This month’s Devon’s special educational needs and disability (SEND) Improvement Partnership Board news update has been published. Devon SEND Improvement news is for children, young people, parents, carers and professionals.
Read some highlights below, or read the full newsletter online.
If you’d like to receive the newsletter by email, you can subscribe to Devon SEND Improvement news.
Devon welcomes a new, permanent Director of Children and Young People’s Futures
Stuart Collins is joining the council from Kent County Council, where he is currently Director of Integrated Children’s Services. Mr Collins is a qualified social worker, with more than 29 years’ experience in local authority Children’s Services.
He has been responsible for Children’s Social Work and Early Help services for north and west Kent and is the strategic countywide lead on all its Early Help Services.
Stuart said:
”I look forward to working with all DCC staff, partners and parents to help shape and develop a consistent, county wide, SEN area response which meets assessed need.
“Improving the experience of children, young people and families will be one of my key priorities and I want to work with schools, health colleagues and the wider partnership to ensure that children and young people with SEND have equitable educational and employment opportunities, choices and aspirations.
“I look forward to working with families, staff, partners and stakeholders to ensure children receive the right service at the right time, in the right place”.
Read more on the Devon County Council website.
May SEND Improvement Partnership Board update
The May SEND Improvement Partnership Board met on Wednesday 24 May. You can read the minutes here.
Neurodiversity
This month the Improvement Partnership Board took a deeper look at the work to support children and young people who are neurodiverse. This area of work includes support for children and young people who have or may have autism.
NHS Devon presented a range of work that aims to develop a system-wide understanding of neurodiversity and to simplify getting support for children and young people with different cognitive styles.
We will be sharing more detail of this work both across the partnership and with families, over the coming weeks and months.
Education Health and Care plans
The Board also looked at trends the issuing and reviewing of Education Health and Care plan (EHC plan). Devon has a high levels of referrals from both schools and families – higher than the average for the region. The Board asked for more information to understand what is driving this.
Getting involved
Ambassador Volunteer programme
Whatever your situation or experiences there are some things that all parents and carers need – access to information you can trust and support from other parents who understand what you’re going through. Many parents also want to share what they have learned and help services get better for everyone.
The Ambassador Volunteer Programme, run jointly by Devon Information Advice and Support (DIAS) and the Parent Carer Forum Devon, has successfully built local connections for SEND families and delivered training. It has been recognised nationally as a model of good practice.
Learn more about the Ambassador Volunteer programme on the DIAS website.
More information
You can read the full newsletter online.
If you’d like to receive the newsletter by email, you can subscribe to Devon SEND Improvement news.