Launch of the SEND Strategy

For the past 18 months, PaCC and Amaze have been working in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC), Brighton and Hove CCG (B&H CCG), schools, and other agencies and services in health and care on the development of a five year Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy, 2021-2026.

The aim of the strategy is to enhance the outcomes and life chances of children and young people with SEND and adults with Learning Disabilities (LD) across the city.  The strategy sets out six co-produced key priorities:

• Inclusion
• Early Identification and Intervention
• SEND Pathways
• Achievements and Goals
• Transitions and getting ready for the future
• Sufficiency of SEND services and provision.

This SEND ‘sufficiency’ project will develop datasets that will help to identify what provision and services are required to support children and young people with SEND going forward.

Each priority has a list of specific actions and outcomes and will be managed as delivery projects, each jointly co-led by BHCC, the CCG and PaCC.  The SEND Partnership Board whose membership spans the wider system of education, health and care, will be accountable in ensuring the delivery of the key priorities.

The Strategy itself was the product of an extensive co-production process helping to ensure that key priorities reflect the needs of the SEND community.  This was followed by 13 weeks consultation which included a city-wide survey and a focused piece of work with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities.  The views of children and young people are ‘illustrated’ throughout the SEND strategy document to enable those who are not always able to express their thoughts to be visually represented.

Representatives from the PaCC Steering Group are now taking up seats alongside officers from BHCC and B&H CCG to co-lead the six work streams within the strategy, prioritise actions, detail who needs to be involved and how.  We will keep you updated as things move forward.

Find the strategy here, including an easy-read accessible version and video produced by BHCC introducing and explaining the strategy.

Thanks to all the parents who have participated in shaping the strategy, now the hard work really begins!