Consultation Hub

We asked for people's views and comments on our draft 'Creating Healthy Places: A Public Health and Sustainability Framework for West Sussex, and a consultation took place from the 16th November 2020 to 11th January 2021. 
It primarily consisted of an online questionnaire

A consultation took place from 16th of November 2020 to 11th of January 2021 and it primarily consisted of an online questionnaire whereby 22 responses were submitted.

The highlights of the response we recieved are:

• 78.26% feel that the framework should contribute to the development of planning policies around healthy and sustainable placemaking/development in West Sussex
• 39.13% agreed that the framework offers good guidance around placemaking and 43.4% were unsure
• 43.48% agreed that the scope of the document offers a detailed and holistic overview concerning placemaking and 30.43% were unsure
• 60.87% agreed that the document explains why creating healthy and sustainable places are important for us
• 50.17% broadly agreed with the Vision set out in the framework
• 43.48% agreed with the definition and explanation around ‘placemaking, 30.43% disagreed and 26.09% were unsure
• 52.17% agreed with the specifications/objectives of what we should be doing to deliver healthy and sustainable places
• 47.83% found the health intelligence signposting section useful and 34.78% were unsure
• 39.13% agreed that the document clearly defines what a healthy and sustainable development should do whilst 30.43 disagreed and 30.43 were also unsure

Additional points that arose through the comments section included:

• 'Great to see climate change reflected in the document.’
• ‘The framework and outlook are full and comprehensive.’
• Strong agreement that a healthy development should increase people’s opportunities to enjoy healthy food by growing more food at a local level as per allotments, community growing / orchards, and more community shops and/or farmers markets serving the local communities and they should embrace the selling of all the dietary needs of the people within the communities’.
• ‘WSCC should be pro-active in finding ways to improve our existing places.’
• ‘The document itself fails to deliver clarity of the intended goal in a concise manner - it is far too vague and waffly. The definition of sustainability used to underpin the purpose of the framework is flawed.’

As a result of the consultation feedback, the following amendments were made to the draft ‘Creating Healthy Places: A Public Health and Sustainability Framework for West Sussex’:

1.  Adjusted the specifications/objectives
2. Made parts of the document clearer such as it’s role and purpose around offering guidance
3. Made it clearer that it was owned by Public Health and Sustainability as opposed to Planning for example
4. Have built upon the ‘what a health development should do’ by strengthening its links to health and wellbeing
5. Made the document more concise

Several other minor additions and amendments were made to reflect comments and suggestions from the consultation and to provide clarity on various aspects of the Framework.

In West Sussex, we want to make sure that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) get the best possible support and help when they need it. We have been working on putting together a new strategy which sets out how we are going to do this for children in their Early Years.

We would like to know what you think of our proposed 'Early Years SEND Support Strategy'. Your views are important to us as we want to make this the best strategy we can create – one that has the greatest impact on making young children with SEND’s lives the best they can be.

We were very grateful for your responses to our consultation.

71% of people who responded to the consultation were Early Years Practitioners, 15% were professionals working with children with SEND, 12% were parents/carers and 2% were other interested parties.

51% said they thought the proposed changes would result in significantly better support for children with SEND in their early years.

52% of people who responded to the consultation said they felt the proposed changes to EYPARM  would result in significantly better support for children with SEND in their early years.

The aspect of the proposed changes which was identified as having the most positive impact on the experience for children and families was Early Identification and Support.

 53% said that the introduction of lump sum funding would be significantly better, with 21% stating this would be have no change on their ability to support children with SEND. However 57% said that the changes to inclusion funding would make the quality of experience for children with delay in their learning or SEND significantly better.

 79% disagreed with the introduction of a maximum amount of inclusion funding per setting.

We will listen to your views and consider these when we create the final version of the strategy.

Oak Grove College is a special school in Worthing that offers provision for students with learning difficulties from Years 7-14. Following assessment of options for post-16 provision for children with SEND it is recognised that many of the pupils with less complex needs who currently undertake their post-16 studies at Oak Grove could be successfully educated within mainstream Further Education Colleges, thereby enabling Oak Grove College to focus provision for students with more complex needs.

Redesignation the post-16 provision to become more specialist would also mean there could be a reduction in the number of post-16 planned places at the college, form 56 to 24 by 2025/26. The intention would be to retain the overall number of places at the school (256) by redesignating some of the post-16 places as pre-16 provision. 

The responses showed 55% of respondents supported the proposals, 9% were against and 36% were neutral.  82% of respondents agree that the school is centered on the needs of the children and learners.

Concerns centred whether there was adequate provision and choice of Post 16 courses delivered by local further education providers. Funding for appropriate support for the young people was also raised. There was also concerns about whether support from the school and local authority would continue or whether it would be cut off when a young person leaves Oak Grove College i.e. a need for reassurance about a smooth and supported transition and confidence that the young person will succeed within further education setting.

With a relatively low response rate (11 online responses), written comments provided to the questions indicate support of a redesignation providing that reassurances are given to parents who want their young person to remain at Oak Grove College that they will have this choice. Parents expressed views that they may need further support or advice from Oak Grove College. The headteacher expressed views, during public meetings, that continued support would be offered to parents / families despite their young person no longer being in attendance at Oak Grove College and that Oak Grove College would work towards the best outcomes for young people who have attended.

The redesignation of post-16 provision at Oak Grove College to become more specialist focusing on pupils with complex needs with effect from September 2021.