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Wolverhampton Information Network

Wolverhampton's SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA).


Here you will find Wolverhampton's SEND Written Statement of Action, produced in response to the inspection of local SEND services by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission Inspection Report.

Monitoring visits between the city's SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, the Department for Education and the Care Quality Commission take place to ensure progress is being made to deliver the Written Statement of Action. 

The key findings that have been highlighted during the monitoring visits are mentioned in the sections below.

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit November 2023

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit November 2023

Actions have progressed well across all priority areas and issues/ risks raised at the 15-month review have been followed up/ escalated as needed. No actions are now delayed to further improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Wolverhampton.

The key points mentioned during the meeting in November 2023 -

  • Better identification of emerging needs at primary and secondary school with a focus on identifying need rather than labelling.
    • Understanding need is informing approaches, adjustments and support that is then, put in place.
    • New means of access to the friends and family test within specialist CAHMS and improved offers of support while waiting diagnosis are in place.
    • Transparency of waiting lists for SALT, OT, CAHMS and co-produced workstreams addressing the issues.
  • There is improved monitoring and accuracy in Education, Health and Care Plans, and timeliness is now above national average.
    • Stakeholders demonstrate greater clarity and understanding of the pathways, and parents report improved satisfaction with the process.
    • Quality assurance in place providing feedback on areas for improvement and monitoring education, health, and care contributions.
    • Improving the annual review process a work in progress.
  • Further work needs to be done around joint commissioning which is recognised as being at an early stage.
    • There are now full commissioning teams across both the Integrated care board (ICB) and City of Wolverhampton Council.
    • A reformed SEND Joint Strategic Commissioning Group is in place.
    • The formal terms of Jointly commissioned services (e.g. SENDIASS) have joint contract review meetings and governance through the integrated commissioning committee.
  • There is greater evidence of co-production
    • Young people’s voices heard in SEND strategic developments through HY5! Group and HY5! website. HY5! have developed ‘Inspiring Change’ training and Send and Inclusion Partnership Board received this training on 18 July 2023.
    • Parent Carer Forum are key strategic partnership member and parent carers involved on workstreams and training opportunities with professionals and engagement with wider parent carer community.
  • There is greater clarity about preparing for adulthood, and transitions at reception, year 6 to 7 and post 16 are increasingly planned and supported.
    • Employers are open to employing young people with disabilities.
    • Supported Employment Team working with employers and training providers to assist with inclusion in the workplace.
  • Work is continuing with sharing information, including support systems and the local offer.
    • The Local Offer and Communications Officer is collaborating with parent carers and professionals to ensure a co-produced LO is established on a new platform.
    • This work has been effectively co-produced, and schools are valuing Parent Carer Forum experience as they develop their own parent carer engagement and forums.
    • There are established SENCO networks and a SEND newsletter.

The area has been advised during this review to further strengthen their focus on gathering impact evidence for both the Written Statement of Action (WSoA) and Self-Evaluation Forms (SEF).

Wolverhampton SEND partnership are well placed to now co-produce a position statement for each of the evaluation criteria in the SEF and for the WSoA.  Position statements should be underpinned with:

  • an explanation of how the area has reached this conclusion and
  • a link to supporting evidence of impact.
  • Identified next steps and sustainability

Wolverhampton have, through their work on the SEF, identified priorities and refreshed the SEND Strategy incorporating inclusion. Consultation on the Draft SEND and Inclusion Strategy began on 18 October 2023. The strategy sets out the vision and priorities of the SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board’s offer to children, young people, and their families.

The priorities within this strategy are adopted from the Department for Education’s SEND & Alternative Provision Improvement Plan 2023 and outcomes are based on the inspection standards set out within the SEND Local Area Inspection Framework. Findings within the Send Specific and Emotional Health and Wellbeing specific Joint Strategic Needs Assessments have been analysed to assist development.

Key next steps

Wolverhampton report that key next steps identified from the WSoA will be included within the SEND and Inclusion improvement plan which will detail the actions required to achieve the outcomes for each of the priority area within the strategy.

The local area partnership will form working groups to deliver the SEND and Inclusion Improvement Plan with representation across social care, education, health and the voluntary/private sectors, children, young people, young adults, and families. 

Strengthening the role of schools and settings will be key, especially in relation to further develop inclusive practice in school pathways and provision for those vulnerable to poor attendance and exclusion.

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit July 2023

Progress 'is being made against each priority area' to further improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Wolverhampton.

The key points mentioned during the meeting in July 2023 -

  • Better identification of emerging needs at primary and secondary school, with a focus on identifying need informing approaches, adjustments and support that is then put in place. Families have "improved confidence that needs will be met" and, when needed, appropriate and timely Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment referrals will be made.

  • There is improved monitoring and accuracy in Education, Health and Care Plans, and timeliness is now above national average. Stakeholders demonstrate greater clarity and understanding of the pathways, and parents report improved satisfaction with the process.

  • There is greater clarity about preparing for adulthood, and transitions into school, from Year 6 to 7 and post 16, are "increasingly planned and supported".

  • There is greater evidence of co-production, with the voice of children and young people being heard in SEND strategic developments thanks to the involvement of the HY5! Group, engagement with the wider parent carer community and the involvement of parents and carers are involved on workstreams and training opportunities with professionals.

  • Meanwhile, the parents, carers and professionals are working together to develop a new Local Offer website which will be launched in the coming months, and SEND inclusion support officers are sharing key messages with schools and SEN coordinators, bringing together key messages and training for both staff and parents.

  • Further work needs to be done around joint commissioning which is recognised as being at an early stage, and a new commissioning committee met for the first time this month involving partners from across the local area. The review found there is scope to increase the pace and work in this area on co-produced priorities, service design and action planning.

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit March 2023

The key points mentioned during the meeting in March 2023 -

  • the area has continued at pace with sound leadership and governance to lead a consistent programme of actions' in response to a Local Area Review of SEND services in 2021.
  • 'evidence of an enthusiasm across services to develop mechanisms' to show how the area monitors the outcomes for children and young people
  • 'evidence of actions being taken to improve the areas of weakness’ identified by the inspection in 2021'.
  • 'commitment to sustainability' with a number of new posts in place to support children and young people not in education, employment or training, an Inclusion and Attendance Manager and a School Improvement Advisor for Children with a Social Worker.
  • Where there have been delays or barriers these have been escalated in order to achieve a resolution with mitigating plans in place in the meantime.
  • there remain pressures, particularly with waiting lists for children and adolescent mental health services, with scope for a 'joint commissioning activity on co-designing services that both relieve pressure on specialist services and prevent the need to escalate due to long waits'.
  • praise for the city's parent carer forum Voice4Parents, which is 'contributing time and ideas to the development work' and is 'keen to strengthen relationships, widen engagement and to link with harder to reach groups', their support helped develop the city's new Family Hubs, the first of which opened this week.

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said:

The review meeting has confirmed that members of the Wolverhampton SEND Partnership Board are continuing to make good progress to improve services for children and young people with SEND, and their families.”

And the review concluded that the area is now focused on completing the actions agreed in the Written Statement of Action, with these expected to be completed by early autumn.

The area is also gathering evidence from professionals, children, young people and families about what is different and the impact these changes are having on the felt experience. This will also support self-evaluation processes looking longer term at the SEND system in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit December 2022

The key points mentioned during the meeting in December 2022.

Good progress continues to be made to further improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Wolverhampton.

A review meeting with the Department for Education and the Care Quality Commission found that there is "considerable evidence of actions being taken" by the city’s SEND Partnership Board following a 'Local Area Review' of SEND services which was held last autumn.

The review highlighted a number of areas of good practice and those which require further development, and a Written Statement of Action was produced to outline the steps that would be taken by partners to further improve SEND services in the city.

The review meeting found that Wolverhampton has put in place "effective governance, strategic leadership, partnership working and co-production" to support the implementation of the Written Statement of Action. The focus "remains on driving the actions forward at pace".

The participation of young people is "emerging as a strength", meaning they can be purposefully engaged in future commissioning activity, and additional staff have been recruited across the SEND partnership to strengthen capacity.

The focus is now on considering what difference the changes that are being introduced are having on people's lived experience, with partners gathering evidence from professionals, children, young people and families ahead of a 12-month review meeting next year.

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "We want to ensure all our children and young people have the best possible start in life, and this is especially true for those children and young people with SEND.

"The Local Area Review was an important assessment of where we are at as a city. The inspection team agreed with us as to the areas where performance is strong, and about those areas where we as a local area must improve.

"The Written Statement of Action was developed to help drive forward further improvements, and I am pleased that partners are continuing to make good progress in implementing the changes that they need to make, and starting to gather important evidence about the impact that the changes are having on people's lives."

The Local Area Review looked at how well the council, the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care Board, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Early Years’ settings, schools and further education providers identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

Wolverhampton SEND Written Statement of Action (WSoA) - Monitoring Visit June 2022

The key points mentioned during the meeting in June 2022.

A 'well organised and coherent' improvement programme is underway to further improve services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families in Wolverhampton.

The Wolverhampton SEND Partnership Board is currently implementing a number of steps contained within a Written Statement of Action which was developed following a 'Local Area Review' of SEND services by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission last autumn.

The review highlighted a number of areas of good practice, as well as areas which require further development. The Written Statement of Action details the steps that either are being, or will be, taken by partners to further improve SEND services in the city.

A review meeting with the Department for Education concluded that the SEND Partnership Board is taking "full responsibility and oversight" for the Written Statement of Action, and that a recent monitoring visit "evidenced a well organised and coherent improvement programme underpinned by a strong focus on co-production and outcomes for children and young people with SEND".

The delivery of the Written Statement of Action is "progressing well" within 3 key areas and, while it is slightly behind in others, this is mainly due to service restructures and is expected to be back on track by the end of the year.

A cross party reference group has been established including politicians from the council's Labour and Conservative Groups who are "committed and supportive of the proposals for improvement in Local Area SEND services and the Action Plan". Meanwhile, SEND 'champions' are supporting and embedding SEND expertise across Wolverhampton, bolstering the Local Offer.

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "We want to ensure all our children and young people have the best possible start in life, and this is especially true for those children and young people with SEND.

"The Local Area Review was an important assessment of where we are at as a city. The inspection team agreed with us as to the areas where performance is strong, and about those areas where we as a local area must improve.

"The Written Statement of Action was developed to help drive forward further improvements, and I am pleased that the recent review meeting with the Department for Education found that the SEND Partnership Board is making good progress in implementing it.

"This is a good, solid start and the council, and our partners, will continue to work at pace to ensure that children and young people with SEND in Wolverhampton get the help and support they need, and they deserve."

The Local Area Review looked at how well the council, the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care Board, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Early Years’ settings, schools and further education providers identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

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