Inconsistency in quality of input from education, health and care into EHC assessment and planning

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5.1.1 Improve the pre- EHCNA pathway to ensure that the requests received from settings contain person-centred information, and focus on holistic outcomes which relate to the child’s/ young person’s aspirations to allow appropriate planning for the EHC assessment, where agreed, to be carried out.

5.1.2 Co-produce new statutory advice templates for education, education psychology, health and care, and review the process for obtaining the children and young people voice (“all about me”) and parent/carer views.

5.1.3 Develop a rolling multi-agency joint workforce training programme for all practitioners completing statutory EHC advice using the Council for Disabled Children’s training resources.

5.1.4 Review arrangements to ensure an assessment of social care need is completed for each EHCNA and, where a child isn't known to statutory social care services, ensure that advice and information relating to care needs and provision is requested from other professionals who know our families and children and young people well so that the early help offer is embedded as part of the education health care process.

5.1.5 Review commissioning arrangements and update health service specifications to ensure health advice is provided where a child or young person has a clinical requirement for input, rather than being based on referral status.

5.1.6 Review arrangements for provision of advice from health teams less frequently involved in EHCNAs, eg epilepsy team, wheelchair services.

5.1.7 Develop and deliver a revised induction and EHC plan writing training programme for special education needs and/or disability case officers.

5.1.8 Develop a performance monitoring system to provide reporting and Power BI dashboard data to monitor a 20-week timescale for issuing finalised plans.

5.1.9 Improve the quality and timeliness of statutory social care advice for EHCNAs and annual reviews.

5.1.10 Improve the quality and timeliness of statutory health advice for EHCNAs and annual reviews.

5.1.11 Develop a recruitment / retention strategy to ensure sufficient capacity in the Educational Psychology Service.

5.1.12 Reinstate the SEND Health Operational Group to address quality of EHCP advice and improve consistency.

5.1.13 Review the Special Education Needs and/or Disability Team structure and develop a recruitment / retention strategy to ensure sufficient capacity to complete all statutory tasks.

5.1.14 Strengthen coproduction of EHCPs at an individual level by exploring and procuring an online digital education health care system to enable families, professionals, and education settings to engage, contribute and collaborate on EHC assessments, plans and reviews.

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5.2.1 Publish education health care plan quality standards and coproduce a quality assurance framework to agree the “Shropshire standard” of what a good quality plan looks like.

5.2.2 Establish and embed a multi-disciplinary quality assurance process to monitor and improve the quality of new and amended education health care plans.

5.2.3 Develop and implement quality standards for statutory advice, including education, education psychology, health and social care, and roll out a workforce training programme for practitioners.

5.2.4 Undertake monthly multi-disciplinary audits to ensure improved consistency of education health care plans.

5.2.5 Recruit associate DCO for SEND to increase capacity to support EHCP quality within health.

5.2.6 Engage in external peer review process for monitoring the quality of EHCPs.

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5.3.1 Develop and implement an annual review recovery plan and develop business case to ensure sufficient capacity to amend all plans issued prior to August 2023 to ensure they meet the new quality standards.

5.3.2 Create a suite of co-produced new annual review templates and guidance, including key phase transition and preparation for adulthood templates.

5.3.3 Review Special Education Needs and/or Disability Team operating model with a specific focus on capacity to update education health care plans following amendments agreed via annual review.

5.3.4 Develop a performance monitoring system to provide reporting and Power BI dashboard data to monitor timescale for issuing finalised plans following annual review.

5.3.5 Create a multi-agency (including education settings) training plan to ensure all staff are aware, understand and implement the local annual review processes.

5.3.6 Review and update the local processes for annual reviews and publish an updated pathway on the local offer.

What difference will these actions make and how will this be monitored?

Children, young people and families report that they received support in an appropriate and timely way and they feel included in decision making. All partners report improved understanding of the EHCP process and better communication at all stages. Statutory timescales are met.

This impact will be monitored through the development of baselines, surveys and regular audits to establish that standards are being met.