Decision

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Executive Resolved to:-

1)    Note the implications of the Schools White Paper and national SEND Consultation for Somerset, including the requirement for the Somerset SEND local area partnership to co-produce and submit a Local Area SEND Reform Plan to the DfE by 19 June 2026.

2)    Note the deadline required by DfE including appropriate review by DfE advisors as part of the process.

3)    Consider the contents of the draft Reform Plan as detailed in Appendix 2 (which would be published on 26 May) and recommendations from the DMP/SEND Reform Members Standing Panel, Children and Families Scrutiny Committee, ICB and DfE advisors.

4)    Note that the plan included assumptions relating to funding for ‘Experts at Hand’ in Schools for three years, of which £3.625m had been provisionally allocated in 2026/27, with future year values to be confirmed. Somerset Council would be required to allocate these funds, in liaison with the Integrated Care Board Cluster and Local Area SEND Partnership, including the Parent Carer Forum.

5)    Note the DfE required the plan to be signed off by the Chief Executive Officer, Section 151 Officer and Executive Director of Children, Families and Education (who was the statutory Director of Children’s Services) for Somerset alongside the Chief Executive Officer of the new Integrated Care Board Cluster. A Council Executive Leadership Team meeting was scheduled to be held on 8 June 2026 and an ICB Cluster Executive meeting on 15 June 2026 to facilitate this.

6)    Endorse the plan and proposed approach for the plan’s submission.

7)    Agree to delegate approval of any final changes required to the plan, and sign off for submission to the DfE, to the Chief Executive Officer, Section 151 Officer and Executive Director of Children, Families and Education in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader of the Council (who was also the Lead Member for Finance) and the Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, in order to meet the DfE’s timescales.

In addition, the following recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee for Children and Educations were approved by the Executive:-

1)    That Executive supported the submission of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reform Plan subject to strengthened financial clarity, including clear modelling, assumptions, and contingency planning and noted the high level of risk associated with it.

2)    That Executive ensured clear Integrated Care Board (ICB) accountability, including named signatory, defined financial contributions, and transparent monitoring arrangements between partners.

3)    That Executive required a detailed workforce and delivery plan for the reform plan and wider SEND system, including recruitment timelines and mitigation for capacity gaps and considered Experts at Hand (EaH) and SEND Legal capacity was included as a monitored priority.

4)    That Executive strengthened the evidence base, including measurable baselines, targets, and alignment with the Deficit Management Plan (DMP) into the SEND reform plan, specifically EaH numbers.

5)    That Executive ensured robust evidence of co-production and ongoing engagement beyond submission, perhaps considering a “you said, we did” summary showing how feedback had influenced the plan, including the voice of the child.

6)    That Executive committed to regular reporting to Scrutiny through a strengthened Member Oversight Panel, including integrated monitoring of finance, demand, workforce, performance, outcomes and delivery milestones, supported by a public dashboard with baselines and targets and an up-to-date risk register setting out key risks, mitigations, owners and escalation triggers.

7)    That Executive considered publishing a simplified governance map showing roles, responsibilities and reporting lines across all SEND Related boards.