Education, Health & Care Transition Plan

) Education, Health & Care Transition Plan September 2014 April 2018 Updated January 2017

Contents Page Introduction 3 Progress: Academic year Sept 2014 Aug 2015 (1st year of transition) 4 Academic year Sept 2015 Aug 2016 (2nd year of transition) 5 Academic year Sept 2016 Aug 2017 (3rd year of transition) 6 Academic year Sept 2017 Aug 2018 (4th year of transition) 7 Sources of impartial information and advice 7 The transition process 10 Arrangements for young people with Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) 11 Appendix 1:a standard letter for the transfer review meeting 13 Appendix 2:Understanding Outcomes 14 Appendix 3:Statutory timescales for EHC needs assessment 15 1

Introduction Our vision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people in that we have high expectations so that they achieve to the best of their abilities in their early years, at school and in college, and lead happy and fulfilled lives and develop independence where appropriate. This new Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice will play a vital role in underpinning our major reform program. For children and young people this means that their experiences will be of a system which is supportive and more efficient. Their special educational needs and disabilities will be picked up at the earliest point with support routinely put in place quickly, and their parents will know what services they can reasonably expect to be provided. Children and young people and their parents or carers will be fully involved in decisions about their support and what they want to achieve. Importantly, the aspirations for children and young people will be raised through an increased focus on life outcomes, including employment and greater independence. Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State: SEND Code of Practice January 2015 The SEND reforms were implemented in September 2014. This document was first published in September 2014 and set out the plans in County Durham for transferring Statements of Special Educational Needs to Education, Health and Care Plans, in line with the Government s vision for children and young people with special educational needs. It complies with the transition guidance from the Department for Education, and can be read alongside the information on County Durham s Local Offer website. Durham County Council planned the transfer arrangements with a multi-agency group including parents and agreed that priority would be given to those children and young people who were due to transfer to their next phase of education. The arrangements have also benefitted from substantial input at the Making Changes Together Conferences in November 2014 and May 2015. This plan provides information about the progress made since September 2014 and provides details of those groups of children and young people who will be transferred to the new system during the next few years. The Plan also sets out how the transfer process will be implemented. A summary chart of transition arrangements is provided on page 9. Overall, we have received good feedback about the new transition arrangements from parents and young people involved during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 academic year and we will keep the transitions approach and expectations under close review during 2016/17 and by subsequent annual reviews. The process outlined in the Transition Plan will be followed where practicable and when it is in the best interests of the child/young person, and their family. However, where the timing of the Statutory Annual Review is not compatible with planning for transition, then separate arrangements will be put in place which ensure that the transfer review process is timely, meaningful and achieves a positive outcome for the young person and their family. 2

Progress: September 2014 August 2015 During 2014/15, the children and young people in the following groups were identified as a priority for the conversion of their Statements to Education, Health and Care Plans. These year groups were prioritized as they were children and young people moving onto a different setting or option. Year Group Date of Birth ranges Number of children and young people Number of conversions to EHC Plans Number of Statements ceased Nursery -2 1/9/11 31/8/12 1 1 0 Nursery -1 1/9/10 31/8/11 48 44 4 Year 2 (infant) 1/9/07 31/8/08 11 11 0 Year 6 1/9/03 31/8/04 186 185 1 Year 9 1/9/00 31/8/01 204 204 0 Year 11 1/9/98 31/8/99 270 236 34 Year 12-14 1/9/97 31/8/96 39 39 0 Those leaving youth custody All year groups 3 3 0 Total 762 723* 39 * In addition to the identified year groups a further 100 transfers were achieved in 2014/2015, a total of 823 transitioned to EHC Plans in year. 3

The following year groups have transferred to the new SEN system in 2015/16: Groups of children in Year groups ( as at September 15) Date of Birth ranges Number of children and young people Number of conversions to EHCP plans Nursery -1 Children moving from an Early Years setting to school Year 2 Children moving from the infant to junior phase and children in year 2 within mainstream 1/9/11 31/8/12 4 4 1/9/08 31/8/09 74 74 (mainstream) Year 5 1/9/05 31/8/06 136 136 Year 6 Children moving from primary to secondary school 1/9/04 31/8/05 70 70 Year 9 1/9/01 31/8/02 212 168 Year 11 Young people moving from school to a Post 16 establishment or apprenticeship 1/9/99 31/8/00 229 229 Child with a statement moving from mainstream to special and vice versa Any year group All Completed Those leaving youth custody Any year group 2 2 Young people who receive support as a result of an LDA who intend to be in education beyond 31 August 2016 On request 139 Completed Original target for 741 EHCP Conversions Actual completion of 858 EHCP 4

September 2016 August 2017 The following year groups are targeted to transfer to the new SEN system in 2016/17: Groups of children Year Group (as at September 2016) Date of Birth ranges Number of children and young people Children moving from an Early Years setting to school Children moving from an infant to a junior school. Plus other children in Year 2 Nursery -1 1/9/12 31/8/13 0 Year 2 1/9/09 31/8/10 86 Year 3 (Special School) Year 3 1/9/08 31/8/09 69 Year 5 Year 5 1/9/06 31/8/07 125 Children moving from primary to secondary school Year 6 1/9/05 31/8/06 29 Year 9 Year 9 1/9/02 31/8/03 209 Young people moving from school to a Post 16 establishment or apprenticeship Those moving from mainstream to special and vice versa Year 11 Year 13 Year 14 Any year group 1/9/00 31/8/01 16 4 48 Not known Those leaving youth custody Any year group 4 In the figures above we are unable to predict how many children will move from mainstream to special and vice versa nor those leaving youth custody As part of initiating the transfer of statements to EHCP there have been some children and young people who have made good progress or left education and training and no longer require specific provision to be made through creation of an Education Health and Care Plan. Since 1 September 2014 up to 5 January 2017 there have been 103 children and young people for whom we have ceased to maintain a statement in County Durham 5

Progress as at 5 th January 2017 Groups of children in Year groups ( as at September 16) Date of Birth ranges Number of children and young people Number of conversions to EHCP plans Children moving from an infant to a junior school. (Age phase transfers due by 15 th February) Other children in year 2 1/9/09 31/8/10 7 79 7 drafts 32 drafts Children in Year 3 in special 1/9/08 31/8/09 69 5 completed 29 drafts Children in Year 5 1/9/06 31/8/07 125 18 Completed 25 drafts Children moving from primary to secondary school in Year 6 1/9/05 31/8/06 29 5 completed 24 drafts Children in Year 9 1/9/02 31/8/03 209 6 Completed 57 drafts Young people moving from school to a Post 16 establishment or apprenticeship Year 11 Year 13 Year 14 1/9/00 31/8/01 1/9/98-31/8/99 1/9/97-/31/8/98 16 4 48 1 draft 2 draft 41 draft Those moving from mainstream to special and vice versa Any age group Those leaving youth custody 4 2 There is often a need for additional transfers due to the movement of children and young people from mainstream to special and vice versa. Between January 2015 and January 2016 there were 153 moves which initiated the transfer review process. There is a target of 746 transfer reviews this academic year and we are confident with current staffing levels that this work will be completed. 6

Future Plans The following information is provided to outline future transition plans As 2017-2018 is the final year to convert any outstanding statements to EHCP we propose to monitor this across the full year groups to ensure that all children have an EHCP rather than statement by the National deadline of April 2018. As at 3 January 2017 the data for each year group is as follows: (Please note due to numbers of children moving in/out of County Durham this data will change) The following year groups are likely to transfer to the new SEN system in 2017/18: September 2017 April 2018 Groups of children Year Group (as at September 2017) Date of Birth ranges Number of children and young people Children in Year 5 Year 5 1/9/07-31/8/08 121 Children in Year 9 Year 9 1/9/03 31/8/04 3 Children in Year 11 Year 11 1/9/01-31/8/02 27 Any remaining children and young people with statements Year 3 Year 4 Year 6 Year 7 Year 10 Year 12 Year 13 onwards 1/9/09-31/8/10 1/9/08-31/8/09 1/9/06-31/08/07 1/9/05-31/08/06 1/9/02-31/8/03 1/9/00-31/8/01 1/9/99- onwards Any remaining Any remaining Any remaining Any remaining Any remaining Any remaining 21 Total: 172 Progress reports in relation to the transition plan will be prepared regularly so parents, carers, schools and all education, health and care professionals involved in supporting children and young people with SEND can monitor progress. This information will be kept under review and published on the Local Offer 7

Sources of impartial information and advice If you have any query please contact the SEND Caseworker, who can also provide advice and support during the transfer review process. The SEND Caseworkers can be contacted at: Statutory SEND Casework Team ( 03000 265878) The Improving Progression Team (for young people in Years 9 and above) ( 01325 375 985) In addition, impartial information and advice could be provided by the following organisations: Durham Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) ( 0191 587 3541) Core Assets Children s Services ( 0800 028 8455) Between September 2014 and March 2016 the Government has made funding available to provide specialist individual support to parents, carers, children and young people who are involved in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Assessment and/or transfers from Statements of SEND or Learning Difficulties Assessments to Education, Health and Care Plans. Core Assets can provide trained Independent Supporters to work with families and young people throughout their assessment and transfer period. A supporter can explain each stage, help to get views across and ensure families and young people take an active lead role in this process. Further details about the impartial information and advice services is available can be downloaded here. 8

Summary chart of proposals Conversion of Statements the number of Statements expected to be converted. Year of conversion, by dates of birth. Dates of Birth range Conversion year 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 1/9/99 31/8/00 245 1/9/00 31/8/01 231 1/9/01 31/8/02 212 1/9/02 31/8/03 211 1/9/03 31/8/04 44 1/9/04 31/8/05 70 1/9/05 31/8/06 136 1/9/06 31/8/07 143 1/9/07 31/8/08 132 1/9/08 31/8/09 74 (mainstream) 65 (special) 1/9/09 31/8/10 96 1/9/10 31/8/11 0 1/9/11 31/8/12 4 1/9/12 31/8/13 0 1/9/13 31/8/14 0 Totals 741 857 completed 746 On track 176 Revised - January 2017 9

Introduction to the transition process Over the transition period the annual review for pupils, who currently have statements of SEND, will be replaced by a transfer review. A transfer review is an assessment of a child or young person s special educational need or disability. The transfer review must be completed within 12 months of the date the statement was issued or of the previous annual review of the statement. However, in order to ensure sufficient time to complete the transfer review for pupils transferring from early year settings to school, infant to junior school, and primary to secondary school, the reviews will start from the beginning of the autumn term For secondary to post-16 establishments or apprenticeships the reviews will start in the autumn or spring term. It has been agreed that transfer reviews for Year 6 and Year 11 pupils must be carried out early in the academic year when the child is to transition to the new phase to meet the statutory timelines for naming new schools/colleges. The Local Authority will write to schools at the beginning of September, setting out the details of the pupils at their school/setting with statements of SEND, who will require a transfer review in that academic year. The Local Authority will also write to parents of children, who will be affected by the transition arrangements, at least two weeks before the transfer review meeting and provide them with details of the process and of their rights of appeal. A SEND Caseworker from the Local Authority will attend the transfer review meeting. The standard letter for the review meeting is attached as Appendix 1. Stage 1: Transfer Review Meeting Schools will arrange the review meeting date and times with parents/carers and will then inform the Local Authority when these will take place. The SEND Caseworker will give parents at least 2 weeks notice of the transfer review taking place and parents should also receive any updated information from the school. It will take a maximum of 20 weeks to complete the assessment from the date the parent/carer is notified of the transfer review meeting. This purpose of the review meeting is to: 10 Review progress since the last annual review Consider if the statement is still required Review parts 2 and 3 of the statement and amend as required providing supporting evidence from professional reports/assessments. If the child s/young person s statement remains accurate and up-to-date, there is no need to seek any new advice/reports. Develop outcomes and steps towards meeting them. (See appendix 2) Gather together any new/additional reports obtained by school or the parents that can be used to support the assessment. This should include reports from health and care professionals as well as education, if appropriate. Confirm that reports to be submitted to the local authority are sufficient for the transfer assessment process. Where this is not the case the authority will need to obtain updated information from relevant professionals before making any decision.

NB: Where all information is sufficient the process would be expected to take less than the 20 week maximum timeline. From the point that the transfer review commences, parents/carers and young people will have appeal rights under the new SEN and disability system and appeal rights relating to statements will no longer be available to parents. Schools are required to submit the report of the transfer review meeting to the Local Authority within 2 weeks of the date of the meeting. Stage 2: EHC Assessment To conduct a transfer review the Local Authority must undertake an EHC needs assessment, paying due regard to the 2014 SEN and Disability Code of Practice: 0 25. To undertake this assessment the local authority: Must not seek any advice required for an EHC assessment if such advice has previously been provided for any purpose and the person providing that advice, the local authority and the child s parents or the young person are satisfied that it is sufficient for the purposes of an EHC needs assessment. Will request advice from relevant professionals where sufficient advice is not available. Professionals have 6 weeks in which to provide the advice requested. Stage 3: Notification of Decision An EHC plan, where needed, will be finalised and issued to parents/carers/young person and to the school or other educational/training institution, named in the plan within 18 weeks of the date of the transfer review meeting. In the event of the Local Authority determining it is not appropriate to issue an EHC plan for a child/young person notification will be given within 14 weeks of the date of the transfer meeting. This notification will include information on the support available with a SEND Support Plan, offer a meeting to discuss the decision and detail the parent/young person s right of appeal. 11

Young people with Learning Difficulty Assessment Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) may be replaced by Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans over a transition period of 2 years, where there is evidence that a plan is needed. A young person, who is already receiving additional support from a Further Education (FE) or training establishment, may choose one of the following: to continue to receive this LDA additional support, where it is still required, until the end of their studies/learning in FE or training or until 1st September 2016, whichever comes first; or to request an EHC needs assessment EHC needs assessment If an EHC needs assessment is requested, the Local Authority has 6 weeks to consider this request and to make a decision. Evidence will be sought from the FE or training establishment of the action they have already taken to meet the young person s SEN. For young people, aged over 18, the Local Authority must consider whether additional time is needed to enable that young person to complete their education or training in comparison with other young people of the same age, who do not have SEN. If the Local Authority informs the young person that it has decided not to undertake a statutory EHC needs assessment of their SEN, they will be informed of their right of appeal. If the Local Authority agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment this must be carried out in accordance with the process described in the new 0-25 SEN and disability Code of Practice. This means that a request from a young person should result in an EHC plan, where one is required, within 20 weeks. See appendix 3 for statutory timescales and stages of EHC needs assessment. 12

Appendix 1 STANDARD LETTER FOR THE REVIEW MEETING Dear Transfer review of (insert name)'s Statement From 1 September 2014, the statutory assessment and review process for children and young people with special educational needs changed. This means that Statements are being replaced with Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans. Durham County Council will have until April 2018 to convert Statements to EHC Plans. As (insert name) is in Year (insert year group), we will consider whether his / her Statement should be converted in 2015/16. You are invited to the transfer review meeting, which will be held at the school on (insert date and time) to consider this matter. This meeting replaces the Statutory Annual Review meeting. You are central to this process and will be involved in making decisions about the content of any future plan and the support required to meet (insert name) s aspirations. At the meeting we will also agree outcomes that, together, we want to achieve by the end of his / her next stage of education and over the next 12 months. A SEN Caseworker from the Local Authority will attend the transfer review meeting. It would also be good if (insert child s name) could attend all or part of the meeting, so that everyone present can hear his/her views. To prepare for the meeting you might want to consider any changes that you would like to see to the current Statement your aspirations for (insert name) and what you would like him / her to achieve in his/her education Durham County Council will have up to 20 weeks, from the date you were invited to the transfer review meeting, to convert the statement; or up to 14 weeks to inform you if the statement will lapse. If the Statement is discontinued, we would still ensure that (insert name) s special educational needs would be met and the school will work alongside you to produce a SEN Support Plan with guaranteed support If, at the end of the process, you are unhappy you would have the right to appeal against decisions taken, as well as access to independent mediation and disagreement resolution services. Full details are available on the local offer website at www.countydurhamfamilies.info/localoffer. You would have access to disagreement resolution services at any stage. The new process is a far better system because you are central to the decision making. I hope you can attend the meeting. 13

Appendix 2 UNDERSTANDING OUTCOMES The information below is an extract from the SEN Code of Practice 2015 Section 9. EHC plans must specify the outcomes sought for the child or young person in Section E. EHC plans should be focused on education and training, health and care outcomes that will enable children and young people to progress in their learning and, as they get older, to be well prepared for adulthood. EHC plans can also include wider outcomes such as positive social relationships and emotional resilience and stability. Outcomes should always enable children and young people to move towards the long-term aspirations of employment or higher education, independent living and community participation. Long-term aspirations are not outcomes in themselves. An outcome can be defined as the benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention. It should be personal and not expressed from a service perspective; it should be something that those involved have control and influence over, and while it does not always have to be formal or accredited, it should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound (SMART). When an outcome is focused on education or training, it will describe what the expected benefit will be to the individual as a result of the educational or training intervention provided. Outcomes are not a description of the service being provided for example the provision of three hours of speech and language therapy is not an outcome. In this case, the outcome is what it is intended that the speech and language therapy will help the individual to do that they cannot do now and by when this will be achieved. When agreeing outcomes, it is important to consider both what is important to the child or young person what they themselves want to be able to achieve and what is important for them as judged by others with the child or young person s best interests at heart. In the case of speech and language needs, what is important to the child may be that they want to be able to talk to their friends and join in their games at playtime. What is important for them is that their behavior improves because they no longer get frustrated at not being understood. Outcomes underpin and inform the detail of EHC plans. Outcomes will usually set out what needs to be achieved by the end of a phase or stage of education in order to enable the child or young person to progress successfully to the next phase or stage. An outcome for a child of secondary school age might be, for example, to make sufficient progress or achieve a qualification to enable him or her to attend a specific course at college. Other outcomes in the EHC plan may then describe what needs to be achieved by the end of each intervening year to enable him or her to achieve the college place. From year 9 onwards, the nature of the outcomes will reflect the need to ensure young people are preparing for adulthood. 14

Maximum time for whole process to be completed is 20 weeks At every stage, child and their parent and/or young person is involved fully, their views and wishes taken into account Appendix 3 EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE ASSESSMENT PROCESS Request for assessment/child or young person brought to local authority s (LA s) attention Yes LA decides whether to conduct EHC needs assessment No LA notifies parent/young person of decision within a maximum of 6 weeks from request for assessment LA notifies parent/young person of decision within a maximum of 6 weeks from request for assessment LA gathers information for EHC assessment Yes LA decides whether an EHC plan is needed LA drafts plan and sends it to parents/young person Parents/young person has 15 calendar days to comment/express a preference for an educational institution and should also seek agreement of a personal budget No LA notifies parents/young person of decision and right to appeal within a maximum of 16 weeks from request for assessment On-going LA information gathering where a LA requests cooperation of a body in securing information and advice, the body must comply within 6 weeks LA must consult governing body, principal or proprietor of the educational institution before naming them in the EHC plan. The institution should respond within 15 calendar days Following consultation with the parent/young person, the draft plan is amended where needed and issued (LA notifies parent/young person of rights to appeal)