Where are we now?
Despite efforts to improve, lots of families continue to express frustration and disappointment, describing their experience as a ‘battle’ or a ‘fight’. Families grapple with bureaucratic hurdles, poor communication and a lack of joining up between agencies.
The system for supporting children and young people with SEND in Devon has fallen short of expectations. We acknowledge where we have failed and recognise that our attempts to do better have not been good enough. Families rightly demand real improvements that positively impact their day-to-day lives.
We are working to deliver meaningful change in our culture and practice that leads to improved experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families. This change must be driven by their voices.
To make sure that this happens, we are adopting The Four Cornerstones Approach which supports genuine co-production in a way that listens to children, young people and their families and puts them at the centre of support and service development.
The Four Cornerstones
In 2011, Genuine Partnerships (a not-for-profit community interest company from Rotherham made up of practitioners, parent carers and young people working together as equal partners) developed ‘The Four Cornerstones’ based on research involving children and young people with SEND and their families. It has been adopted nationally and Genuine Partnerships works with Contact (a charity for families with disabled children) to deliver training in local areas.
Devon is using this tried and tested approach to embed a new culture which focuses on rebuilding trust and positive relationships. The Four Cornerstones will underpin Devon’s SEND Strategy and will be used to evaluate our progress.
Background
The Devon local area partnership was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December 2018 and was required to produce a ‘Written Statement of Action’ to address four areas of significant weakness. In May 2022, the local area was revisited by Ofsted/CQC who concluded that no progress had been made. You can read the full reports from Ofsted and CQC.
The Dedicated Schools Grant deficit reached £164m at the end of March 2024. Devon has entered into an agreement with the Department for Education (commonly known as the Safety Valve) to reach a financially sustainable position by the end of the 2026 to 2027 financial year, with the aim of paying off the deficit by the 2030 to 2031 financial year.
We recognise that we need system-wide change to address the challenges the local area faces and to improve the experiences of children and young people with SEND, and their families, in Devon.
Introduction
We’ve set out a clear vision and public commitment to change our culture and practice to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people, and their families, in Devon.
Our SEND Strategy 2024 to 2027 is informed by the information we’ve gathered over the last two years from engagement activities with families, schools and other key partners across the local area, alongside a range of data.
Ofsted/CQC said that previously our SEND strategy has not been embedded and understood. We are clear that this strategy should not sit on the shelf but should be a ‘live’ document that can hold the local area to account through robust monitoring and evaluation, which will be supported by ‘The Four Cornerstones.’
Our vision
Our vision is for children and young people to have the opportunity to thrive, with access to the right support in the right place and at the right time, so they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives.