SEND Strategic Partnership Board Terms of Reference

A. Vision and purpose

The purpose of the SEND Strategic Partnership Board is to ensure that all children and young people thrive and achieve positive outcomes, through the right support in the right place at the right time: 

“Our vision – as set out in the SEND Code of Practice – for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people – that they achieve well in their early years, at school and in college, and lead happy and fulfilled lives. ¹ 

This is about how professionals across education (including early years, schools, colleges and 16-19 academies), health and social care should support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities to prepare for adult life and help them go on to achieve the best outcomes in employment, independent living, health, and community participation.”

We are clear that in an effective and sustainable SEND system that delivers great outcomes for children and young people, the vast majority of children and young people should be able to access the support they need to thrive without the need for an EHCP or a specialist or alternative provision place. This is because their needs would be identified promptly, and appropriate support would be put in place at the earliest opportunity before needs can escalate. Those children and young people who require an EHCP or specialist placement would be able to access it with minimal bureaucracy. (SEND Review) 

The SEND Strategic Partnership Board is specifically responsible for the implementation of the SEND Transformation programme, including the Accelerated Progress Plan, as set out in the Improvement Notice issued by the Minister of State for School Standards. 

Safety Valve

The Board’s responsibility in relation to the Safety Valve work is to oversee the implementation of the work and monitor progress and provide support and challenge to all partners in the Local Area, holding those partners accountable for their contributions. 

Accelerated progress plan

The Board’s responsibility in relation to the Accelerated Progress Plan is to oversee the implementation of the improvement plan and monitor progress and provide support and challenge to all partners in the Local Area, holding those partners accountable for their contributions, in order to make progress at a pace to improve in the following areas of weakness identified in the Ofsted / CQC revisit inspection in May 2022: 

1. The fact that strategic plans and the local area’s SEND arrangements are not embedded or widely understood by stakeholders, including schools, settings, staff, and parents. 
2. The significant concerns that were reported about communication with key stakeholders, particularly with parents and families. 
3. The time it takes to issue education, health, and care (EHC) plans and the variable quality of these plans. Plans do not consistently capture a child and young person’s needs and aspirations. EHC plans are not able to be used as a valuable tool to support the planning and implementation of education, health, and care provision to lead to better lived experiences for the child and their families. 
4. Weaknesses in the identification, assessment, diagnosis and support of those children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

B. Objectives

To ensure:

• the local area takes collective responsibility and is accountable for delivering:
• a. the agreed actions in the Accelerated Progress Plan to address the areas for improvement identified by Ofsted and CQC
• b. wider improvements to the Local Area SEND offer which will ensure that children and young people thrive
• strategic oversight of all aspects of SEND improvement
• review and monitor the impact of the delivery of SEND Improvements
• joint planning and delivery though a multi-agency approach as set out in the Children’s and Families Act 2014
• hold partners to account when required

C. Responsibilities

To ensure:

• a focus on improvement across all service providers so that children, young people, and families are able to access the support that they need 
• robust scrutiny, monitoring, and review of the SEND Transformation Programme 
• collective responsibility and accountable governance over strategic direction 
• a collaborative approach from stakeholders across the local area 
• child, young person, and family-centred approach to improvement 
• monitoring and quality assurance over the effectiveness of identifying and meeting needs of children and young people with SEND in the local area 

Specifically, in relation to the safety valve and DSG management plan, to:

• ratify the recommendations contained in the Safety Valve DfE application submission ahead of presentation to Cabinet
• oversee implementation of the plan to deliver the Safety Valve work and the reporting on progress against the objectives in the plan, commissioning updates from partners where appropriate
• unblock any risks to delivery and the resolution of any issues
• ensure reporting dashboards submitted are supported by evidence on the impact of improvements on the quality of practice and experience of children and families

Specifically, in relation to the SEND accelerated progress plan, to:

• ensure reports submitted are supported by evidence on the impact of improvements on the quality of practice and experience of children and families in readiness for inspections and monitoring visits 
• have clearly assigned accountabilities for all actions agreed, along with clear and measurable targets at 3,6,12 and 18 months covering the areas identified in the Ofsted and CQC report. In addition, the board should maintain an action log which is updated at each meeting  
• oversee implementation of the improvement plan and report in writing to the Department and NHS England every two months on progress against the objectives in the plan, commissioning updates from partners where appropriate 
• highlight those objectives which are slow to progress and highlight where contributions need to be strengthened. 
• evidence how the views of frontline staff and of schools, parents, children, and young people have been taken into consideration in the development of practice and standards  

D. Success factors

Measures of the success of the board and its work will include:

• KPIs as set out in the SEND Transformation programme benefits realisation plan and the Accelerated Progress Plan are achieved, and that children, young people, and their parents or carers are satisfied with their services as a result of improvements 
• services are provided at the right time and in the right way underpinned by co-production and meet the needs of the local community 
• children and young people with SEND secure good outcomes and fulfil potential 
• there is an evident local area approach to improvement

Key performance indicators linked to the Accelerated Progress Plan show success in relation to the areas of weakness identified in May ’22 Ofsted or CQC inspection. 

E. Accountability and governance

Overall accountability of the SEND Strategic Partnership Board is to:

• the local area
• the Department for Education
• NHS England

F. Responsibilities and conduct of individual members

• attend all scheduled board meetings or delegate attendance to an appropriate member of staff who has delegated authority
• share relevant communications and information across the membership of the Board and, where appropriate, within their own organisations and/or departments being mindful of information governance and data sharing requirements and legislation
• make timely decisions and be accountable for any agreed actions required
• notify members of any matters which may impact on the effectiveness of the board
• find solutions and be ready to be flexible as required
• support the improvement work through moving or creating resources where these are needed

Conflict of interest:

• If any member has an interest, pecuniary or otherwise, in any matter and is present at the meeting at which the matter is under discussion, he/she will declare that interest as early as possible and will not participate 
• The Chair has authority to request the member withdraws until the committee’s consideration has been completed 

G. Standing agenda

The standard agenda is to be as follows (the agenda may vary as required at discretion of the chair): 

1. Welcome, apologies and introductions 
2. Actions log – previous actions log approval, and review of open actions 
3. SEND Transformation programme progress report 
4. Accelerated Progress Plan progress update 
5. High Needs Block Recovery/Safety Valve dashboard 
6. Stakeholder update 
7. Forward Plan 
8. AOB 

H. Membership

The SEND Partnership Board will meet monthly.

Name	Title	Email
Trevor Doughty	Chair of SEND Strategic Partnership Board	Trevordoughty@hotmail.com
Nigel Acheson (NHS)	Chief Medical Officer, NHS Devon Executive Lead for SEND	n.acheson@nhs.net
Su Smart (NHS)	Deputy Director of Commissioning – Out of Hospital, NHS Devon	su.smart@nhs.net
Cllr Andrew Leadbetter (DCC)	Cabinet Member of Childrens Services	andrew.leadbetter@devon.gov.uk
Cllr Lois Samuel (DCC)	Cabinet Member for SEND	lois.samuel@devon.gov.uk
Donna Manson (DCC)	Chief Executive	donna.manson@devon.gov.uk
Stuart Collins (DCC)	Director of Children and Young People’s Futures	stuart.collins@devon.gov.uk
Kellie Knott (DCC)	SEND Improvement Director	Kellie.knott@devon.gov.uk
Angie Sinclair (DCC)	Director of Finance & Public Value	angie.sinclair@devon.gov.uk
Matthew Thorpe (DCC)	Deputy Director of Finance and Public value	matthew.thorpe@devon.gov.uk
Amy Pickford (DCC)	Youth Participation team	amy.pickford@devon.gov.uk
Mike Bomford (DCC)	Communications and Engagement Lead	mike.bomford@devon.gov.uk
Paul Walker (Education)	Chair of DSLS	paul.walker@firstfederation.org.uk
Keith Bennett (Education)	Designate Chair – Devon Special School Heads (DSSH) Phase Association & Executive Principal – Marland School	k.bennett@marland.devon.sch.uk
Julia Bonell (Parent Forum)	Parent Forum co-chair	cochairs@parentcarerforumdevon.org
Victoria Mitchell (Parent Forum)	Parent forum co-chair	cochairs@parentcarerforumdevon.org
Brian Gale (Department for Education	SEND Adviser
Heather Campbell (Department for Education)	Regional Team Manager South – West and South – East	heather.campbell@education.gov.uk
Mark Tucker (NHS England)	Senior Learning Disability and Autism Programme Assurance Manager and SEND Lead  NHS England and NHS Improvement South – West	mark.tucker4@nhs.net
Melanie Coleman (Project Team)	SEND Programme Manager	melanie.coleman@devon.gov.uk
Shayna Stanbury (Project Team)	SEND Programme Officer	shayna.stanbury@devon.gov.uk

I. Minimum attendance/quorum

The group will be quorate when there is one member attending from each agency including NHS Devon, Parent Forum, and DCC

J. Frequency of meetings

The SEND Strategic Partnership Board will meet monthly.

K. Business support