SEND families shape future approach for improving outcomes for young people across North Northamptonshire
16 August 2023
Families, schools and health professionals have come together to produce a fresh three-year strategy to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities in North Northamptonshire.
Members of North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) Executive will meet on Thursday (17 August) to consider the new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Strategy, which sets out the key priorities towards better meeting the needs of children and their families up to 2026.
The strategy has been actively co-produced between the Council and parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs, including the Northamptonshire Parent Forum Group, health and social care colleagues, teaching and non-teaching staff, academies and nurseries.
In talking and listening to partners the following questions were explored: What is working well and why? What are the challenges and issues and why? What steps can we take to resolve these? What would you like to see in the future?
The strategy focuses on six priority areas which will ensure better outcomes for SEND families over the next three years. These Priorities include:
- Co-Production: Embedding co-production as a way of working together with families (parents / carers and young people) in everything that we all do across North Northamptonshire.
- Early Identification and Intervention: Identifying and meeting needs at the earliest opportunity – developing inclusive practice and providing the right support at the right time as locally as possible, meeting statutory time periods.
- Sufficiency: Building the capacity in the SEND system (including specialist provision / places and specialist support to mainstream settings / schools) to meet identified need locally.
- Transitions and Preparation for Adulthood: Improving Transitions for children and young people, 0 – 25.
- Skilled Workforce: Developing a skilled workforce that is confident in identifying and meeting SEND and additional needs.
- Partnership Working: A shared understanding of the outcomes sought for, and by children and young people with SEND, and clarity of the progress made towards those outcomes across the Local Partnership.
A detailed action plan is also being developed with partners to underpin the new strategy, which the SEND Accountability Board will be responsible for ensuring delivery and holding partners to account.
Cllr Scott Edwards, the Council’s Executive member for Children, Families, Education and Skills, said:
“This strategy is the culmination of many months of work with children, families, and all stakeholders.
“We are grateful to everyone who has contributed, and we are sure that together we can achieve the very best in North Northamptonshire for all our children. We are committed to work together to ensure that every child can be their very best and we will work tirelessly together to achieve this.
“Our ambition, through this strategy, is to co-produce the highest quality services that can be accessed at the right time and in the right way by the children who need them. Some of those services we will deliver ourselves, others will be delivered through commissioned arrangements.”
Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council, said:
“The purpose of the strategy is to set out our shared vision, principles and priorities to ensure partners are working together effectively to identify and meet the needs of North Northamptonshire’s children and young people with Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND) from birth to the age of 25.
“Our aim is that North Northamptonshire will be the best place for all children and young people from all backgrounds and communities to thrive as they grow into adulthood.”
The SEND strategy 2023 – 2026 along with all other Cabinet reports are on our website.