partners have fed back are the most
effective practical steps to implement the reforms. Now that the
pathfinders have made significant progress in developing and
testing the assessment and planning process, it is vital that this
learning is identified and shared widely, to assist pathfinders in
developing their testing and to support all areas prepare for the
implementation of the Green Paper reforms.
In order to share this learning, the Principles of Emerging
Practice for SEND have been further developed to incorporate
feedback and reflect up to date learning from pathfinders. These
principles are being developed as a living document, with further
iterations to reflect pathfinders’ continuing work to develop new
approaches and any additional evaluation evidence.
The latest version of the Principles of Emerging Practice for SEND
can be found
here.
SE7 Short Film
On 19th March 2013, a short film of SE7’s pathfinder work was
published. The film outlines the Minister for Children and
Families, Edward Timpson MP’s, visit to Surrey on 14th February and
the work of the pathfinder. The film includes commentary from the
Minister, professionals, families, and young people, as well as
details of Surrey’s approach (as part of SE7) to personalisation
and coproduction. The film can be found on YouTube
here›.
Pathfinder Progress Report
On 5th March 2013, the Department for Education and the Department
of Health published a joint report on progress across the
pathfinder programme, including headline results from a survey of
sixty-five families with completed Education Health and Care Plans.
The report is available for download
here›.
PATHFINDER INFORMATION
Assessment and Single Plan
SE7 Framework for Assessment and Planning can be found
here.
Hartlepool and Darlington:
Video clip› of their One Plan Concept, as explained by Helen
Sanderson from Helen Sanderson Associates.
Local Offer
SE7 DRAFT Principles for Local Offer, version 12 (January 2013) can
be found
here.
Examples of published local offers:
Trafford›
Hartlepool:
St
Hild's School›
Manchester›
Darlington
›
Non pathfinder areas:
York›
Buckinghamshire›
Other Resources
Preparing for Adulthood:
Local Offer Information
›
Parent and Carers
Contact and Family, National Network of Parent Carers, Department
for Education, Department of Health and Mott MacDoanld held a
parent carer event in February 2013 to hear directly how parents
and carers have found the experience of the pathfinder.
Examples of resources produced for parents can be found below:
Other resources from parents can be found at
Contact a Family website.›
CASE STUDIES
Spring 2013
An progress report included a number of pathfinder case studies was
published by the DfE on 5th March 2013. Please find a link to the
report
here.›
*Coming soon* - extended case studies from those
pathfinders referenced in this report.
Autumn 2012
A number of other case studies were developed by pathfinders in
conjunction with the
Preparing for
Adulthood› and
Early
Support and Key Working› delivery partners:
Bromley & Bexley
Calderdale
Devon
Manchester
SE7 (including
appendices)
Earlier Case Studies
East Sussex (SE7)
Hampshire (SE7)
Hertfordshire
Surrey (SE7)
Trafford (including
appendix)
NEWSLETTERS
Pathfinders have been writing updates and publishing
newsletters.
Calderdale:
December 2012 and
January 2013
The following is a selection from
Bromley and Bexley,
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly,
Hartlepool and Darlington,
Hertfordshire,
Medway (Part of the SE7
pathfinder).
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BILL
The Children and Families Bill was introduced to Parliment on 4th
February 2013 by the Department for Education and can be access by
clicking here. The second reading of the Bill was held on 25th
February 2013. A transcript of the reading can be found
here.
›
The Department for Education have produced a young person's guide
to the Bill. It explains what will change for children and families
if the Bill gets agreed. The guide includes information on
adoption, looked after children, family courts and other areas of
the Bill as well as a section on special educational needs and can
be found
here.
On Monday 11th February, two members of EPIC, a group of young
people working with the DfE to give their views and advice on the
Children and Families Bill, quizzed Edward Timpson MP, Minister for
Children and Families, about the Bill and how he thinks it will
benefit children and young people with SEND. A video of this
meeting between EPIC and the Minister can be found via YouTube
here›.
Special educational needs (SEN) provisions of the Bill details
transforming the system for children and young people with special
educational needs (SEN), including those who are disabled, so that
services consistently support the best outcomes for them.
The Bill will extend the SEN system from birth to 25, giving
children, young people and their parents greater control and choice
in decisions and ensuring needs are properly met. It takes forward
the reform programme set out in Support and aspiration: A new
approach to special educational needs and disability: Progress and
next steps including by:
- replacing old statements with a new birth- to-25
education,
- health and care plan; offering families personal budgets;
and
- improving cooperation between all the services that support
children and their families, particularly requiring local
authorities and health authorities to work together.
More information can be found on the Department for Education
website and by clicking
here.
›
The Children and Young People's Health Outcome Forum
The Children and Young People's Health Outcome Forum has published
its proposals on how health-related care for children and young
people can be improved. For further information, please
click
here›.
The Department of Health has published a White Paper, 'Caring for
our future: reforming care and support' and a draft Care and
Support Bill. For more information,
please visit the Caring
for our Future website.›
NHS Mandate and the Education, Health and Care Plan
On 13 November 2012 the first Mandate between the Government
and the NHS Commissioning Board was published, setting out
ambitions for the health service for the next two years.
The Mandate is structured around five key areas where the
Government expects the NHS Commissioning Board to make
improvements:
- preventing people from dying prematurely;
- enhancing quality of life for people with long-term
conditions;
- helping people to recover from episodes of ill health or
following injury;
- ensuring that people have a positive experience of care;
and
- treating and caring for people in a safe environment and
protecting them from avoidable harm.
Bullet 4, 'ensuring that people have a positive experience of
care', includes a specific pledge at paragraph 4.13 to improve
support for children and young people with special educational
needs or disabilities. This will be achieved through the Board's
objective to 'ensure that they have access to the services
identified in their agreed care plan, and that parents of children
who could benefit have the option of a personal budget based on a
single assessment across health, social care and education for
children'.
You can read more about the NHS Mandate and download a copy
here.›
A transcript of a recent Education Select Committee oral evidence
session on special educational needs is available on the Parliament
website›.
COUNCIL FOR DISABLED CHILDREN
In addtion to the publication of the Children and Families Bill,
the Children's Minister, Edward Timpson has written to the Council
for Disabled Children as strategic partner with more detail about
the government's response to the select committee's report and what
happens in the process, including the following areas:
- The inclusion of an explicit right to request an
assessment
- The requirement of Local Authorities to consult parents and
young people in preparing Education, Health and Care Plans
- The provision for those on Apprenticeships to have an
Education, Health and Care Plan
- Provisions for the new SEN Code of Practice to be consulted
upon
- The work of the SEN and disability pathfinders
The letter from the Minister, dated 5th February 2013 can be found
here›.
MOTT MACDONALD SUPPORT TEAM
EVENT WRITE UP
A number of events for pathfinders will be held during the
programme, the write up from the these events can be found below
SUPPORT TEAM DOCUMENTATION
Mott MacDonald has produced a number of 'Good Practice' documents
which can be seen below. In the coming weeks, Mott MacDonald will
be publishing a 'Good Practice' paper for Data Protocols.
