SEND Sufficiency Update
Brighton & Hove City Council is developing a SEND Sufficiency Plan to ensure that children and young people with SEND have access to the right provision, in the right place, at the right time. This includes forecasting future need, identifying gaps, and setting out plans to create more specialist and inclusive provision across the city. You can find out more about the SEND Sufficiency Plan here
PaCC is involved in this work, representing the voice of parent carers, and contributing to the development and evaluation of these key projects. We attend the termly SEND Sufficiency workstream meetings and meet regularly with Yvonne Ely (SEND Sufficiency lead).
In these spaces we aim to work with officers from the Local Authority in co-production, to ensure that parent carer experiences contribute and shape this area of work. We provide challenge when needed and highlight the gaps in provision for children and young people with differing SEND needs. PaCC feedback to the Local Authority that the Las, slow pace of work at times impacts children and young people’s outcomes, additionally other concerns eg: recognising the data sets of smaller SEND cohorts, PaCC highlight that these smaller groups of CYP are not always not paid as much attention for the planning of SEND provision leading to gaps in the educational provision they need.
PaCC have also attended conferences where examples of these gaps in provision were highlighted; good examples of alternative provision were shared by representatives from other Councils who had implemented change.
Although PaCC is pleased that this work is happening, and are aware of the positive difference it will make for some children and young people in the city, we are aware from parent carer experiences that plans to address the gaps in provision must be addressed for children and young people to have good outcomes in life, and to be educated within the city, close to family.
PaCC continue to highlight to BHCC that Send Sufficiency work must include social care, so that data is collected to inform Short Breaks provision, overnight respite, PA workforce development etc PaCC also flag that Send Sufficiency work must also include housing needs, and employment needs. These two key areas sit within Transition to Adulthood work, PaCC hope that the intention to capture information from families from the year 9 annual review will inform planning around housing, work and leisure opportunities.