2022 SEN2 data – A data return that is a statutory requirement placed on Local Authorities. The information collected via the annual SEN2 survey form provides the major national source of data collected by central government on children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) (formerly statements of SEN)

CCG – Clinical Commissioning Group is a GP led organisation, responsible for understanding local health needs and planning and commissioning health services for the local population.

CQC – Care Quality Commission Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

DfE – Department for Education Department for Education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

DMG – Decision Making Group.

EHCA – Education, Health and Care Assessment. A detailed process to find out what the child's or young person's special educational needs are and what provision should be put into place to meet them.

EHCP - Education, Health and Care Plan. This is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs. It also details the additional and/ or specialist support they need and the type of school placement they require to meet those needs and achieve the best outcomes.

Executive - The Executive is made up of the Leader of the Council and 9 other Executive Members. How we make decisions | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk)

High Needs Block – Funding provided by the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) as part of the school's block to allow Local authorities to fund children and young people with SEND

IASS - Bracknell Forest Information, Advice and Support Service provides confidential and impartial advice and information to support parents or carers and children and young people who have, or may have, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Bracknell Forest. Information, Advice and Support Service | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk)

ICS - The Frimley ICS brings together the Local Authorities, NHS organisations and voluntary sector with a clear shared ambition to work in partnership with local people, communities and staff to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, and to use our collective resources more effectively.

JSNA – Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

KPI – Key Performance Indicator. A quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective.

Local Area – the local authority area and relevant clinical commissioning group; in this case Bracknell Forest Council and Frimley CCG

Local Offer - The Local Offer gives children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities and their families information about support services that are available. SEND Local Offer | Bracknell Forest Council (bracknell-forest.gov.uk)

Ofsted – Office for Standards in Education Ofsted - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

OT – Occupational Therapy. It aims to improve someone’s ability to do everyday tasks if they are having difficulties.

PfA - Preparation for Adulthood

SEMH - Social Emotional and Mental Health

SEN Code of Practice – This document outlines the legal requirements and statutory duties as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010, and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

SEND – special educational needs and disabilities

SIPB – SEND Improvement Partnership Board. A board which includes representatives from the council, early years, schools and colleges, Frimley Integrated Care System (ICS), Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT), Bracknell Parent Carer Forum and the voluntary and community sector.

SLA – Service Level Agreement is a contract that establishes a set of deliverables that one party has agreed to provide to another.

SPOC – single point of contact

VCS – voluntary and community sector

WSOA – Written Statement of Action; an action plan to address significant weakness identified in the joint SEND inspection.

1 Foreword

This statement follows a joint inspection by Ofsted and the CQC, between 29 November 2021 and 3 December 2021, of Bracknell Forest to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. On 22 February 2022, inspectors issued their findings that the Local Area (the Local Authority and the relevant CCG) needed to produce a Written Statement of Action (WSOA).

Our WSOA sets out our plan to address the nine areas of significant weakness identified by Ofsted and the CQC.

In addition, the inspection identified areas for development and improvement that we have plans in place to address as well as areas of strength that we plan to build upon.

Local leaders recognise that our ambitions to support children and young people with SEND to achieve excellent outcomes had not been met prior to the inspection. It is the right of every child and young person to have access to high quality education, with the right support so that their personal ambitions can be realised. Unfortunately, for a period children and young people and parents and carers were not given access to the right support in a timely way to achieve these outcomes. We sincerely apologise to our parents, young people, children, and education leaders for the weaknesses in the service and have welcomed the opportunity to engage with parents, young people, education colleagues and the voluntary sector to develop a robust response and plan to address these weaknesses over the coming months and year.

As part of this work, Bracknell Forest Council and Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have jointly renewed our commitment to children and young people with SEND. Both organisations recognise that children, young people, and their families deserve much better services and we fully intend to deliver this. Developing and implementing this WSOA is seen as a key corporate priority, is being fully resourced and has strong political backing.

The feedback provided from Ofsted, the CQC and stakeholders is accepted as fair judgment by local partners. We had already started reviewing post pandemic our service offer prior to the inspection and had ourselves identified areas for improvement and development.

Ensuring all children and young people with SEND are supported in achieving their aspirations is of paramount importance to us. Areas for development are already being addressed, but there are significant challenges ahead. Standards are not yet at the high level we expect of ourselves, or at the standard our children, young people and their families deserve.

We are determined to work with our partners to develop processes around co-production and ensure this is embedded at all levels. We can then produce strategies that lead to co-delivery of services, making the best use of resources available for SEND.

We acknowledge the significant financial challenges in balancing the High Needs Block budget at the same time as introducing rapid and significant improvements. To ensure we make progress with this we are participating in the DfE Best Value in SEND programme which will provide additional support.

The Government’s ‘SEND review: right support, right place, right time’ was published on 11 April 2022. The Government stated it is determined to level up opportunities for all children and young people – without exception. The SEND review emphasised that the ambition for children and young people with SEND should be in line with every other child. That ambition is matched locally by Bracknell Forest Council, Frimley CCG, and other key stakeholders.

Some changes will take time to establish and embed. However, work is already underway to deliver improvements, and as part of our co-production work on this WSOA we have identified some quick wins that will be delivered at pace.

We will work together with our partners and SEND families to ensure we put children, young people, and families at the heart of what we do.

Grainne Siggins, Executive Director: People at Bracknell Forest Council

Cllr Dr Gareth Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning at Bracknell Forest Council

Fiona Slevin-Brown, Managing Director, Bracknell Forest Place, for Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

2 Introduction

Ofsted and the CQC have determined that the local authority and the CCG will be jointly responsible for submitting this statement to Ofsted. The Written Statement of Action (WSOA) will address nine areas of significant weakness raised by the inspection, namely:

1) the lack of a clear, co-produced strategy for how the much-needed improvements and change will be brought about

2) parents’ and carers’ lack of confidence in the education, healthcare and social opportunities for children and young people with SEND, alongside their frustration at the poor communication they experience with the SEND team

3) the lack of co-production with children and young people with SEND and their families, and with professionals. This includes the limited parental representation at a strategic level

4) the lack of appropriate educational provision for a significant proportion of children and young people with SEND in the borough

5) the lack of support available to children and young people while waiting excessive amounts of time to access occupational therapy services. Also, the lack of capacity in the occupational therapy team, resulting in delays to their contributions to EHCPs

6) the high number of children and young people with SEND who reach a mental health crisis because of a lack of timely support to prevent further escalation

7) the lack of established, effective panel arrangements to decide next steps in the graduated approach used for pupils who receive SEND support

8) insufficient long-term planning for young people as they move into adulthood

9) parents’ and carers’ lack of awareness of available advice, support, or social care provision. The lack of age-appropriate social opportunities for older children and young people with SEND.

We recognise that to respond to these areas of weakness we will need to deliver a wide range of improvements. Alongside our SEND families, representatives, and partners, we have co-produced a range of objectives and actions within the plan below. We believe these actions will substantially improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND in the borough.

3 SEND provision in Bracknell Forest

Our vision

Our vision and ambition for children and young people with SEND is the same as for all children and young people – that they achieve well in their early years, at school and in college and lead happy and fulfilled lives. This means they fulfil their ambitions and achieve the best possible educational, health, social, and other outcomes, including employment and independent living.

Bracknell Forest – context

Bracknell Forest is a small, relatively prosperous local authority area in Berkshire. We rank 282 out of 317 local authorities in terms of deprivation, indicating low levels of deprivation compared to other places. However, 9.5% of local children live in relative poverty.

In common with other new towns, Bracknell Forest has a rapidly ageing population. Alongside older age groups, the borough is expecting an increase within the younger adult population. This will have an impact on the type and scale of future services.

Data which provides quantitative context to the WSOA

January 2022 SEN2 data shows that Bracknell Forest Council funds 1,131 children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Furthermore, the January 2022 school census data records 2,059 pupils (11% of the total school cohort) being registered as requiring Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support.

Bracknell Forest has seen a continuous growth in the number of children and young people with EHCPs, as shown in the charts below.

EHCP population

SEN support population

Responding to requests for EHCPs in a timely way

With an ongoing significant increase in the number of children and young people with EHCPs, achieving our target of completing EHCPs within the statutory timeframe of 20 weeks became increasingly challenging. This led to a decrease in the percentage of ECHPs that were completed within 20 weeks of the original request. This is reflected in the chart below. In 2020, only a low percentage of EHCPs were completed within 20 weeks of the original request. We took action to improve the timeliness of EHCPs, and the percentage of ECHPs now completed within 20 weeks has significantly improved. Whilst these improvements are positive, the service is continuing to address this key area of improvement in several ways, including those articulated within the plan.

ADD DATA CHART TO REFLECT PROGRESS OF EHCPS COMPLETED WITHIN 20 WEEKS

EHCPs by primary need type

The data further evidence growing demand in EHCPs against the primary needs detailed below. This information is being used to inform the type of support and resource that we will need to provide within the borough.

EHCP placements

With regards to EHCP placement demand, 66.7% of pupils are placed within mainstream Bracknell Forest provision, whilst 33.3% are placed outside mainstream provision or in provision outside the borough. Over time, with growing numbers of EHCPs and lack of in-borough places, more pupils have been educated out of borough, which has been identified in the new School Places Plan and Capital Strategy, with associated proposals to address this lack of places and develop provision. This work is reflected in our action plan under improvement area 4.

Education outcomes

Despite the accepted weaknesses, data on the education outcomes for young people reflect a positive picture when compared to the national data and these outcomes continue to be monitored. The following graph shows some of the key indicators for SEND students:

Key challenges to address

Communications

Over time, particularly through the period of COVID-19 and rapid staff changes, the quality of our communication with parents, carers and partners has declined. This has created frustration and delays with SEND processes, which we recognise and acknowledge. In response, we are undertaking a restructure of our SEND service to ensure that we have resources in the right place. In addition, we have committed to co-producing a communications strategy, with all stakeholders, that is fit for purpose and responsive to need. It will not only detail major communication events and publications, but also the daily communications requirements and process to provide a rapid response to enquiries and concerns. This will be implemented and monitored regularly to ensure adherence and that it meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Engagement with parents and carers

Bracknell Forest has had a Parent Carer Forum in place for several years. However, the level of engagement from the council and NHS has been varied and has changed over time. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there were regular face-to-face meetings for parents and carers; during the pandemic these meetings were moved online, but during this process the engagement declined. This has been acknowledged and we are now working closely with the new emerging Bracknell Parent Carer Forum to improve and develop engagement, co-production and participation in strategies, policies, planning and service development.

In addition, we have now set up half termly update meetings about SEND services, with the emphasis on ‘you said, we did’. This acknowledges parents’ and carers’ complaints and issues, takes on board suggestions and shares changes made within the service.

Each workstream within the development of our WSOA has parent and carer representatives.

Members of the Bracknell Parent Carer Forum, council, CCG, and other NHS staff have presented and shared the developments with the wider stakeholder membership, collated feedback and encompassed it within our action plan.

There is now increased representation from parents and carers on the SEND Improvement Partnership Board (SIPB), and from 26 May 2022 the board will be co-chaired by the Executive Director: People and a Bracknell Parent Carer Forum representative. The SIPB membership includes full representation from stakeholders, which ensures accountability and scrutiny at the highest levels.

Panels

We have had panel processes in place to consider applications to assess and agree EHCPs, top-up funding and placements for several years. However, prior to the inspection we identified that there was a need for a refresh of the process.

This has now been completed and we have implemented new panel processes, with wider representation that are more focused and aligned to the SEN Code of Practice. The panel has representation from key multi-agency professionals including schools, health, children’s social care, educational psychologists, and specialist services.

We will schedule a review to ensure that processes are consistent and fit for purpose, and we will seek feedback from stakeholders to ensure that the principles of co-production are implemented, and stakeholders listened to. Early feedback from panel members has acknowledged that progress is being made, and we will continue to build on this.

Information, advice, and support

There is an established and well-regarded Bracknell Forest Information, Advice and Support Services (IASS), which users highly recommend and value. This service provides impartial feedback to the SEND department, highlighting parent and carer issues and problems arising, which are noted by the department and solutions sought. We are working towards being more agile in our responses to this information and welcome the feedback to improve our service and practice.

It was noted during the inspection that parents and carers were unaware of the term ‘SEND Local Offer’. Having considered this feedback, we acknowledge that there is a need to ensure that parents, carers, and partner agencies are familiar with the term ‘Local Offer’, but also that the Local Offer website and quality of support is fit for purpose. Prior to the inspection, work had started on a review of the website which identified a requirement to upgrade and redesign.

A review of the accessibility of documentation and the availability of services was undertaken. We have identified the need for a working group of parent/carers, children and young people, stakeholders, officers, and ICT professionals to agree specification and design, then progress to procurement and development of a new platform. In the meantime, SEND officers have a link in their email signatures and we have agreed to include the link in documentation as part of our communications strategy.

4 Our Written Statement of Action (WSOA)

In preparing for the WSOA, we have reflected on advice from the Department for Education (DfE) about what our statement should include. As a result, our WSOA:

Focuses on each of the areas of significant weakness identified by inspectors at the end of the inspection letter – these are at the core of the WSOA.
Sets out a clear time frame and includes objectives, which may be long-term but with short-term (within 18 months) SMART targets to demonstrate progress.
Ensures the overall time frame shows the local area is ambitious but understands the realistic timescales for each area of work.
Sets out the areas which need to be addressed, alongside actions which are time limited and assigned to individuals (groups may contribute but will not be accountable).
Ensures outcomes are clearly defined and that they demonstrate impact.
Has been designed to maximise accessibility in digital format for those with visual impairments. Other formats can be provided upon request.

Co-producing our WSOA

A SEND project has been established for the local area, which reports to the area’s SEND Improvement Partnership Board. The project comprises five workstreams:

Governance: effective leadership, governance, and accountability of SEND underpinned by robust strategies, systems, and processes. This workstream covered elements of significant weakness numbers 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9.

Resources: effective use of resources including High Needs Block to ensure; provision of SEND places in borough, commissioning framework is used to procure health services, best value for money, including the High Needs Block funding. This workstream covered elements of significant weakness numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Provision and support: ensure our SEND and other vulnerable children and young people have access to a flexible range of 'fit for purpose' outcome focused provision and support. Including a specific focus on reducing fixed term exclusions and strengthening focus on early identification of children and young people at risk of presenting Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, thereby reducing the need for crisis intervention. This workstream covered elements of significant weakness numbers 1, 4, 6 and 9.

Co-production: develop a SEND co-production model that aligns to the new Bracknell Forest Co-production Strategy and Vision to strengthen and improve co-production with children and young people and their parents and carers. This workstream covered elements of significant weakness numbers 2, 3 and 9.

Transitions: children and young people to have successful transitions at all phases, including Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) pathways, independent living and employment. This workstream covered elements of significant weakness numbers 7, 8 and 9.

Care has been taken to ensure that each workstream, responsible for co-producing sections of our plan, has a broad membership.

Each workstream has a nominated lead and whilst the membership for each varies, the following key partners are involved: senior local authority officers across children’s and adults’ services, senior officers across the CCG, headteachers, further education leaders, Bracknell Parent Carer Forum representatives, the voluntary and community sector and the council’s regeneration and economic development team. The voice of children and young people will be heard through children and young people’s focus groups.

5 Governance and accountability

All workstreams report into the SEND Improvement Partnership Board (SIPB), which is fully representative of all stakeholders. Board members in turn report into their host organisations’ governance structure. The council will track its progress via monthly corporate management team meetings and quarterly Executive meetings.

Overarching strategic approach

The SIPB has a clear purpose and works to identify and address issues that have an impact on the wellbeing of children and young people with SEND and their families.

The board is now co-chaired by the Executive Director: People and the chair of the Parent Carer Forum.

This multi-agency group is responsible for ensuring the Bracknell Forest SEND Improvement Strategy: ’Thrive in learning and not be left behind’, is implemented and that actions are progressed and monitored on a routine basis. Moving forward, this work is underpinned by a strong ethos of co-production defined as an equal relationship between the people who use services and the people responsible for delivering services. Co-production will offer evidence that all parties work together, from design to delivery, sharing strategic decision-making about policies as well as decisions about the best way to deliver services.

The Bracknell Forest Children and Young People Partnership Board is responsible for providing inter-agency governance arrangements and for ensuring effective co-operation of agencies under Section 10 of the Children Act 2004, S11 and Working Together. The SIPB and the East Berkshire SEND Committee are accountable to the Bracknell Forest Children and Young People Partnership Board.

Governance structure

To ensure effective Bracknell Forest Council governance and oversight, the council’s Executive will be the formal body signing off the WSOA with reports through to the Corporate Management Team (CMT), which have been developed via the SIPB by responsible lead officers.Within Frimley CCG the lead officer responsible for CQC regulated activity is the Director of Nursing. The WSOA would be presented at the Quality Committee which is a formal subcommittee of Frimley CCG.

Once the CCG formally becomes an Integrated Care Board (ICB) on 1 July, the Chief Nurse will remain responsible, and the WSOA will be reported via the Boards Quality Committee.

How we are working to deliver improvements

We will deliver the changes we are committed to through the following governance steps:

● clear and effective governance forums that ensure we have appropriate engagement of all partners. These will be transparent and collaborative and will ensure that we have parent representatives at all strategic forums, and that we seek views of a wider group of parents/carers in all important decisions

● we will enhance communications and transparency through a range of methods to ensure that partners are aware of progress and have opportunities to feedback at all stages

● we will use robust change management approaches to ensure that changes are designed with our partners, including children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers, and that changes are effectively embedded. We will enhance quality assurance processes in order that we evaluate the impact of changes as they are embedded and on an ongoing basis.

This governance will act as an umbrella, which will oversee all the other changes we are proposing. We will use a range of building blocks and consistent best practice approaches to deliver co-production and successful implementation. These will include:

a process change toolkit which will include engagement, process mapping, analysis of best practice, design, piloting, communication, culture change, and roll-out phases to include continuous improvement cycle
working groups that bring together partners, with support from specialist project teams to devise solutions and implement them
reference groups, including a parents’ group, which are consulted on proposals and able to give expert insight and advice
a robust communications strategy to ensure all partners are kept informed, and aid transparency and accountability
mechanisms to understand and build upon feedback including surveys, and systematic learning from complaints and compliments

In this way we aim to embed a culture of openness, co-production and focus on meaningful impact for children and young people with SEND, which will be an anchor for the delivery of specific activities and an ongoing journey of improvement.

Through effective governance and accountability, we expect our actions to have an impact on the Bracknell Forest children and young people SEND community. We will be responsive to changing needs so we can secure both short-term and long-term improvement, which will have real impact.

Bracknell Forest Written Statement of Action – Action Plan

Improvement area 1

The lack of a clear, co-produced strategy for how the much-needed improvements and change will be brought about

Intended outcomes

Completion of a new strategy for SEND that includes a co-produced vision for children and young people with SEND that focuses our work in the future.

The new strategy will support alignment and co-production around a rigorous focus on meeting needs of children and young people with SEND

What does good look like for children and families?

1. We will have a new strategy in place that sets a clear vision and aspiration for children and young people with SEND in the borough. This will be highly visible and understood and will set the standards we will work towards.

2. The strategy will be co-produced and will be shaped by the views of children, young people, their families, schools, and other partners who have contributed to establishing objectives and actions. It will outline the way that all partners will continue to work together to drive improvements.

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
To ensure there is a clear, co-produced strategy for how the improvements and change will be brought about	Co-produce strategy with schools and families during summer term – to shape the vision. Wherever possible we will include other stakeholders such as the VCS, parent carers, health in the co-production of the strategy	Assistant Director Education and Learning	July 2022	Rigorous focus on mee the needs of children and young people Alignment of our vision for children and young people with SEND Strengthened partnership working
	Data refresh and analysis - understanding position	Assistant Director Education and Learning	August 2022
	Draft strategy during summer holidays	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022
	Engagement and consultation on draft strategy	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022
	Finalise the strategy and follow governance steps for approval and adoption	Assistant Director Education and Learning	November 2022
To ensure that we have an up-to-date SEND Strategy, and all related key strategic documents for the local area are up-to-date and complementary	Finalise and publish the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)	Public Health	September 2022	Range of complementary strategic documents ensure clear, aligned focus on needs and priorities for children with SEND Strategies are complementary and support partners to focus on agreed priorities Increased visibility and accountability for SEND improvement activity
	Finalise and publish the Health and Wellbeing Strategy	Public Health	July 2022
	Review and mapping of all other key strategic documents to ensure they are up-to-date and published, and develop a schedule for updates	Assistant Director Education and Learning Designated Clinical Officer	September 2022
	Report to the SEND Improvement Board - and agree actions and ownership on all strategic documents	Assistant Director Education and Learning Designated Clinical Officer	November 2022

Improvement area 2

Parents’ and carers’ lack of confidence in the education, healthcare and social opportunities for children and young people with SEND, alongside their frustration at the poor communication they experience with the SEND team

Intended outcomes

Develop a co-produced communication and engagement charter, and fully embed two-way communication between the parents/carers and the SEND service.

Parents/carers will be confident that their children’s needs will be met holistically, they will report an effective partnership with the SEND service, where communication is timely*, accurate and supportive and they feel listened to.

What does good look like for children and families?

1. Clear pathways for children and young people

2. Quality of delivery (in line with code of practice), which is tailored, integrated and continuous

3. Efficient and effective communication, with timely* responses and a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) within SEND Team

4. Improved engagement with all key stakeholders, to include health, social care, and other agencies

5. A well embedded professional partnership approach with families and carers, to ensure children and young people with SEND fulfil their potential, achieving good outcomes, through collaborative working

*As set out within Communication Charter to be developed

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
To ensure that deadlines and legal requirements are adhered to, thereby ensuring children and young people's access to appropriate educational provision	Restructure the council’s SEND service to ensure that sufficient capacity is available	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022	Statutory compliance is more effective – ensuring timelines are met. Process is more child focused and compliant with legal requirements. Improved oversight and monitoring of systems Data and processing in one place, more consistent and efficient.
	Detailed mapping of current processes and systems	Head of SEND	September 2022
	Review and develop efficient processes and systems – to ensure they are compliant and reflect assessment of best practice	Head of SEND	July 2022
	Develop process that incorporate the voice and input of parents, children, and stakeholders	Head of SEND	August 2022
	Implement Capita ONE SEND module to ensure that processes are clearly defined and provide accurate data to support effective case management and legal compliance	Assistant Director Education and Learning	October 2022
To ensure consistent and high-quality communication between parents and professionals regarding the production of EHCPs	Deliver a robust induction and performance management system across the SEND team to ensure that Capita One SEND module is used consistently, to review reports generated to support clear oversight of all aspects of the SEND journey to ensure legal compliance	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	January 2023	BF will be legally compliant, statutory timelines will be met within legal parameters, ensuring vulnerable children and young people get their needs met effectively and within statutory requirements driving up parental confidence. Parents/carers and school staff will feel confident using the portal. All children and young people will be treated equally as individuals will not be impacted by individual person knowledge base Equitable access to system, ’No Child is left behind’. Parents will report increased satisfaction and confidence, through a clear understanding of process and decision supporting criteria. Plans will be coproduced, accurately capturing parent carers and CYP's thoughts and wants, embeds a partnership early in the process between the local authority and parent/carers, provides a personal touch.
	Implement comprehensive training programme with the support of a user manual, to ensure all parties that use the Capita One are confident to do so	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	October 2022
	To map all relevant panels relating to children and young people with SEND (providing terms of reference, decision-making process) to ensure parents, carers and professional have clarity about how decisions are made across the local authority. Timelines for decisions are published and adhered to. Panels will give a clear rationale to support decisions, these decisions to be consistently communicated in a more personal manner via phone or face-to-face meeting	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	September 2022
	To implement co-production at the drafting stage of the EHCP to ensure EHCP and outcomes are co-produced.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	September 2022
Improve the communication processes between the SEND team, parents and carers, and schools to improve quality of communication	We will develop a co-produced communication charter ensuring that timescales and approaches are clearly defined and published on the Local Offer.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	August 2022	Parents and carers, and schools will report increased levels of satisfaction in terms of communication with the SEND team
	These timelines and approaches will be embedded across the SEND service and performance will be reviewed annually with service users.	Head of SEND	September 2022
Improve parents' perception that they are 'going into battle' when trying to access provisions for their child's needs by actively signposting available support services, including charities.	Develop a system that routinely secures ‘lived experiences’ through surveys/’how did we do feedback’ at key milestones to drive improvement	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	December 2022	Families know they have been heard and are able to contribute to improvements. Young people feel their views have been heard and captured. There is a transparent process with joint ownership and clarity of timescales, driving up the quality of experience for parents/carers and CYP’s with SEND Continued service improvement is delivered, we know our weaknesses and we constantly drive for improvement Parents and carers report increased satisfaction; they know how to feedback Greater understanding of the way the system is structured
	Analyse and categorise complaints into main themes and report against volumes, types, stages and time to resolution, ensure the route to provide complaint, compliment and comment is clear and accessible	Assistant Director Commissioning	September 2022
	Co-produce a suite of standard letters to be used throughout the statutory process, these letters will be clear and in plain English and provide parents and carers and young people with clear routes of recourse where appropriate	Head of SEND	September 2022
	Implement a working group to develop a co-produced graphic representation/image to summarise the SEND customer journey	Assistant Director Education and Learning Communications and marketing team	December 2022
To ensure all children and young people educated out of area have access to appropriate healthcare	Analysis and engagement to understand the current experiences of children and young people who are educated out of area and their parents	Assistant Director Education and Learning and Designated Clinical Officer	September 2022	Children do not have delays in receiving care. Building confidence. Children are not disadvantaged.
	Develop shared protocols between CCGs to ensure that children can access provision – based on Responsible Commissioner guidance	Designated Clinical Officer	April 2023
	Ensure that placement processes for making out of area placements are robust and consider healthcare needs of children and availability of out of area provision	AD Commissioning Designated Clinical Officer	September 2022
To improve oversight in the healthcare system of children and young people with SEND who are home educated	Review the current service specification for integrated therapies to ensure children who are home educated are reflected.	Designated Clinical Officer	March 2023	To ensure children who are home educated are reflected in the current 'Integrated Therapies Project'
	Establish a working group of key agencies to better understand and explore the visibility, support and challenges for children/young people who are home educated.	Assistant Director Early Help	July 2022	We will have effective oversight into the healthcare needs of all children across Bracknell Forest Children and Young people will have access to equitable support and services.

Improvement area 3

The lack of co-production with children and young people with SEND and their families, and with professionals. This includes limited parental representation at a strategic level.

Intended outcomes

To embed a co-production approach with children and young people with SEND and their families, and with professionals

What does good look like for children and families?

1. Voice of client-based stakeholders is considered to ensure council services are aligned

2. Person centred planning approaches are routinely used

3. Learner voice captured through an appropriate medium depending on their needs

4. Familial representation at a strategic level

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
To improve co-production with children and young people with SEND and their families, and with professionals	Increase parental representation at a strategic level by ensuring that parents/ carers are on strategic boards	Executive Director People	September 2022	Parents and carers will report their level of influence around strategic development Children and young people with SEND have provision and services available that they want and need when they need it A broad range of parent and carers views are represented when co-producing Children and young people will secure good outcomes and feel empowered to control their own destiny
	Develop a SEND youth forum so that CYP's voices are clearly heard and CYP play a key role in co-production	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	December 2022
	Parent/carer engagement events are timetabled across the day and into the evening using both virtual and face to face approaches to ensure broad representation and engagement with parents and carers.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	June 2022
	Develop a training programme to ensure that person centred planning is embedded across the education landscape, to ensure CYP's voices are heard and at the centre of planning and delivery	Designated Clinical Officer Head of SEND	June 2023 Subsistence
To ensure that EHCPs are consistently good quality, include up- to-date information and reflect the views of children and young people. Within this, ensuring that contributions from health professionals, e.g., school nurses and health visitors, are included in the EHCP process, and their contributions are accurately reflected	Implement improvements to Capita One - including detailed engagement and communication with partner organisations	Assistant Director Education and Learning	October half-term 2022	Children get access to the support they need when required. Increased confidence. Plans are holistic. Tell us once. Good quality advice.
	Develop baseline understanding of the challenges, bottlenecks, and delays and taking account of the co-produced work already undertaken whilst developing the WSOA. Assess current processes and resources against best practice.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Designated Clinical Officer	October 2022
	Co-production with local parents, carers, and system partners to understand experiences of EHCP process and systems and develop principles and priorities for development.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Designated Clinical Officer	January 2023
	Design new EHCP processes that support consistent good quality and compliance, through process mapping and collaboration.	Head of SEND Designated Clinical Officer	March 2023
	Roll out new process through initial pilot. Learn from experiences and then launch. Ensure effective communications to support process embedding and implementation of a continuous improvement process.	Head of SEND Designated Clinical Officer	June 2023
	Undertake termly audit to ensure that new EHCP process is operating effectively in relation to compliance, quality and experience of children, parents, and partners.	AD Commissioning	September 2023

Improvement area 4

The lack of appropriate educational provision for a significant proportion of children and young people with SEND in the borough

Intended outcomes

Develop and provide quality, accessible, appropriate educational provision for the large proportion of children and young people with SEND in the borough.

What does good look like for children and families?

1. A robust data system which models demand over time and informs where places will be required, specific to specialist need and age range / phase, with flexibility to respond rapidly to any urgent change in demand.

2. Regular reviews of premises and provision to ensure placements meet demand of places and specialisms.

3. Clear levels of tiered provision that meet the needs of CYP, from SEN support to the most complex with EHCP, agreed and developed across the borough with the aim that the vast majority of CYP are educated in their locality.

4. Demonstrative process how needs and demand inform the capital programme to implement projects and financial modelling, to ensure data and place planning provide sufficient provision to meet demand.

5. Annual audits of the quality of the education provision, challenge, and intervention as appropriate to ensure that every CYP receives a quality education and that providers are aspirational for CYP, meeting need and delivering quality outcomes.

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
To address the lack of appropriate educational provision for the large proportion of children and young people with SEND in the borough	Participate in the Best Value SEND programme	Assistant Director Education and Learning	TBC	Comprehensive plan is delivered and annually revised to ensure it is fit for purpose. Children and Young People will be places in most appropriate provision to meet their identified needs. Clear pathways to secure provision for complex EHCP requirements. Improved quality of education provision, outcomes and 'diminishing the gap' for CYP with SEND
	Align and develop a single school places plan for the future SEN places strategy that captures early years, SEND, mainstream and identifies synergies between the three.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of Property, Places, Admissions	September 2022 (then annually)
	Develop a data set to inform most appropriate tier of provision and mobility between tiers that can be factored into forecasts	Head of SEND Head of Property, Places, Admissions	September 2022
	Define criteria where need cannot be met in borough and where suitable provision can be procured.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022
	Scheduled reviews across all schools and colleges provision of: · quality of teaching and learning · training needs for SENCos and school staff · resources · effectiveness and timeliness of response from panels	Head of SEND Head of School Standards	October 2022
To provide clarity and detail around application and attendance process for children and young people with SEND to access the newly opened special resources provisions to increase in borough service utilisation	Ensure clear processes and admission requirements are publicly available to signpost applicants to the panel application process for places	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022	Clear processes and administration for placements Accurate identification of demand which is met by appropriate quality and quantity of provision Placements meet needs of each child and young person
	Develop management information that enables financial modelling and demand modelling to be readily and accurately compared	Finance Business Partner	September 2022
	Conduct a scheduled review of quality and quantity of premises and provision, at least annually, to include access and conditions audits.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of Property, Places, Admissions	September 2022	Premises that meet the standards and needs of SEND CYP. Right places available at the right time.
	Utilise sufficiency analysis to inform where places are identified, procured, and captured in SLAs, working with BFC property team and the managing partner.	Assistant Director Commissioning Head of Property, Places, Admissions	September 2022	Sufficiency will provide right place at the right time for SEND CYP
To reduce fixed term exclusions for children and young people with SEND	Analyse exclusion data to identify specific patterns, gaps, concerns and focus areas to include use of alternative provision across Bracknell Forest	Head of Inclusion	October 2022	Children having access to a full curriculum with improved outcomes and life chances Children feel included and part of their school community
	Implement robust training programme to address areas identified through data interrogation	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of Inclusion	February 2023
	Co-produce a borough-wide framework for a graduated approach to support children and young people’s inclusion through regulation, co-regulation, communication, and trauma informed practice	Head of Inclusion BHFT (TBC)	September 2023
	Improved monitoring process of part-time timetables, including alternative provision where children and young people are accessing less than 25 hours of education, to be established	Head of Inclusion	June 2022
	Explore options to learn from other local authorities where there is a zero tolerance to exclusions	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of Inclusion	January 2023

Improvement area 5

The lack of support available to children and young people while waiting excessive amounts of time to access occupational therapy services. Also, the lack of capacity in the occupational therapy team, resulting in delays to their contributions to EHCPs

Intended outcomes

Children/young people, families and carers feel supported whilst waiting for specialist support from the occupational therapy services. Families will be clear about what support is available and how this can be accessed.

Contribution from an Occupational Therapist will be correctly identified and provided as part of the EHCP process within the expected time frame.

There will be a reduction in waiting times for access to occupational therapy for a specialist assessment

What does good look like for children and families?

1. Children and young people requiring support and input from occupational therapy services will receive this within an acceptable timescale in line with the aims of national benchmarking.

2. Children/young people and families receive support to enable their needs, relevant to occupational therapy, to be met.

3. Contributions to the EHCA process from occupational therapy will be completed within timescale.

Objective / Vision

Actions

Who will lead the work?

When will it be delivered?

What will the impact be?

To improve access to the occupational therapy service for children and young people

Current review of the commissioning of integrated therapies is being undertaken as part of the Integrated Therapies Project across East Berkshire. This is to enable improved demand/capacity management as relevant to staffing and model of provision.

The Integrated Therapies Project to report the findings to outline and inform future commissioning specification

Occupational Therapy waiting times to be reduced in line with the commissioned service standard following the outcome of the Integrated Therapies Project.

Designated Clinical Officer

CCG

Local Authority Commissioners

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

March 2023

Children and young people will access the specialist support they require in accordance with the capacity commissioned following the Integrated Therapies Project review and its implementation, within 18 weeks of receipt of referral

Children and young people will be able to access the right support (Universal, Targeted, Specialist) at the right time and in the right place

Occupational Therapy wait times and EHCA compliance to be shared and presented quarterly via the Send Improvement Board (SIPD) and East Berkshire SEND Committee

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

June 2022

Senior Sponsor oversight of progress and improvements

Ensure consistent representation from health at the Decision Making Group (DMG) panels to support and strengthen the correct application of graduated approach, ensuring appropriate referrals into occupational therapy.

Designated Clinical Officer

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

June 2022

Access to the right support at the right time will improve both the long- and short-term outcomes of children and young people.

There will be equitable participation for all children and young people.

Children and Young People will access the support they need in their educational setting

Occupational Therapy services to contribute to the Ordinarily Available bank of resources

Head of SEND

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

August 2022

For families to feel supported and confident to meet their child's needs whilst they are waiting to access occupational therapy services.

Map what current support is available and what resources are accessible to children, young people, parents, and carers awaiting an appointment with an Occupational Therapist and identify any gaps in support and/or resource. Work with children, young people, parents and carers and the integrated therapies service to develop resources and increase support across any identified areas.

Designated Clinical Officer

Head of SEND

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

September 2022

Children and Young people will have access to a wide range of support which they will tell us is helpful.

Those working with children and young people will feel well supported and able to meet their needs.

Families will feel confident in using strategies to support their child

Improvement area 6

The high number of children and young people with SEND who reach a mental health crisis because of a lack of timely support to prevent further escalation

Intended outcomes

To provide timely early mental health support to children and young people with SEND

To reduce the number of children and young people with SEND who end up in mental health crisis

What does good look like for children and families?

1. Early identification, clarity around what the support journey looks like and signposting to available services for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

2. Collaboration and a streamlined approach

3. Inclusion of key performance indicators (KPIs), for example: school refusal

4. Better understanding of identifying those children at biggest risk of crisis - put inclusive and supportive intervention in place (transition) and using data that already exists.

5. Data sharing with partners to inform commissioning and gap analysis.

6. Clearly defined co-produced pathways for everyone

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
To provide timely early mental health support to children and young people with SEND	Map and publish all available services (health commissioned, council commissioned services and voluntary and community sector) and analyse gaps to inform commissioning needs	Designated Clinical Officer Strategic Commissioning Manager	April 2023	Increased wellbeing for children and young people with services fit for purpose Increased confidence for adults working with children and young people with a sense of being better equipped to provide support Schools and settings are able to promote wellbeing and not just provide crisis intervention Increased awareness of SEND provision and training Increased community awareness of mental health issues and increased opportunity to promote wellness Understanding of what wellness looks like in Bracknell Forest, with a benchmark providing a measure SIPB will be able to hold partners to account through the data dashboard for progress made against identified standards and targets
	Commission services identified through the gap analysis above	Clinical Commissioning Group Strategic Commissioning Manager	April 2023
	Identify and promote programme of training to parents, carers, and professionals to provide early intervention and support to children and young people. To be communicated through the Local Offer, reviewing take up and promoting further, where necessary	Designated Clinical Officer Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2023
	Secure data from wellbeing surveys and questionnaires to obtain a baseline and opportunity to track impact of early intervention	Designated Clinical Officer	June 2023
	Develop a data dashboard to provide oversight to SIPB on performance across the SEND landscape including waiting times and progress against standards and targets	Designated Clinical Officer Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022
To reduce the number of children and young people with SEND who end up in mental health crisis	Ensure all partners understand and work to the clinical definition of mental health crisis	Designated Clinical Officer Assistant Director Education and Learning	October 2023	Children and young people able to access the right targeted service within a reasonable timeframe Children will receive intervention earlier to prevent escalation/deterioration First-hand support and early recognition arising from an increased awareness and skill set of staff in school Navigating the systems becomes clearer and less stressful for families leading to a positive impact on homelife. Lower parental anxiety leading to a positive impact on children Increased confidence and autonomy for parents and ability to access services when needed.
	Develop and resource a mental health drop-in service for education professionals (from early years to further education) within the school locality clusters to provide training, support, and curriculum development	Designated Clinical Officer Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2023
	Work with voluntary and community sector to provide regular training within community settings around mental health	Designated Clinical Officer	May 2023
	Evaluate supervision, support and training available to staff in managing the SEMH complexities therefore increasing the resilience in the workforce.	Designated Clinical Officer Head of SEND	March 2023
	Undertake deep dive into several crisis cases to consider early flags, to increase understanding of early identifiers, to develop services to support early intervention, and avoid missed opportunities	Designated Clinical Officer Assistant Director Education and Learning	November 2022

Improvement area 7

The lack of established, effective panel arrangements to decide next steps in the graduated approach used for pupils who receive SEND support

Intended outcomes

We will have robust and effective decision-making groups in place to ensure that consistent decisions take place in a timely way. These will be open and transparent and trusted by local partners, including parents of children with SEND. There will be clear and effective communication between all professionals involved inside and outside of the panel. We will ensure there is appropriate engagement and involvement, including schools, on all panels

Increased confidence in the system leading to fewer complaints and reduced frustration from parents

What does good look like for children and families?

1. Children and young people are able to access the right support in the right place at the right time

2. Children, young people and families feel included in the decision-making process

3. Quality assurance processes will evaluate effectiveness and support a process of continuous learning.

Objective / Vision

Actions

Who will lead the work?

When will it be delivered?

What will the impact be?

To ensure that Bracknell Forest's decision-making process, to support schools' use of the graduated approach, is fit for purpose and that there are established, effective panel arrangements to decide next steps

Embedding new Decision Making Group model – ensuring they are working as planned and demonstrating correct adherence to the graduated approach, ensuring that 0-5 information is considered and informs decisions.

Assistant Director Education and Learning

Head of SEND

July 2022

Fewer complaints and frustration of parents. Increased confidence in system

Children and young people receive the right services at the right time

Reduction in out of borough school placements through timely decisions

Earlier identification of need and therefore support

Communicate all panel arrangements to schools and settings including processes, standards and expectations, and communication flows. Ensure this includes SENCO Forum and Parents and Carers Forum

Head of SEND

Designated Clinical Officer

June 2022

Establish process for timely* reporting on conclusions of panels effectively to parents, schools and post-16 settings

*As set out within Communication Charter to be developed

Assistant Director Education and Learning

Head of SEND

July 2022

Undertake an audit of the effectiveness of the DMGs, including consistency of attendance, decision making and outcomes

Assistant Director Commissioning

Summer 2022

To ensure that for children and young people who receive SEND support, schools use the graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review)

Co-produce graduated support standards, to clearly define expected models of delivery and support. Embedding quality first teaching and evidence-based approaches to ensure children and young people’s emerging needs are met early, effectively, and consistently across the education landscape. To be supported by training programmes for school staff and parents and carers

Head of Inclusion

November 2022

Helps with EHCP process or negates need.

Undertake analysis to understand current approaches used within the borough. Review documentation, processes, and available feedback to develop a baseline understanding.

Assistant Director Education and Learning

Head of School Standards

September 2022

Initially pilot new approach with a limited number of schools, before updating model and then rolling out across Bracknell Forest. Ensure effective communication and training to support effective implementation and embed a process of continuous improvement

Assistant Director Education and Learning

March 2023

Undertake an audit of the effectiveness of the new graduated approach, including consistency of application, feedback from parents, and impact on children with SEND

Assistant Director Commissioning

June 2023

Improvement area 8

Insufficient long-term planning for young people as they move into adulthood

Intended outcomes

Increased number of children and young people in education, employment and training (EET)

CYP having individual needs met by increased offer, and appropriate pathways for long-term living

What does good look like for children and families?

1. We will not go above national Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) levels for CYP with SEND

2. Use creative use of personal health budgets - more bespoke packages to allow them to stay in the local area

3. Voice of the young person's needs, aspirations and interests is captured in a way that is best for the young person and identified as soon as possible

4. Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) planning will be reflected across all agencies working with young people. Within health there will be evidence that young people are being offered, attending, and benefiting from an annual health review with their GP, starting from age 14.

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
Improve long-term planning for young people moving into adulthood	Engage with local employers to define pathways to employment for those with SEND. Pledges and plans from local businesses and agencies and supported internships in local colleges.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	April 2023	Transparency about number in employment. CYP travelling independently Number of SEND young people accessing higher education. Happy and more confident young people. Clear options for YP to learn to drive. Change in community perspective. Early understanding for families, carers, and young people around eligibility for adult social care
	Career advice and adult pathway planning to start from age 14 to ensure SMART targets are in place across services that reflect aspirations for children and young people into adulthood.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	December 2022
	Early planning to ensure the right ongoing care provision	Head of Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorder Head of SEND	April 2023
	Review the further education (FE) options available in the borough and have a dedicated, appropriate resource to support young people moving into adulthood and post 16 to link in with other services.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	October 2022
	Social care to embed the transition protocol within appropriate timescales to ensure parents understand eligibility for adult social care provision	Head of Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorder Head of Specialist Service, Family Safeguarding	October 2022
To improve levels of aspiration for the future for children with the most complex needs within EHCPs.	Aspirations for child and family are needs based and bespoke. Review remit of a personal health budget to support the child into adulthood – feedback from parents, children, and young people	Designated Clinical Officer	March 2023	Improve independence of the child and young person Increase confidence for families and children and young people Increased integration and value into community Ensuring the needs of children and young people are met effectively and increase opportunities Reduction of children and young people moving between placements and settings Development of interpersonal and business skills to increase future work opportunities
	Ensure young people with behaviour problems have access to bespoke provision of support and resource	Head of SEND	April 2023
	Review the skill set and experience of support staff across the FE sector to ensure children with complex needs can transition effectively and access work-based learning qualifications, by commissioning appropriate provision Working in partnership with the FE sector to develop the skillset of support staff to ensure children with complex needs can transition effectively and access work-based learning qualifications, by commissioning additional appropriate provision	Assistant Director Education and Learning	December 2022
	Work with the Economic and Skills Development Partnership to increase awareness around supported internship and how they can benefit from this opportunity, including developing enterprise opportunities	Head of SEND	April 2023
	Early engagement at school level to ensure school staff better understand PfA through training	Head of SEND	September 2022
To reduce the number of young people with SEND who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) by improving the planning of Preparation for Adulthood (PfA).	Review post school provision to inform and improve the increase of transport options and travel training	Head of SEND	October 2022	Ensure the number of pupils who are in education, employment, or training (EET) is in line with national figures Parents, carers, and young people feel they are happy and content with the transitions process and satisfied that the pathways link to the needs and aspirations of young people and packages are tailored to each child. A consistent and person- centred approach is adopted.
	Engage with youth forum for input into increasing appropriate PfA options appropriate for young people	Head of SEND	March 2023
	Develop Local Offer for those children who are not eligible and open to adult services	Head of Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum Disorder Head of Inclusion	April 2023
	Ensure all young people who are at risk of becoming NEET are referred to Elevate for targeted support	Head of SEND	September 2022
	Review of NEET and themes around reasoning to this pathway to feed into development of Local Offer	Head of SEND Elevate	April 2023

Improvement area 9

Parents’ and carers’ lack of awareness of available advice, support, or social care provision. The lack of age-appropriate social opportunities for older children and young people with SEND

Intended outcomes

Provide consistent signposting and easy access to sources of advice, support and social care provision to the families, parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.

What does good look like for children and families?

1. The Local Offer is coproduced to provide what the SEND community want and need, allowing parents and carers to access the services they require.

2. The Local Offer is a valued resource for the SEND community, including professionals, allowing children and young people to have their needs met effectively and early.

3. The Local Offer is used to understand gaps in the system and informs commissioning, ensuring children and young people have provision that they want and need.

Objective / Vision	Actions	Who will lead the work?	When will it be delivered?	What will the impact be?
Provide consistent signposting to sources of advice, support and social care provision to the families, parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.	Ensure the co-produced Communication Charter includes information on the approach to communicating changes to processes	Assistant Director Education and Learning	September 2022	Partners are aware of process development; they understand them and how to navigate them. Parents and carers are able to access the right provision/service when they are required. People understand what the Local Offer is (raised awareness), can find what they want more easily and feel able to make informed decisions Parents/ carers and professionals are aware of the Local Offer, and it is a valued resource that is accessible and provides up- to- date and relevant information. Resources for parents, families and professionals are up-to-date, gaps are identified. CYP can access what they need and want and social outcomes are improved Parent, families, and professionals are able to have access to up to date and current information to inform and improve the guidance and services they access and provide.
	Review and co-produce the Local Offer website where necessary. To explore increased functionality and accessibility, important to consider how information provided for those without computer access.	Assistant Director Education and Learning	March 2023
	Update the Local Offer and the Bracknell Forest Council website, to ensure information regarding how to access advice, support and/or an assessment from children’s social care is easily accessible and children, young people and parents and carers understand what social work provision they are entitled to	Assistant Director Children’s Social Care	July 2022
	To develop a plan to ensure that parents’ and professionals’ awareness of the Local Offer and how it can support them is raised. For example, GP surgeries, health visitors.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND Designated Clinical Officer Communications and marketing team	August 2022
	Develop an annual review process to ensure that the information held on the Local Offer is accurate and up-to-date, to include a feedback loop from forums and CYPs	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	October 2022
To ensure that children and young people with SEND have their social care needs assessed in a systemic and comprehensive way, including those not known to children's social care	Develop business case for Designated Social Care Officer role within Bracknell Forest	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of Children’s Specialist Family Safeguarding	September 2022	Holistic perspective. Tell us once. Collaborative approach. Comprehensive assessment. Increased self-esteem and confidence. Broader understanding of the social needs of children and young people with SEND.
	As part of the co-produced CSC strategy development below, strengthen compliance with Working Together, the Children’s Social Care Assessment Framework, and the SEND Code of Practice to ensure assessments are meaningful and legally compliant	Assistant Director Children’s Social Care	July 2022 Can we do this before the co-produced strategy? Quick win?
	Developing improved links between services – such as ‘transition evenings’ - that create alignment and ensure parents/carers know about the range of services available	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	April 2023
	Establish early intervention offer for children with long-term and ongoing needs. Evaluate the impact of these arrangements	Assistant Director Early Help	April 2023
To ensure that children and young people, with a particular focus on older young people, are able to develop wider interests, develop independence and participate fully in their community by raising awareness of, and providing access to, social opportunities	Undertake mapping of hobbies and special interests available in borough especially for young people with complex needs who find it very difficult to access hobbies.	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	Date TBC	Better integration into mainstream hobbies Increasing equitable access will increase mental wellbeing and a sense of community inclusion - develop support for specific needs of children and young people to integrate with young people with similar needs SEND Youth forum will contribute to hearing the voices of children and young people.
	Review the duties in the regulations for short breaks, to ensure that our offer is fit for purpose and that people know about it	Assistant Director Children’s Social Care	September 2022
	Create a bespoke package of interests for a young person. Start as early as possible using the EHCP to inform the needs of the young person going into adulthood with the correct support to participate in the hobbies they enjoy	Assistant Director Education and Learning Head of SEND	May 2023
	Establish a pilot with for personalised help focused on: developing CVs, support at Job Centre, interview preparation, support to attend interviews, attend college open days	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	May 2023
	Youth forum to work SEND team on a SEND annual survey, supported by communications team.	Assistant Director Education and Learning Assistant Director Early Help SEND	March 2023
To ensure consistency in the provision of advice, support and social care provision to children, young people, and families with SEND	Increase collaboration between SEN Team and Family Information Service to improve links to Local Offer	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	July 2022 QUICK WIN	Parents carers and professionals are aware of the Local Offer and it is a valued resource that is accessible and provides up-to-date relevant information Children, young people, parents and carers feel listened to without having to re-tell their story on multiple occasions Parents and carers are less frustrated Parents and carers understand the thresholds of children’s social care and better understand why some actions are taken
	Utilise and embed the ethos of ‘Tell us once' in all our communication, marketing materials and activity	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	October 2023
	Ensuring processes across education health and social care are aligned where appropriate to deliver an integrated and streamlined customer experience	Assistant Director Education and Learning SEND	TBC
	Co-produce a strategy that ensures whichever team you get your social work service from, it is ambitious, effective, and inclusive and meets the needs of the child and their family	Assistant Director Children’s Social Care	December 2022