Devon County Council (DCC) is preparing to launch the government’s Experts at Hand initiative and can now confirm where the Devon pilot will begin this autumn.
Experts at Hand will form part of the national SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) reforms, which will be rolled out over the next three years.
The initiative will see experts including speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, occupational therapists and specialist teachers working directly with mainstream schools to support inclusion. This will upskill staff in mainstream schools, and ensure schools have quick and flexible access to expert advice.
Experts at Hand will pilot in three learning communities across Devon; Bideford, Exeter Beacon, and Newton Abbot. Each locality will include a cluster of education providers, not just one school, so there can be a focus on transition points in a child’s journey from early years to post 16.
The pilot localities represent Devon’s coastal, urban and rural environments and have high numbers of children with neurodiversity, speech and language and social emotional needs. By piloting Experts at Hand in these localities, Devon will be able to test and learn what works well in different environments and for diverse needs, before rolling it out further across the county.
Experts at Hand will not replace the support currently provided to children and young people in mainstream settings who have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or who are waiting for a EHCP needs assessment.
In Devon, the initiative’s multi-disciplinary teams will include experts from Devon County Council, Children and Family Health Devon, alongside education providers. These teams are currently in development with the Experts at Hand launch date to be announced in due course.
DCC will continue to work closely with schools to keep parents and carers informed as the Experts at Hand initiative progresses.
Dr Rachel Hearn, Assistant Director of Psychology and Specialist Support at Devon County Council, says:
“The initial Experts at Hand model has been developed at pace based on feedback from school leaders, classroom practitioners and young people through our partnership with Olive Academy. We have also heard from parents and carers about the challenges they face in accessing the right support at the right time. The Experts at Hand pilot is designed to help address these challenges by providing earlier support that is easy to access and available within local communities. As we roll out the pilot over its first year, we will continue to work closely with schools, families, children and young people to shape and develop the offer, ensuring it meets the needs of local communities across Devon.”
Holly Billington, Children’s Deputy Director (interim) for Children and Family Health Devon, says:
“We are continuing to successfully recruit staff for our multi-disciplinary team of experts, for this ambitious Experts at Hand initiative. We look forward to launching the pilot in collaboration with Devon County Council and will be announcing further details soon.”
Read more about the Experts at Hand initiative on Devon’s SEND Local Offer website.