You said, we did

Improving the quality of education, health and care (EHC) plans

You said that the quality of EHC Plans needed to improve.

From September 2023, we launched a digital quality assurance platform to give positive outcomes for children and young people. The programme allows us to make consistent, multi-agency judgements about the quality of plans.

The Digital Quality Assurance programme will sit alongside a wider quality assurance framework to assess and improve Camden SEND.

We are developing a workforce development plan to highlight areas of best practice and identify areas for improvement so we can target our challenge and support.

Working in partnership

You said more could be done to bridge the gap between the Somali Community and the SEND Partnership.

We expanded the Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) team to create additional capacity throughout the system and to provide more targeted outreach. As an example of the targeted outreach, SENDIASS:

  • contacted the Somali Youth Development Resource Centre (SYDRC) and held some meetings around the community needs.
  • arranged a drop in session, at the Resource Centre, which parent carers attended to access impartial advice about SEND matters
  • scheduled a multi-disciplinary SEND information session to be delivered in conjunction with the British Somali Community, based at Crowndale Road

Job opportunities for young people

You said there needs to be more employment opportunities for young people as part of their preparation for adulthood.

We employed a SEND employment officer and SEND pathway support officer. This helped to increase the number of young people with Education Health Care (EHC) plans having knowledge of employment pathways and moving into supported internships.

We co-funded the Head Start, Mencap programme at Swiss Cottage School. We provided a Caseworker to:

  • develop partnerships with local employers
  • works closely with learners to understand their specific needs and preferences,
  • develop learner's vocational profiles

Learners were able to access a range of employment work experience opportunities.

We launched a disability job hub, with a specialist learning disability adviser and work-ready coach for residents known to CLDS .

Listening to parent and carers

You said we need to listen more closely and effectively to parent carers.

You said that previous surveys were too long to complete. We launched a new survey for parent carers in November 2023 and used a simpler format.

The new, Director of Education and Commissioning, scheduled bi-monthly themed meetings between parents and carers of SEND children and the Local Authority linked to the SEND strategy priorities during 2024.

The objective of this was to invite real-time, first-hand experiences of the SEND system to inform the implementation of the SEND strategy, encourage collaboration, rebuild trust, drive improvements and strengthen transparency.

Support for young children starting education

You said children with SEND need more support in school nurseries and on transition to Reception.

We expanded the Inclusive Intervention Team (IIT) so that we could continue supporting children identified with SEND into their school placements in the autumn term.  The IIT is now taking referrals for children in school nurseries.