What we will do

All services within the system will work together to make sure parents and carers do not have to repeat their story to multiple professionals. Children and young peoples’ outcomes will be improved, and their needs will be met in a timely way.

Our parents and carers have said:

“Parents would like to engage with a system where professionals recognise that parents have expert knowledge about their own children, and where professionals are proactive in working with other specialists, rather than leaving it to the parents to try to join up the gaps between professional silos”.

Our actions to deliver this are to:

• co-produce a new model of care for neurodevelopmental disorders (all age) and how children young people can access the service;
• ensure that there is a clear pathway through the wider SEND system for all children and young people ensuring all partners are aware and supporting children;
• ensure SEND is included as a mandatory adviser on social care placement approvals for those children and young people with an Education Health and Care plan (EHCPEHCPA legal document that describes a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs. It explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how that help will support the child or young person to achieve what they want to in their life.);
• improve education and health care needs assessment timescales to six weeks for decision to assess and 20 weeks for plans issued on time;
• deliver a new service for specialist equipment;
• review the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASSSENDIASSSpecial Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service);
• restructure the service, reduce the vacancy levels and improve retention;
• develop and implement a local offer improvement plan to include the 0 to 25 journey of the child or young person and consider where ongoing responsibility for this offer sits within the organisation.

What will be different

You will be recognised as the expert in your or your child’s needs and only need tell your story once. You will be supported by services which are joined up and you will be clear about the roles and responsibilities of professionals supporting you. Different services will make sure they listen to you and will talk to each other. They will have a shared responsibility for your support, so it will be easier to access services when you need them, and to contact the right people when services are not working.

Progress to date

We have reduced the significant delays experienced in the SEND service with 67% of assessments being made within 20 weeks. All children awaiting an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) are now allocated to an educational psychologist and by May 2024 the backlog of outstanding work had been resolved.

We have completed a transformation of children and young people’s mental health services, placing a greater emphasis on early help and intervention. Key developments include the expansion of mental health support teams in schools and initial conversations to consider a more integrated operational ‘front door’. We have also updated our Dorset development and behaviour referral pathway and are relaunching across our Local Area Partnership.

The new neurodiversity hub website has been developed as part of NHS Dorset’s All Age Neurodevelopmental Review (AANR). We have a new 'Partnerships for Inclusion of Neuro Diversity in Schools' (PINS) which is starting to develop a clear plan with schools.

Other examples of early intervention and support include mental health support in Schools (MHST) as well as our speech and language service (SALT) champions and early years drop-in clinics as well as online resources and pathways.

Return to the How we are improving SEND services page.