Further improvements for services for children with special educational needs and disabilities

Cheshire East Council and partners have shared their vision and action plan to further develop services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Cheshire East 0-25 SEND Partnership, which includes representatives from education, health and care, as well as parents and carers, have launched their updated strategy and action plan that sets out the key actions that will be taken to meet their priorities for the next three years.

The priorities include;

• Improving communication and working together with families;
• Improving access to services and support;
• Improving the timeliness and quality of annual reviews of education, health, and care plans;
• Further developing an effective and supported workforce; and
• Ensuring an effective Covid-19 recovery response.

Cheshire East Council has invested significantly in services that support children and young people with SEND in recent years, following inspections by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. This investment has been in both staff and capital funding to increase and improve services that support the five priorities. 

In May 2021, inspectors found that there had been improvements since 2018, which have made a positive impact to the lives of children, young people and their families across Cheshire East. They also noted some areas for further improvement, including more effective communication with families about changes to services.

The council and its partners recognise the progress that has been made but know that there is still more to do. This latest strategy was created together with education, health and care representatives, as well as the Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum. It gives focus to a range of services that are experiencing increases in demand so that children, young people and their families get the support they need to thrive. 

Councillor Kathryn Flavell, lead member for children and families at Cheshire East Council said: “Our vision is that all children and young people with additional needs are happy, healthy and achieving their potential.  We want them to be part of their local communities, be as independent as possible and making choices about their future.

“Whilst we have made significant progress in a number of areas over the last three years, we do recognise that service improvements have not been experienced by everyone, and that some families have not received the service we want them to.

“As a partnership, we are committed to working together with children, young people, parents and carers to make ongoing improvements, with the ambition that all children and families access the best services.  

“I’d like to acknowledge the contribution made by our Parent Carer Forum and thank them for their feedback, which is so valuable in helping us to identify our priorities going forward.

“It is clear that better communication, along with working together with parents and carers at an early stage, are key to providing the best support for our children and families, and I am pleased to see that these areas are given a real focus in our new strategy. 

“I would like to thank staff across education, health and care for their hard work and dedication as we continue on our journey of further improvement in services for our children and young people with SEND.”

Kate Walters, co-chair of the Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum, said: "The forum is pleased to see our members' priorities and concerns reflected in the SEND strategy. 

“We look forward to working with the SEND partnership to turn the intentions and actions in the strategy into real, tangible improvements to the lives of children and young people with SEND and their families." 

Parents and carers can find help and support across Cheshire East via the Local Offer, an online resource providing information and advice on topics such as education, staying healthy, care and support and community activities. 

Parents and carers can get involved by submitting feedback on the Local Offer, joining the Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum and subscribing to receive regular email updates.  

For more information, visit: 

• www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/localoffer 
• www.cepcf.org 
• www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/SENDingyouthenews 

Read one parent's experience of the education, health and care process here