To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Children’s Services.

The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance delivered a presentation to the Committee, which provided an overview of the report with support from the Interim Service Manager of the Community Learning Disability Team, the SEN Advisory Service (SENAS) Service Manager and Advisor for Inclusion, and the Chief Nurse for Trafford CCG. The slides were to be shared with the Committee after the meeting. The presentation covered the data dashboard which was utilised to track the services key performance indicators (KPIs). The dashboard enabled comparisons with national, local, and statistical neighbours.

The Committee were shown the outcomes for Children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance explained where Trafford Were doing well and areas for improvement. The Committee were shown the agreed priorities for the service and the Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance provided details on work being done to meet those priorities. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance detailed the findings from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and mapped out which priorities addressed those needs.

The SENAS Service Manager and Advisor for Inclusion informed the Committee of the work the Council were doing to address their duties for children and young people on EHC Plans throughout their school lives and when they transition into adulthood. The Interim Service Manager of the Community Learning Disability Team went through the three pathways Trafford had in place for young people with different levels of need to ensure they received the right support for them.

The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance went through the feedback received from the recent LGA peer review, which had identified several areas where Trafford were doing well and provided a set of recommendations for improvement. The recommendations were captured within an action plan and linked into ambition 4 within the improvement plan. The Committee were informed of the positive impact the impact the Council’s kickstart apprentices had had within the service.  The presentation concluded with a list of next steps for the service.  

Following the presentation Councillor Maitland asked whether parents and young people could access the Council’s Liquid Logic system.  The SENAS Service Manager and Advisor for Inclusion responded that they were not currently able to, but work was ongoing in the creation of a portal that would increase accessibility and might provide access to parents. The Corporate Director for Children’s Services added that Liquid Logic was the database used by the service and work was ongoing to increase accessibility. The key aspect regarding parents and young people was ensuring all relevant information was accurately captured and stored to aid in the delivery of support.

Councillor Maitland noted that some of the contact information for volunteering was wrong and asked who was responsible for updating the information on the Trafford directory. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance responded that there was a dedicated officer, but providers needed to inform the Council if their contact information had changed.  

Councillor Maitland then asked how smooth the transition from school into adulthood was. The Interim Service Manager of the Community Learning Disability Team responded that the experience varied depending on which pathway someone was on, but the service was working to make the transition as smooth as possible for all pathways. The Corporate Director for Children’s Services added that a key element in the Council’s approach was working with the parent experience panels, which were made up of parents who had experienced the transition.

Councillor Maitland followed up her question by asking where those who were not satisfied with the service needed to contact. The SENAS Service Manager and Advisor for Inclusion answered that it depended upon the setting. If the young person was still in school, then they would inform the schools SENCO and the EHC coordinators were key contacts for all young people with EHC Plans. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance added that they could also go to the Trafford SEND Information, Advice, and Support Service (SENDIASS) and the Trafford Parents Forum.  

Councillor Maitland’s final question was whether the Board had been established and how many cases they had dealt with so far. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance responded that the Board had been established, although they had not heard any cases as they were dealt with directly or through the EHC coordinator.

Councillor Acton welcomed the inclusion of KPIs within the report as it provided context to aid the Committee in understanding the performance of the service. The Councillor noted that the plans were very good, but the focus now had to be on the delivery of those plans. Councillor Acton welcomed the introduction of the Parent Experience Panels and the challenge they would bring. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance thanked Councillor Acton for his comments and informed the Committee of the governance arrangements in place for monitoring the delivery and performance of the plans, which included the SEND Strategic Board and the Start Well Board.

Councillor Bennet asked about the three pathways and how much input young people had as to which pathway they would be directed to. The Interim Service Manager for the Community Learning Disability Team responded that young people were very involved in selecting the pathway they were on. He explained how the pathway linked in with the golden thread of the young person’s voice that ran through all work within the service. The Committee were informed of the reviews and contacts with young people and the Council’s approach, which ensured young people felt safe in expressing their views. 

Councillor Dillon asked how the parents for the Parent Experience Panels were selected. The Councillor spoke about the barriers she had faced in receiving Health Care for a young person over 16 and asked what support was available to help with issues such as needle phobic. The Councillor also noted the reference to an Adult Care Transition Assessment and asked for an explanation as to what they involved.

Councillor Dillon’s final question was to the nature of the pathways within the report, whether they were virtual pathways, and how they appeared from a young person’s perspective. The Director of Education Standards, Quality and Performance responded that the Communication and Engagement group, which included representatives of the Trafford Parents’ Forum, were working on the selection of parents for the Parent Experience Panels. With regards to needle phobia, GP practice nurses were able to provide support. The Corporate Director for Children’s Services added that case studies would be included within future reports to aid in understanding what pathways were and how they worked.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the report and presentation be noted.

2)    That further reports on pathways are to include case studies.