Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Democratic Services that provides a summary from the EHCP Inquiry Working Group held in November 2023 and details of the latest Executive Board report from December 2023 – ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) – Review Process – Update Report’ setting out the latest position on the ongoing review of EHCP and SEND services in the city.

The Board received a report from the Head of Democratic Services providing a summary from the EHCP Inquiry Working Group held in November 2023 and details of the latest Executive Board report from December 2023 – ‘Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) – Review Process – Update Report’ setting out the latest position on the ongoing, directorate led review of EHCP and SEND services in the city.

In attendance for this item were:

·  Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Executive Member for Economy, Culture, and Education

·  Councillor Fiona Venner, Executive Member for Children Social Care and Health Partnerships

·  Julie Longworth, Director of Children & Families

·  Dan Barton, Deputy Director - Learning

·  Phil Evans, Chief Officer Transformation and Partnerships

·  Maria Adams, Co-Vice Chair Leeds Parent Carer Forum 

·  Heather Jafar, Co-Vice Chair Leeds Parent Carer Forum 

·  Julie Hutchinson, LPCF Steering Group

·  Rob Clayton, Principal Scrutiny Adviser

The Principal Scrutiny Advisor briefly introduced this item, setting out key elements of the report and appendices. The item brought together two work streams for Board member consideration. At Appendix 1 a December Executive Board report was provided to the Board which set out the latest position on the improvement work being undertaken by the directorate supported by PwC and at Appendix 2 a summary of a Scrutiny Board Working Group held on 23 November 2023 which was an evidence gathering session aimed at hearing the lived experiences of parents and carers in Leeds through feedback from the Leeds Parent Carer Forum (LPCF). These two areas of work, one led by scrutiny and the other by the directorate have similar aims in that they are intended to drive improvements in the provision of EHCP support in Leeds.

During board member questions and comments the following points were covered:

·  The Director of Children and Families welcomed the feedback received from the LPCF through the working group and working group summary document. The directorate is committed to hearing from children and families and recognised that parents and carers are experts in the lives of their families.

·  The significant problems in the delivery of EHCP support in the city have been identified and prioritised, not just in terms of meeting statutory EHCP timescales but more broadly there is a need to deliver improvements in the whole SEND system. This led to the commissioning of an independent, ‘root and branch’ review of EHCP and SEND services in Leeds, which is now being delivered in partnership with PwC.

·  It was noted that this review has come at a financial cost, but it was felt that this was necessary in order to deliver a rigorous and far reaching review with concrete outcomes and development of a new vision and clear improvement plan for these services.

·  The Chief Officer Transformation and Partnerships introduced Appendix 1 and pointed to the detail at paragraph 1.3 which set out the principles of the improvement work being done by the directorate, these are as follows:

Ø  Codesign a future way of working with families.

Ø  Design processes that retain the focus on the Child and value-adding staff effort.

Ø  Create an approach to the Code of Practice which aligns with the Leeds Way.

Ø  Ensure Leadership which is stable and consistent.

Ø  Deliver a Culture which promotes equity and is obsessed with the voice of the child.

·  The Board also heard about planned timescales, with an aim of delivering a sprint based approach to launching a new set of internal arrangements in April 2024. This will be followed by a piece of work, independent of PwC, focussed on how the authority works with schools in readiness for the start of the new academic year in September.

·  The Chair raised a slight concern around the use of jargon and whether there was enough depth and detail in Appendix 1. The Board were assured that there is significant detail and volumes of background work but that this was intended as a headline report setting out principles and challenges. The Board also received assurances that this is a high priority in the directorate and there is a clear commitment to improvement driven through a child centric approach and co-design with families.

·  The Board were concerned that there is a group of people or families who feel let down and need help and that needs to be addressed in this work. In response it was made clear that the views and comments from parents and carers have been heard and that there is a commitment to reflecting the need to help children and families impacted by this and that it is a clear priority for the directorate. It was recognised that there is a need for a change in culture and practice, practice over process and restorative, respectful practice that enables the views of parents and carers to help shape services.

·  The Deputy Director Learning noted that there is a need to build relationships with parents and carers and committed to meeting with representatives of the LPCF on a regular basis in the future.

·  Members asked about recent comments made in public that suggested that the approach to placements could be seen as ‘scatter gun’. In response the board heard about the ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and that the benchmark for the services being delivered are what the Director would like to see provided to their own family members and that there is no room for complacency and a commitment to change and continuous improvement.

·  Members highlighted the improvement journey that is needed, the main area for improvement being the need to improve how the council listens.

·  The LPCF commented that the Working Group session had been an effective forum and that they had felt listened to. The LPCF were slightly disappointed that the report at Appendix 1 does not reflect that albeit accepting that the audience it was intended for was not solely parents and carers in the city. In response to that there was both an apology and a commitment to ensuring that the directorate does evidence that it has listened to the feedback and a further commitment to working with parents, carers and families on the ongoing improvement work.

·  The Chair sought to clarify that one of the aims of today was to formally bring the feedback received through the scrutiny working group into the work being done by the directorate and added that there is a commitment from scrutiny to ensure that the voices of parents and carers are heard and that this is monitored going forward. In addition, the Chair noted that the feedback from the LPCF will be an important consideration when the inquiry conclusions and recommendations are finalised.

·  It was accepted by the directorate that language is important and that there is a need to take the feedback away to inform future reports on this work.

·  Moving on to finance the Board highlighted the funding cap that Leeds is subject to through the DSG. In response the board heard that this is a national funding formula which caps the amount of funding an authority can receive linked to population.

·  The Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education added that he  has written to the Government on this on a number of occasions to highlight the impact it is having in Leeds as the city has triggered the cap for a number of years and it is leading to Leeds falling behind on funding for these services.

·  The LPCF highlighted some concerns around an ongoing survey of both parents and carers and children and young people being carried out by the directorate, and whether this has been circulated directly to families. In response there was an undertaking from the directorate to take the feedback away and respond to it.

·  In closing remarks, the LPCF also noted that they were pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside the directorate and the Scrutiny Board on this area of work.

·  The PSA and Chair set out the next steps in the inquiry. This will see some adjustments to the work programme with feedback on the ongoing survey of children and families an option for the Board’s February meeting.

Resolved:

The Board:

a)  noted the aims and ambitions of the directorate led improvement work set out in Appendix 1

b)  noted and formally brought onto the record the working group summary at Appendix 2 which set out feedback on EHCP support services in Leeds from the Leeds Parent Carer Forum (LPCF)

c)  agreed that the timescales for the inquiry should be reviewed to enable feedback from the ongoing survey of children and families with EHCPs to feature at the February meeting of the Board, if possible

d)  agreed to the scheduling of an additional Board meeting in April that would enable completion of the inquiry work in 2023/24.