Today, 2 November 2023, the Devon SEND partnership has published more details about its system-wide transformation of services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The publication includes details of the seven strands of work included in the transformation programme, how the work will be governed, and what the intended outcomes will be for children and young people with SEND in Devon.
The publication also renames the Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) that tackles the four areas of weakness previously found by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. The APP was previously published as the Devon SEND Local Area Improvement Plan in February 2023, and has been republished under its official title to make it easier to find.
The work within the APP is now incorporated into the wider whole system transformation. For example, work to improve the timeliness and quality of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) forms part of the wider SEN Statutory Processes work strand.
The programme includes a focus on getting the right help early on, and in a timely way, so that children and young people are supported to attend their local schools as much as possible. There is also commitment to deliver a clear SEND strategy for Devon that will focus on every stage of a child’s life from early years right through to post-16 support and preparing for adulthood.
Councillor Lois Samuel, Cabinet member for SEND improvement at Devon County Council, said:
“People rightly want to know the detail of what we are doing to improve our SEND services across the Devon partnership, as they’ve heard a lot of promises before. Today we’re publishing the scale of the programme and the changes we need to see in the experience of children and young people with SEND and their families. This is part of our commitment to make real and tangible differences.”
Nigel Acheson, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Devon, said:
“We are very supportive of enhancing and strengthening the way we work in partnership to improve services for local children, young people and their families. The published information sets out how we will achieve our goals and what the improvements will mean for local people.”
Donna Manson, Chief Executive of Devon County Council, said:
“This is an ambitious programme that looks at all parts of the SEND service in the Devon Local Area. It ranges from our investment in school infrastructure, like the Promise School in Okehampton, to how we ensure as many children and young people with SEND are included in mainstream education as possible, and how we work with families to provide additional support if it is needed. This programme aims to make Devon a place where children and young people can thrive.”
The partnership includes Devon County Council (DCC), NHS Devon and other delivery partners. For more detail of what is included in the transformation programme, explore the ‘working together’ section of the Devon SEND Local Offer website.