Agenda item

Report of the Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion.

Camden’s Local Area SEND Strategy was published in November 2022. As part of the delivery of this strategy we publish annual progress reports outlining the work that we have done to deliver the commitments in the strategy. The attached report provides detail of the work that has taken place during 2024.

During the last year, we have made significant progress in the delivery of the ambitions of the strategy, including increased investment in a number of areas. This is the second year of delivery of our five-year strategy and the scale of the ambition of the reform we are undertaking means that there is still considerable work to do. We will also be publishing our implementation plan setting out planned activity up to 2027, the end of the strategy period.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion.

Vikram Hansrani (Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion), accompanied by Di Osbourne (Head of SEND and Inclusion), Sian Thomas (Head of Children, Young People and Family Services, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) and Megan Jarvie (Principal Policy and Projects Officer), introduced and summarised the report.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and invited questions and comments from the Committee. The following was discussed:

·       A Member asked about the role of the NHS and their contribution in the SEND space. In response, officers outlined the structure of health services, with Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioners overseeing provision and various providers delivering services. They stated that there was strong engagement from health colleagues and a commitment from the ICB to addressing waiting times and interventions. Additional ICB funding of £625,000 had been allocated to increase capacity, with projects in place to upskill schools and provide additional support. The NHS representative confirmed that the £625,000 investment was backlog funding intended to commission private providers due to insufficient capacity. This funding would create seven extra roles, with recruitment underway. However, while the investment would maintain service levels, it would not significantly reduce the backlog due to the volume of referrals. A pilot for a shorter pathway had seen success with under-5s, and there were efforts to integrate this into standard practice. Waiting times remained high, with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment referrals in December 2024 averaging 71 weeks for under-5s and 102 weeks for over-5s. In November 2024, prior to the pilot’s impact, the average wait was 91 weeks. A Member asked about the ambition for reducing wait times. The NHS representative noted that two years ago, the average wait had been six months, which would be an ideal target, but they acknowledged that this was unlikely with the current level of investment. They emphasised the need to assess the impact of the funding before determining what further improvements could be made. Members agreed they would like an update on waiting times and interventions to report to a future meeting.

·       A Co-opted Member asked whether Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) services would receive additional investment. An officer confirmed that the Year 3 strategy would be published shortly, with SEMH playing a prominent role. They stated that discussions were ongoing about expansion and the outreach services needed to support schools in meeting needs. While specific details were not yet available, they would be included in the Year 3 plan.

·       A Co-opted Member stated that if Priority 1 was implemented, it would bring positive change. They noted difficulty in finding service standards online and highlighted the benefit of having a named caseworker. An officer responded that service standards should be more prominent and would be reviewed. They confirmed that a range of standards existed outlining what parents and schools could expect and that work to develop these further would continue. Following recent recruitment, the SEND case officer team was now fully staffed, and officers would be allocated to schools as named contacts. While not all were in post yet, all appointments had been made.

·       A Co-opted Member highlighted that Priority 3 was the area where parents expressed the most desperation, as reflected in the questionnaire. They noted that satisfaction with services declined as children got older, primarily due to concerns about what the future held. They emphasised the need for more work and a more realistic approach in addressing these concerns. An officer acknowledged that transitions needed to be managed properly at every stage. They mentioned having recently visited a setting for those with profound needs at the Alexandre Centre. The officer emphasised the importance of building on the good work done by the social care teams and teams assisting those with a disability. They recognised that individuals with EHCPs may not always require strong transitions but still needed support.

·       A Member asked whether it had been difficult to bring all relevant parties together when SEND cases extended beyond schools, given the various functions within the Council, such as child safeguarding and multiple agencies. An officer responded that further work was still been needed to strengthen collaboration, but noted that governance through the Inclusion Board, which included representatives from housing, leisure, and adult services, had helped broaden the conversation. This approach had allowed them to better understand what had been working and what needed improvement. The officer also mentioned that self-evaluation had taken into account both strengths and areas of challenge, citing the report's focus on making libraries and leisure centres more accessible for children with high needs.

RESOLVED – 

THAT the Committee note the report.