Draft
These are the draft minutes of the SEND Strategic Partnership Board. This note will be removed once the minutes are signed off at the next meeting.
Attendance
- Andre Imich, Independent Chair
- Alison Brooks, Strategic Advisor (minutes)
- Amy Carey-Jones, Information Advice & Support Lead, DiAS
- Amy Bickford, SEND Participation Lead, Devon County Council
- Brian Gale, SEND Adviser, DfE
- Councillor Denise Bickley, Cabinet member for SEND, Devon County Council
- Dan Harris, Head of Financial Systems & Processes, Devon County Council
- Donna Manson, Chief Executive, Devon County Council
- Jack Newton, Deputy Director – Education and Schools, Devon County Council
- Julia Bonell, Co-chair of Parent Carer Forum Devon (PCFD)
- Kellie Knott, SEND Strategic Director, Devon County Council
- Lauren Davies, Children and Family Health Devon
- Lucy Eyre, Interim Deputy Head of Service, Children and Family Health Devon
- Maddie Hayden, Communications and Engagement Lead, Devon County Council
- Mark Tucker, Senior Learning Disability and Autism Programme Assurance Manager and SEND Lead NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, NHS England
- Mark Vickers, Chief Executive Officer, Olive Academies
- Melanie Coleman, Programme Manager for SEND Transformation Programme, Devon County Council
- Mohammed Jamal, DfE Case Lead
- Penny Smith, ICB Chief Nurse, NHS Devon
- Sally Heath, Deputy Director of Transformation & Business Services, Devon County Council
- Steve Brown, Director of Public Health, Devon County Council
- Su Smart, Director of Women and Children’s Improvement, NHS Devon
- Victoria Mitchell, Co-chair of Parent Carer Forum Devon (PCFD)
- Victoria Smith, Parent Forum Co-Chair (PCFD)
Apologies
- Councillor Frank Biederman, Cabinet member, Devon County Council
- Hannah Smart, Executive Headteacher, Devon Special Schools
- Julian Wooster, Director of Children and Young People’s Futures, Devon County Council
- Natalie Wickins, Care Group Director – Women’s Agreement and Children, NHS Devon
- Rachel Shaw, CEO Exeter Learning Academy Trust
- Tandra Forster, Director of Integrated Adult Social Care, Devon County Council
1. Welcome, introductions and apologies
The Chair welcomed all attendees and thanked members for their flexibility regarding the revised schedule.
2. Vision for Board – Andre Imich
- Focus on all children and young people for whom Devon is responsible.
- Emphasis on collective responsibility and strengthened partnership working.
- Need for well structured, purposeful meetings.
- Cultural change is essential; structural change is quicker than behavioural change.
- Parent Carer Forum representatives stressed the importance of understanding and practicing effective coproduction.
- The cancelled coproduction workshop will be rearranged.
Actions: Chair (AI) to reschedule the coproduction workshop at a suitable date.
3. Our approach as a system on responding to DofE letter on self-assessment – Andre Imich, Kellie Knott
Key points discussed:
- All local areas asked by DfE and NHS England to undertake the assessment.
- Assessment covers seven pillars and requires rating as Emerging, Developing, Maturing.
- Will inform national support to Devon, not serve as a judgement tool.
- Group session proposed to work through pillars and reach provisional ratings.
- Need to use existing SEF evidence to avoid duplication.
- Ensure alignment with the NHS England Quality Assurance Framework.
- Importance of reflecting current improvements and forward direction.
Decisions:
- A dedicated Board session will be held to work through the seven pillars.
- Pre-reading and mapped evidence will be prepared.
Actions:
- MC / KK / AI – Schedule and coordinate a 1-1.5 hr online maturity assessment session.
- MC –-Prepare pre-reading and map existing SEF evidence against the seven pillars for circulation before the session.
4. Progress update and reflections of SEF and SEND inspection preparation – Kellie Knott, Brian Gale, Mark Tucker
Key points discussed:
- Need for balanced narrative: recognise progress as well as challenges.
- Data must reflect the whole cohort, not subsets.
- Inconsistent family experience remains a concern.
- Risk of overstating progress before families feel the impact.
- Consider additional feedback mechanisms beyond formal complaints.
- Communication with families highlighted as a notable weakness.
Decisions:
- SEF requires refinement to better balance strengths and challenges.
Actions:
- All Board Members – Provide feedback to Kellie within two weeks.
- KK – Produce revised SEF with stronger evidence base and balanced messaging.
5. Dates and locations of forthcoming meetings
Key points discussed:
- Meeting on 2 September clashes with school term start.
- Broad agreement to move the meeting to a more suitable date.
- Interest in holding some meetings in schools or health settings, but only where engagement with children and young people is purposeful.
Decision:
- September meeting to be pushed back by a week.
- Potential new venues to be considered; proposals to return to Board.
Actions:
- MC – Change September meeting date and circulate revised invite.
- AI – Explore suitable alternative meeting locations and bring proposals to a future meeting.
6. AOB
- Key messages from meeting to be circulated (not minuted in detail).
- SEND inspection preparation sessions noted.
Date for next meeting: Tuesday 10 March 2026