SEND policy

Rationale

Hope is an integrated service which combines both Surrey County Council and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Policies and Procedures. As issues arise the response process to be followed will be that of the most appropriate organisation. The General Manager for Hope is to be contacted in the first instance and will direct the query to ensure the appropriate application of Policies and Procedures of each organisation.

The Hope Service day programme offers personalised therapeutic, educational and recreational activities to young people. It is flexible to ensure that it meets individual needs in a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment which enables each young person to make the best possible progress and feel that they are a valued member of the wider community. All young people are supported to enjoy their learning, celebrate their achievements and become confident individuals who are able to make a successful transition back into education, employment or training.

Introduction

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of young people accessing the day programme either with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) or being assessed for an EHCP. It is, therefore, essential that we work ever more closely with all our partners (schools, colleges and the local authority) to ensure that these needs are met, and that young people have a secure and progressive pathway when they leave our service.

This policy was created in partnership with the parents and carers group, the Hope Management Committee and the young people using the Hope Service. It reflects the statutory guidance set out in the Special educational needs and disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2014) and also references the following legislation:

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Objectives

To ensure clear processes for assessing, planning, supporting and reviewing young people with Special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities in partnership with parents and carers, the multi-agency staff team, relevant outside agencies and the young people themselves.
To develop effective targeted and specialist support alongside regular monitoring and tracking to enable young people to achieve academically and develop the skills and strategies needed to improve their life chances.
To develop and maintain links with each young person's school or college whilst they access the day programme in order to share academic information, good practice and experience.
To deliver a programme of training and support for all staff which develops practice and continues to meet the needs of the young people within the service.

Definition of Special educational needs (SEN) and disability (SEND)

At the Hope Service we use the definition for SEN and for disability from the SEND Code of Practice (2014, updated 2020) which states:

SEN: A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A learning difficulty or disability is a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age. Special educational provision means educational or training provision that is additional to, or different from, that made generally for others of the same age in a mainstream setting in England.

Disability: Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 – that is 'physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The Role of the Special educational needs coordinator (SENCo)

The designated SENCo for each young person is the SENCo at the substantive placement they are on roll at. The Teacher in Charge and a designated teacher at Guildford and Epsom liaise closely with the school SENCo and have day to day responsibility for the operation of the SEND policy and the co-ordination of all SEND provision within the day programme. They disseminate information and coordinate, and support all SEND arrangements with the Hope staff.

Where a young person is a Child Looked After and not on roll at a school, the designated Hope teacher will assume temporary responsibility alongside the Virtual School until they are on placed on roll.

The designated Hope teachers can be contacted in the following way:

Guildford site: 01483 517190
Epsom site: 01372 203404

As a short term crisis provision the Hope Service cannot be named as a provision on a young person's EHCP.

Identification of Needs

As outlined in the Code of Practice there are four main areas of SEN need:

Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social, emotional and mental health
Sensory and, or physical

It is expected that all young people attending the Hope Service day programme will have already been identified by their school or college placement as requiring support, additional to and different from the provision made for others in the same setting. Each young person should be provided with a One Page Profile and ideally a SEND Support Arrangements Plan from their educational establishment which will partly inform the individual programme and support offered within the day programme.

If an Education, health and care needs assessment (EHCNA) is required, this should be requested by the school or college where the young person is on roll and the Hope service will provide supporting documentation where required. Where a young person is not on roll at a school at the time of acceptance into the Hope Service day programme, staff will work with the allocated SEND case worker, parents and carers and Social worker (where applicable), to support the application process. Every endeavour will be made through the appropriate channels to ensure every young person of statutory school age is on roll with a school.

Each young person's individual needs are assessed on entry through a multi-agency approach and a personalised timetable is created which is delivered by highly skilled and specialised staff. This will be recorded and reviewed through their care plans and day programme entry information.

A graduated approach to SEN support

All young people attending the Hope Service day programme have been identified as needing SEN support in one or more of the four categories outlined above. They can expect good quality personalised teaching where progress, development and outcomes are regularly monitored and reviewed. Educational assessments are completed on entry and then tracked and reported termly to parents, carers and schools.

All staff regularly undertake specific training to enhance their knowledge, understanding and develop strategies for, a wide and complex range of needs and young people are able to access a variety of different support options from the range of professional expertise on the staff team.

Young people, schools, outside agencies, parents, carers and families are involved in outcome planning and determining the provision offered through a variety of forums which include Care Planning Assessment Meetings, termly reviews and through regular contact with the Hope coordinators and Link Teachers.

SEN Provision - additional support

All young people attending the day programme have been identified as requiring additional support. Within the Hope Service this may entail:

Personalised curriculum
1:1, 1:2, 1:3 teaching
Activity and therapy sessions
targeted sessions focussed on self-esteem, transitions, social skills
Outdoor Education
High staff, young person ratio (including break times)
Keyworker system
Small group work
Opportunities to gain awards and qualifications (Award Scheme Development and Accreditiation Network (ASDAN) Bronze and Silver Awards and Functional Skills and Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) accreditations)
Access to specialist staff (for example, Community Mental Health nurses, Family Therapist, Social Workers, Clinical Child Psychologist, Art therapists, Drama therapists, Psychiatrists and Activity Workers).

Managing the needs of young people on the SEN register

Each young person attending the day programme will have a named Coordinator, a Link Teacher and a Key Worker, although the overall responsibility for maintaining the SEND Support Arrangements and, or EHCP will remain with the permanent education provision, with support from the Hope Service. Each young person attending the Hope Service has a multi-agency are plan, with input from all professionals involved with that young person. It identifies desired outcomes, individual needs, the interventions and support to be put in place, monitors how these are measured and reviewed and highlights the roles and responsibilities of key staff, parents/carers and the young person.

Each young person's needs, and the provision offered, is regularly monitored and reviewed (using the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle) through a range of forums which include:

Care Plan meetings
Multi agency case reviews
Child looked after (CLA, Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings and core groups
EHCP Annual Reviews
Daily staff de-briefs
Meetings with parents, carers and young people
Parent and Carer groups
School liaison meetings
Termly education reports
Discharge reports which outline strengths, areas for improvement and strategies for further development and support needed for when the young person is discharged.

EHCPs are reviewed by the main education provider, as part of the Annual Review process, or if necessary, as an Emergency Review. The Hope Service will be fully involved in these review meetings and will offer input and advice, as part of the process.

In addition to the above, Link teachers and Coordinators maintain regular contact with parents and carers, schools and other professionals in the wider network to ensure that the provision and interventions are meeting the needs of each young person.

Supporting young people with medical conditions

The Hope Service recognises that young people with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education, therapies and activities, including trips and physical education. Each young person attending the day programme will have their individual needs assessed and support arrangements will be put in place as outlined on that young person's Care Plan and, where applicable, their EHCP. Specific healthcare needs related to medical conditions are captured via completion of a Health Care Plan, where necessary, and the appropriate medication consent forms.

All staff within the day programme access training in order to meet the needs of young people with medical conditions. Some young people with medical conditions may be disabled and where this is the case, the Hope Service will comply with its duties under the Equality Act 2010. (Please also see our Medicines Policy). The Hope Service employs nurses who are permanent members of Hope staff working across both sites. The nursing staff can be utilised to support young people directly, or to offer advice, support and training to the Hope Service Team, in order that medical needs can be effectively managed with the day programme service.

Monitoring and evaluation of SEN

The SEN provision at the Hope Service is regularly monitored and evaluated in order to inform future developments and improvements. This is done in a variety of forums including:

Hope Management Committee meetings
Outcomes meetings
Staff meetings and daily de-briefs
Curriculum and timetable meetings
Multi-disciplinary case reviews
Teachers' meetings where SEN provision is reviewed, best practice shared and strategies for improvement discussed
Networking with local specialist provisions to monitor, review and share good practice
Lesson observations, checking of young people's work, learning walks and progress data tracking for all vulnerable groups
Regular monitoring governor visits with the Teacher in Charge and Teacher responsible for SEN to review progress.

Further development is supported by frequent lesson observations and learning walks in addition to parent/carer and young people's questionnaires. The Teacher responsible for SEN attends network meetings and SEND conferences to review and develop best practice in terms of progress and disseminates this information to all relevant staff. The role of the Management Committee is to support the implementation of the SEN policy and be involved in its review and development and to ensure that the SEN policy is linked to the School Development Plan and the budget setting process. The SEN policy will be reviewed annually.

Training and development

The training needs of all staff are identified and planned in direct correlation to the young people attending the day programme. All teachers and other professionals within the service are highly experienced in managing a range of complex needs and their skills are maintained and updated through regular multi-agency In-service Education and Training (INSET) provision, which is delivered by a range of education and health and social work professionals. All staff receive regular supervision, both in groups and individually, in addition to regular performance management and appraisal, where more specific individual training needs can be addressed.

Storing and managing information

Please see the Data Protection Policy for further information on how we store and manage SEN information.

Contact information

You can find the The Hope Service's SEN Information Report (14 Questions) which contains further information on our SEND provision.

Any comments, compliments and complaints in relation to SEN provision should be directed in the first instance to the Teacher in Charge. Any issues raised will be recorded and we will endeavour to resolve these within the service, in the first instance. The Hope Service makes all parents, carers and stakeholders aware of the Complaints Policy. Parents and carers may also wish to use the services of SEND Advice Surrey for additional support.

Policy reviewed: Sept 2024

Next review date: Sept 2025

Key person: Juliet Roberts.