Terms of Reference - SEND Partnership Group Graduated Response Sub Group
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) & Inclusion Partnership Group Graduated Response Sub Group has key responsibilities in directing, implementing, overseeing and monitoring the specific area of work and reporting back to the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board. The group will oversee the implementation of the strategic vision and the Written Statement of Action in relation to this area of work, as set by the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Group.
The group will support the independence, resilience and ambitions of children with SEND in Staffordshire. Whilst realising the shared vision for all Children and Young People aged 0-25 with SEND in Staffordshire:
“All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities are able to reach their full potential. They receive the right support, at the right time, with choice and control so that they can lead fulfilling lives in their school or setting, home and community.”
The definition of SEND is as outlined in the Children and Families Act 2014:
“A child or young person has Special Educational Needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her”
The definition of Disability is as outlined in the Equality Act 2010:
“Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.”
Key objectives
- To work with partners across the local area in a coproduction way to develop this area of work - working together, sharing and utilising their expertise, data and intelligence in the co-design and delivery of solutions to achieve vision and improve outcomes.
- To ensure Staffordshire meets its statutory responsibilities and complies with the SEND Code of Practice 2015.
- To deliver with pace and transparency the Local Area’s Written Statement of Action activity relating to this area of work.
- To achieve improvements in those areas of development identified following the Local Area Inspection.
- To contribute to the strategic oversight and leadership for monitoring and quality assuring the area of work.
- To monitor and evaluate the impact of an inclusive Staffordshire system for children and young people with SEND.
Specific Areas for the SEND Graduated Response Sub group
- To agree the first draft of the school age Graduated Response Toolkit materials.
- To launch and promote the Graduated Response Toolkit materials for September 2019, and to facilitate sharing of information with Health, Education and Social Care.
- To pilot the materials with a full range of educational providers.
- To oversee consultation and evaluation of the Graduated Response materials involving all stakeholders, including parent/carers and children and young people.
- To extend the Graduated Response materials to early years and further education.
- To oversee the implementation of school audit arrangements (eg NASEN audit).
- To consider data that is collected in order to monitor and evaluate the impact of the Graduated Response toolkit.
- To consider data available on pupil outcomes and to identify gaps and suggest developments.
- To identify ways to celebrate and disseminate good practice.
Governance and Reporting
The Group is a sub group of the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Group.
The SEND & Inclusion Partnership Group is a sub-group of the Family Strategic Partnership Board (FSPB) which is a delegated group of the Staffordshire Health and Wellbeing Board. The FSPB exists to support the Health and Wellbeing Board’s vision of:
“Staffordshire will be a place where improved health and wellbeing is experienced by all – it will be a good place which will be healthy and prosperous in which to grow up, achieve, raise a family and grow old, in strong, safe and supportive communities”.
The Sub Board will report into the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board on a monthly basis, with a detailed report on a bi monthly basis.
The Graduated Response Sub Group will also present an update to the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Group twice a year.
Accountability
Members of the Sub group will be responsible for reporting back to their respective organisation all actions and matters of note and ensuring actions required by their organisation are completed within the agreed timescales.
Outcomes and recommendations from the Sub Group which require financial due diligence will need to be agreed by the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board.
Membership
- Head of Educational Psychology and Specialist Support Services (Staffordshire County Council) Chair
- Designated Clinical Officers for SEND SoT and North Staffs (Clinical Commissioning Group)
- Interim Improvement of Quality and Practice Manager (Children's Social Care)
- District Senior Educational Psychologist (Staffordshire County Council)
- Autism Outreach Team (Staffordshire County Council)
- Head of Sensory & Autism Outreach Team (Staffordshire County Council)
- Head of Vulnerable Learners (Staffordshire County Council)
- County Manager, SEND Assessment & Planning Team (Staffordshire County Council)
- Voice for Change Representatives (Parent/Carer)
- Newcastle Academy – Secondary School Representative (School)
- Ridgeway Primary School - Primary School Representative (School)
- Professional Lead (Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust)
- SENDIASS
- Head of Targeted Education Services
- District Hubs
- Early Years - named representative to be confirmed
- Representative from Adult Services - named representative to be confirmed.
- Post 16 - named representative to be confirmed.
The group will invite additional members as required.
Chairing of Meetings
- The Sub Group will be chaired by Julia Anderson.
- The Vice-Chair will be Jo Ward.
Frequency
The Group will initially meet monthly whilst establishing and agreeing its terms of reference, membership and priorities. The group will then decide on a frequency with quarterly being the minimum.
Quorum
The quorum for the meeting will be a quarter of the overall membership of the group. Should a meeting consist of less than this membership then the meeting can still take place, at the discretion of the Chair, but no formally binding decisions shall be taken. Any such decisions will need to be taken at the next scheduled meeting.
Outcomes
- The Graduated Response Toolkit is live from September 2019.
- Representatives from 50% of schools have attended information sessions.
- Key professionals from Education, Health and Social Care have attended information-sharing sessions.
- To pilot materials with 25% of settings and match modifications in response to feedback by September 2019.
- To create opportunities for stakeholders, including parents/carers and children and young people to contribute to evaluations and developments.
- To identify mechanisms and make recommendations for information sharing sessions across Education, Health and Social Care across the Local Area
- Graduated Response materials extended to Early Year age range.
- Graduated Response materials extended to post 16 age range.
- To analyse data from the Vulnerable Childrens data dashboard to monitor impact, identify gaps and suggest focus areas for development.
- To confirm and implement plans for the evaluation of the impact of the Graduated Response Toolkit.
- To monitoring and improve visibility of the Gtraduated Response Toolkit.
- To create a system of recording and monitoring the use and outcomes of SEN audit tools in schools and propose next steps.
- To analyse the Department for Education Local Area SEND report to consider Staffordshire’s position against national averages.
- To gather evidence of opportunities for sharing of good practice.
- To identify mechanisms to celebrate good practice and promote inclusion.
Review
The terms of reference and main priorities of the workstream will be reviewed on an annual basis.
This will take place in December 2021.