West Northamptonshire SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Board Summary (24 September 2024)

SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Board Summary (24 September 2024)

Welcome and Apologies: Interim chair, Stuart Lackenby welcomed attendees.

Item 1: SEND Governance and Board Membership

• New membership structure shared to streamline attendance, ensure high level strategic decision-making capacity and partnership representation.
• Membership accepted with minor updates.
• Independent chair that was due to lead the Board is unable to take position due to personal reasons; a new opportunity being explored.
• Head of SEND interviews will commence imminently. WNVP included on the panel for all new interviews.

Item 2: Review of Terms of Reference, Roles & Expectations: 

Documents reviewed with partners to provide feedback or confirmation of acceptance.

Item 3: Priority Action Plan

• Reflections from the first Department for Education/NHS England deep dive meeting which took place on 9th September 2024 were shared.
• The partnership must focus on securing progress towards the priority actions and ensuring that timeframes set are realistic to achieved.
• Action plans are therefore to be revisited and timeframes reassessed with workstream leads in order to account for continuing lack of resource.
• Updates were provided on the increased capacity within the EHC team structure, quality assurance.
• Concerns were discussed about primary age ASD/ADHD diagnostic pathways, health waiting times, and resource allocation. A meeting between executive leads will be arranged to discuss concerns.
• The next deep dive is scheduled to take place in November.

Item 4: Risk Log

• New co-produced, partnership risk log shared.
• Resource and capacity, waiting times, and funding identified as high risks.
• Risk log to be refreshed following receipt of workstream highlight reports.

Item 5: WNVP Parent Survey Report

• Annual survey received over 800 responses.
• Proposal for joint commissioning of surveys for CYP feedback about their lived experience.
• Surveys would be set up for individual service feedback and more general, annual feedback.
• The partnership will consider the proposal and opportunity to jointly commission the surveys. 

Item 6: Data Dashboard

• The data dashboard has been reorganised to align with new workstreams.
• Aim of the dashboard is to provide high-level data insights and assurance.
• Performance against targets to be included in future dashboards.

Item 7: EHCP assessment update

Figures update as of 10th October 2024 – ongoing assessments 

• New EHCP:  Within 20-week timescale = 419 plans
• New EHCP: Outside of 20-week timescale = 215 plans
• Backlog EHCP: all outside of 20-week timescale = 230 plans