The Integrated Care Board (ICB) supports the health element of the SEND agenda for children and young people. We work in partnership with local authorities to contribute to the implementation of the SEND reforms. We would like to introduce our team to you and outline the areas we are working on.
The ICB SEND health team is made up of:
Vanessa Whatley, Chief Nursing Officer and Executive Lead for SEND
Laura Powell, Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children and ICB Senior Responsible Officer for SEND
Jennifer Griffin, Designated Clinical Officer for SEND (on maternity leave)
Carrie James, Designated Clinical Officer for SEND (interim)
Hilary McGlynn, SEND Change Programme Partner (health)
The team provides oversight and obtains assurance of service delivery regarding SEND to achieve the following:
- Improving health outcomes in population health and care
- Tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access
- Enhancing productivity and value for money
- Helping the NHS to support broader social and economic development
We work closely with our commissioned health providers and local partnerships, Parent and Carer Forums and lived experience groups to support the development of service delivery.
Current priority areas:
We are working with partners:
- to understand the referral rates and waiting times, and support children and families while waiting for neurodevelopmental assessments, mental health support, therapy services, community paediatrics.
- to improve the quality of EHCPs.
- to enhance inclusive practice - which is the good quality, inclusive teaching and resources which should be available for all children and young people with special education needs/disabilities.
Current initiatives we are supporting:
SEND and AP (Alternative Provision) Change Programme
The SEND Change Programme is a national programme to test some of the changes the Government wants to make to the system for supporting children and young people with SEND.
It is being delivered by “Change Programme Partnerships” in each of the nine regions of England, each led by at least one named local authority.
Telford and Wrekin have been selected as the Lead Local Authority for the West Midlands Region and are working alongside Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC)
ELSEC is a pilot programme working in 30 mainstream primary schools and early years settings across Telford & Wrekin.
It is working to improve the identification and support of children with speech, language, and communication needs in early years and primary school settings; in turn improving access to and the quality of inclusive practice.
Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools project (PINS)
This is a nationally funded pilot project for 2024/25, building on the success of the national Autism in Schools Project.
PINS is bringing health and education specialists and expert parent carers into mainstream primary settings to:
- Help shape whole school SEND provision
- Provide early interventions at a school level
- Upskill school staff
- Support the strengthening of partnerships between schools and parent carers
Twenty mainstream primary schools in Telford and Wrekin and twenty in Shropshire are taking part in the PINS project. PODS Parent Carer Forum are key partners in PINs and are delivering parent carer forums in each participating Telford school.
Healthier Together website
The Healthier Together website provides advice for those caring for babies, children and young people in Shropshire and Telford. You'll find clear information on common childhood illnesses for both physical and mental health, and information on long term conditions, with details of where to go to seek help if required.
The Healthier Together website provides consistent, accurate and trustworthy healthcare advice for parents, carers, young people and professionals. All the information on the site is checked by clinicians, and local organisations and involves parent carers in its content development.
The website has sections on common illnesses which can help you decide what to do when your child or a child in your care is poorly. It has information on:
- Coughs and colds
- Fever / high temperature
- Rashes
- Sore throats
- Vaccinations
Other sections of the website are particularly relevant for parent carers of children and young people with SEND. There are sections on asthma, epilepsy, learning disabilities and neurodiversity.
The Neurodiversity section of Healthier Together includes sections on Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tic and Tourette’s Syndrome and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Alongside the condition specific webpages, there are pages outlining the local support offer for children and families. These pages show the range of local support available across Shropshire and Telford, the majority of which do not require your child to have a diagnosis of a neurodivergent condition.