Improving Outcomes for SEND Children and Young People

Between the 3-7 December 2018, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a joint inspection of the Luton local area to judge its effectiveness in implementing the special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. These duties came into force in September 2014.

The inspection highlighted a number of strengths including the passion and commitment of front-line staff in supporting children with SEND and their families. However, it was determined that there were areas of significant weakness which required the local area to produce and submit a Written Statement of Action to show how we will improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The Written Statement of Action was coproduced with members of the Luton Parent Carer Forum and health, education and social care professionals. It contains the areas of weakness and the detailed actions that Luton Council, Luton Clinical Commissioning Group and partners will take to address these.

• View our Written Statement of Action for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• View our SEND Written Statement of Action on a page

Our vision statement

Luton’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people - that they achieve well in early years, at school and at college to enable them to lead happy and fulfilled lives within a safe environment and where they have choice and control.

SEND strategy

Parents, carers and young people contributed to the development of our new SEND strategy, which sets out our shared ambition for improving outcomes for children and young people in Luton.

Planning special educational provision

As a local area we are working to develop quality local provision that parents can have confidence in so that we can keep our children and young people local so that they can play, learn, live and work in their local communities.

• Special provision capital fund
• Special provision plan

SEND outcomes

Parents, carers and young people contributed to the development of our new SEND outcomes framework. Six key outcomes were identified

1. I want to be healthy – physically and mentally
2. I want to be safe
3. I want to be the best that I can be
4. I want to do as much for myself as possible
5. I want to be part of the community
6. I want to be heard

I want to be healthy – physically and mentally

• I maintain a healthy lifestyle to support my personal needs
• I enjoy my life and have a sense of wellbeing
• I am able to use my creative skills in meaningful activities
• I know where my support is and who to talk to
• I make good choices around behaviour, drugs, alcohol and relationships

I want to be safe

• I have outside support in addition to family
• I am not hurt or injured in the home and community
• I am not involved in crime, gangs or subject to exploitation
• I am safe from bullying, cyber-bullying and hate crime
• I have appropriate and suitable living conditions and opportunities

I want to be the best that I can be

• I have nursery/school/college provision that meets my needs by identifying SEND early on and I have the right support and guidance at each stage of development
• I have realistic goals that can be achieved, but also aim high
• People know my aspirations, I have purposeful activities, which may also include employment
• I have good role models and mentors and I have support with transitions
• I have choices and equal opportunities

I want to do as much for myself as possible

• I am actively involved in a group/groups – according to my choice
• I have an active and interesting life
• I have a family and we have an ordinary and happy life most of the time
• I can play, have friends and socialise
• I feel safe and valued in my community
• I know how to get additional assistance when I am out in public

I want to be part of the community

• I am actively involved in a group/groups – according to my choice
• I have an active and interesting life
• I have a family and we have an ordinary and happy life most of the time
• I can play, have friends and socialise
• I feel safe and valued in my community
• I know how to get additional assistance when I am out in public

I want to be heard

• My voice is heard in all the important decisions in/about my life
• The voice of my parent(s)/carer(s) is respected and taken into consideration
• My voice influences strategic decisions
• I am supported with my communication so that I am heard and understood
• My voice is informed by high quality and accessible information

Download our SEND outcomes poster

Get involved with co-production

We are committed to co-producing the improvements we need to make as a local area and so there will be a range of opportunities for you to get involved, from taking part in surveys to participating in workshops. We will be advertising these on the Local Offer, so keep a look out!

Working together Charter

Our new Working Together Charter for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities was developed by parents, carers and young people and explains seven principles of how partners will work to ensure that at children, young people and their parents are heard and listened to in respect to their own needs and that parents and carers are involved in co-production.

Seven principles

• All voices are heard
• Honesty and transparency
• Valuing expertise
• Open to new ideas
• Working together from the beginning
• Sharing is caring
• My life, my chioce

Download our Working Together Charter

Organisations that have signed up to the Charter

• Adult Community Learning 
• Ashcroft High School
• Barnfield College
• BLMK Clinical Commissioning Group
• Cambridgeshire Community Services
• Central Bedfordshire College
• Challney High School for Boys
• Challney High School for Girls
• Chiltern Academy
• CHUMS Charity
• Dallow Primary School
• Denbigh High School
• Denbigh Pre-School
• East London NHS Foundation Trust
• Families United Network
• Foxdell Junior School
• Fun to Learn Nursery
• Healthwatch, Luton
• Hillborough Infant and Nursery School
• Icknield Primary School
• Little People’s Nursery
• Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
• Luton Council
• Parklea Primary School
• Putteridge High School
• Someries Junior School
• Surrey Street Primary School
• The Mall Luton, Nursery and Crèche
• Woodlands Secondary School
• ZSL Whipsnade Zoo 

Senior partners across Luton have agreed the eight principles for working which are aimed at improving the services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Luton Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Local Area Leadership Agreement – Our Commitments

To deliver improvements in outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Luton, we as senior leaders share responsibility for ensuring our organisations and the services we provide, are all working together to make these improvements. As senior leaders we are committed to ensuring that:

1. We provide cohesive governance and leadership for delivering these improvements through the Luton Strategic SEND Improvement Group.
2. We have detailed and accurate information about children and young people with SEND living in our area and provide public information on how we plan to meet their needs.
3. We engage and where possible, directly co-produce with children and young people with SEND and their participation is embedded in our improvement work in a timely way.
4. We co-produce with parent carers of children and young people with SEND and their participation is embedded in our improvement work in a timely way.
5. We set clear strategic priorities and outcomes for our local area to meet in relation to children, young people with SEND and their families. We will monitor progress towards achieving them and hold each other to account for their delivery.
6. We work together to strengthen integration between our organisations; between health, social care, education services, and with wider partners including the third sector.
7. We promote early identification, intervention and support for smooth transitions between children and adult services for children and young people with SEND.
8. We will work collectively to ensure there is clear understanding of SEND reforms across the local Area and that all staff supporting a child or young person with SEND, understands their responsibility and is accountable for their part in supporting them.

Download our Luton Special Educational Needs and Disability commitment poster

To improve how we are working together as a Local Area to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND), we have identified named people from each of the main organisations who will “champion” the needs of these children and young people within their own organisation.

Find out more about our SEND Champions

The Transforming Care Programme in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes aims to ensure that individuals with a diagnosed learning disability (LD) and/ or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are supported to the greatest extent possible within local communities and within suitable environments to avoid unnecessary in-patient hospital admissions. 

The transforming care programme is a national priority which focusses on improving services for:

• children and young people with learning disabilities
• children and young people with autism
• children and young people with learning disabilities and autism

Who also have:

• behaviours that challenge, or
• a mental health condition

The aims of the programme are for:

• children, young people and families to be supported to have a good quality of life –
• children and young people should be kept safe but at the same time supported to take positive risks
• children and young people should have choice and control over their lives
• children and young people's support should be provided in the least restrictive way
• children and young people should get equal health outcomes to the rest of the population.

Luton Children and Young People Dynamic Support Register (DSR)

To ensure that children, young people and their families receive the right support at the right time, in the right place to meet their needs and enable them to live at home or in the local community, clinical commissioning groups (BLMK CCG for Luton) maintain this register to identify children and young people with a learning disability, autism (or both) whose mental health and/or behaviours need further support to prevent crisis or an admission to hospital.

More about the Dynamic Support Register (DSR)

Care, Education and Treatment (CETR) Reviews

If a child or young person with a learning disability or autism is at risk of being admitted to hospital or is  actually admitted to hospital due to a mental health condition a review of their care , support and treatment will be arranged, this is called a Care, Education and Treatment Review.

More about Care, Education and Treatment (CETR) Reviews

Care, Education and Treatment reviews can also be requested by any member of the care team or by family or the young person themselves if they have concerns about their care and treatment. Speak to your CAMHS or mental health worker, social care contact or SEND officer if you have any questions about care and treatment reviews and how they are arranged. Professionals who are already involved with the young person may request a Care and Treatment Review, with your consent, if the multi-disciplinary team around the young person feels that the risk of a hospital admission is increasing.

Related information

• Children and young people - NHS England 
• Dynamic registers and dynamic systems (DSR) - NHS England
• Care and Treatment Reviews (CTRs): Policy and Guidance - NHS England
• Video - Transforming care for children and young people with learning disabilities, autism or both (1 hour training session)

Through our improvement work, we have collected evidence of our work through speaking to professionals and parents, carers and young people.

Please read the  case studies below, which demonstrate the differences we are making across our partners in health, education and social care and other important areas including coproduction , data sharing, working together.

Case study 1: Young Voices of Luton

An incredible group of young people who are making a difference together.

More about Young Voices of Luton

Case study 2: Involving young people with SEN in interviews for new staff

Young people with SEND sit on every CAMHS interview panel for new staff whether that be a clinical, admin or operational role

More about including SEND youngsters on interview panels

Case study 3: Multi-agency post diagnosis resource pack

Colleagues and families with SEND children have joined together to co-produce a multi-agency post diagnosis resource pack.

This will bring everything together in one place, giving families a clear point of reference for their journeys.

More about the Multi-agency post diagnosis resource pack