To note the report.

The Director of Children’s Services reminded Members that the Panel had previously considered the SEND area inspection, and informed them that this report was to provide an update on the progress that had been made over the two quarters that had since passed.

Members were informed that an Inclusion Summit was held on April 19^th, which was the culmination of the first stage of the plan to address the weaknesses that had been identified by Ofsted and the CQC. The Director of Children’s Services said that the Summit allowed the Council to meet with partner agencies; although issues had not been raised by the SEND inspection report regarding individual care, concerns had been raised over the lack of joined-up thinking between different partners.

Members were told that the DfE and Ofsted had identified 107 action points for the Council to carry out. The Director of Children’s Services informed the Panel that of these, 49 were in the green category and on track to be completed; 30 were in the amber category as more work needed to be done; six were in the red category as significant issues had been identified; and five had not yet been started. A further 17 had been completed. The Panel was informed that the six red actions of concern related to four activities: reviewing whether the matrix used to assess the level of pupil need in mainstream schools was working effectively; reviewing the use of text messaging for obtaining feedback; implementing an updated ICT system; and agreeing the datasets and information to be updated on the Local Offer. The Director of Children’s Services informed Members that the Local Offer was a requirement for all local authorities to make available online information to parents and carers regarding services that were applicable to them that were provided by the Council, health authority and voluntary sector, as well as schools with their own Local Offers. Members were told that the information needed to be easier to navigate and should include clear descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of each care provider. Regarding the ICT system, Members were told that the Council was on the software developer’s work list.

Sarah Bellars, Director of Nursing at East Berkshire CCG, stated that it was important to emphasise the progress that had been made since the initial inspection, due to the complexities faced by some service users. In particular the progress that had been made in relation to getting the different groups to work together was of great importance. A key achievement that Sarah Bellars identified was the fact that all 750 statements of special education had been successfully converted into Education Health and Care Plans. The Chairman congratulated officers on completing this transfer.

Members were informed that a draft of the Inclusion Charter would be brought to Council by the Lead Member for Children’s Services in due course.

It was agreed that the Evaluation Report would be brought to Panel when the review that was currently in progress  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4