SEND support needs to improve, report says

Services offered to children and young people with special educational needs in Solihull were "inconsistent" and needed to improve, inspectors have said.

An inspection report described "delays and shortfalls" in support with families and carers fequently waiting too long for health assessments.

The borough's SEND partnership is the joint responsibility of Solihull Council and the NHS Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB). Some areas were praised including its working with a parent/carer forum.

"We acknowledge there are improvements to be made and we will continue to work closely as a partnership to address these," council leader Karen Grinsell, said.

Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors graded the service 2 on a scale of 1-3, with 1 being the highest performing.

"We have invested additional funding this year to help reduce waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments but we recognise funding alone will not solve the challenge," David Melbourne, chief executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said.

"There is inconsistency in the quality of children's and young people's education, health and care (EHC) plans," the report said.

"There are gaps in information about speech, language and communication needs. EHC plans often have minimal information about preparation for adulthood."

Other areas mentioned for improvement included the partnership's provision for children as they progress into adulthood which "was not coherent enough".

The local authority and NHS board must also work to improve waiting times for access occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.

However, a number of areas were praised by inspectors.

The report said "the local area partnership's strategy is coherent" and "leaders know where improvement is needed".

"The partnership works very effectively with the parent carer forum Solihull Parent Carer Voice."

Inspectors also identified "many positive examples" of multi-agency working and early help services that supported the prompt identification of special educational needs and disabilities.

"There is a lot of change happening within the SEND system and we are currently awaiting approval from the government on our SEND reform plan," Grinsell said.

"Demand for assessments continues to outstrip current capacity, and we therefore need to transform the way services are delivered.

"Changes will help us build a more responsive, sustainable and effective system for children and young people who rely on these services," Melbourne added.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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