The Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee met and discussed two topics, a review of the OFSTED/CQC SEND Area Inspection that took place in March 2023 and the Committee work programme. The committee noted the addition of an item on the work programme, an overview of the work undertaken by Children's Services in the past year.

OFSTED/CQC SEND Area Inspection

The Committee received a presentation on the outcomes of the recent inspection of special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision in the Borough. The inspection had judged Telford and Wrekin's services to be good, and found that:

SEND arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for young people with SEND needs.

The inspection had, however, identified two areas for improvement:

• The governance, monitoring and oversight of diagnostic pathways for children and young people with SEND needs to be improved to ensure that needs are assessed consistently and in a timely manner.
• Partnership leaders need to improve communication with families, beyond the formal consultation routes, to share effective information and advice about the provision available to children and young people with SEND.

The Committee heard that several actions to improve services were already being implemented. It was explained that Telford and Wrekin Council was the lead local authority in the West Midlands for the Department for Education’s SEND Change Programme, and that the two year pilot would see the council receive £70 million to pilot new initiatives, test a three tiered approach to alternative provision services and share knowledge with other local authorities.

The Committee then discussed the long waiting times for support, especially for mental health. Members were told that new initiatives were underway to train and support future staff, including working with Telford College. The committee heard that nationally schools had a budget of £6,000 per school to spend on pupils with SEND.

Work Programme

The Democracy Officer (Scrutiny) informed the Committee that there had been one addition to the work programme since the last meeting, an item on the overview of Children's Services. The meeting heard that this item would provide a review of the achievements within Children's Services and future steps for the service area.

The Committee was asked to contact the Scrutiny Officers if they had any further suggestions for the work programme.