Fragmented Support
On Friday (29th March) Ofsted published the findings of the joint inspection with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into how effectively Kent has implemented the disability and special educational provision reforms set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. Kent is one of the largest counties, and is complex, with seven Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The inspection highlighted significant areas of weakness in the local area’s practice and the Local Authority and the CCGs are now jointly responsible for submitting a written statement of action to Ofsted.
Kent is not alone in this regard. Joint inspections started in May 2016 and by February this year 83 had been completed – all 152 will be complete by April 2021. Almost half of the inspections have resulted in Ofsted issuing written statements of action.
In the case of Kent, many of the findings are consistent with the overall picture:
Many parents and carers are rightly upset, angry and concerned about the services and provision that their children receive.
The quality of EHC plans is too variable. The needs and provision that children require are not always clear and outcomes are too often not child-centred.
Children and young people with SEND experience unacceptable inequality when accessing services in Kent.
Most parents are unaware of the local offer and do not know where to gain independent advice and guidance.
Children and young people experience unacceptable delays and inequality of access in having their identified health needs assessed, reviewed and met.
Joint commissioning arrangements have not ensured that there are effective processes in place to ensure key professionals from education, health and care provide advice for EHC assessments within statutory timescales.
The best local authorities, according to Ofsted have:
strong co-production with a secure focus on the impact
coherent support and training for SENCos
an effective evaluation about how the local area works cohesively with different leadership teams for joint strategic commissioning
Kent now has 70 working days from 29th March to provide Ofsted with a written statement of action detailing how it plans to address issues raised in 9 different areas.
This can only be a good thing. Ofsted and the CQC now know what parents have known for a long time, and this focus and the re-visit that will occur in 18 months will hopefully improve outcomes for children with SEND. Kent parents may feel soon that their voices are being heard.
Certainly, my experience of the variable quality of EHC plans is consistent with this picture. It is common to come across plans which do not include all of the child’s needs; with needs without provision, and with the generic provision that is not adequately specific.
For me one of the most concerning points noted was
“Too many professionals in the local area do not understand the purpose of an EHC plan.”
Whilst an EHC plan is not the only way to get support, nor is it required for 97.5% of the school population, in some cases, an EHC plan is the solution to provide access to resources that are not usually available in a mainstream school, or access to specialist provision. As parents we tend to trust that professionals know what they are talking about, however, this report makes it clear that in Kent this might not necessarily be the case.
The full report can be found here:
Not in Kent? – check the Ofsted website for their report for your Local Authority, and sign up for any updates in the future.
