Consultation Hub

We asked for your comments on the amended draft SEND and Inclusion Strategy and draft implementation plan. We recieved 65 direct online responses.

You Said that strategy and implementation plan were ‘a great idea’ and resources would be needed. You highlighted how there was a need for timely and specialist services to support schools and settings and how important it for all parties, schools, settings, parent carer and professionals to communicate effectively to support the child.

We have read all your comments and are listening to your views. We will make sure that the feedback you have given is used to inform the work that we undertake.

For your comments on a two page document that outlined the County Council’s draft SEND and Inclusion strategy 2019 to 2024.

The document proposed the vision, priorities and key activities for the SEND and Inclusion Strategy, which the Education and Skills Directorate and all SEND and Inclusion stakeholders will focus on over the next five years.

• You supported the Vision (84%), Priorities (95%) and Key Activities (72%).
• You were confused by some of the definitions/ language.
• You were concerned that there is insufficient provision for children and young people with your child’s special education needs or disabilities and a few of you have chosen to take your child out of school for that reason.
• You were concerned about the ability to deliver the Strategy due to a lack of sufficient funding, resources and commitment from some education partners.

You wanted to see the delivery plan and data dashboard, so that you could understand how the strategy would be implemented and how success would be measured. 

Following receipt of your feedback we:

1. Developed an implementation plan setting out the tasks and timelines to be undertaken and managed by the project over the next five years.
2. Identified the resources to support the implementation.
3. Developed a data dashboard to show how success will be measured.
4. Had additional discussions with School Leaders on the implementation plan and the data dashboard.
5. Considered all consultation responses and feedback and the final strategy and its implementation will:

• Include the implementation plan and data dashboard
• Set out the main dependencies upon which the delivery plan is based
• Clarify some of the wording and definitions

Improve the quality of inclusion in educational settings to increase parental confidence and ensuring children’s needs are met.

In February 2019 West Sussex County Council SEND Commissioning Team asked you what Short Breaks opportunities you would like to have for young adults in West Sussex. We asked you about this, to help us develop our Short Breaks offer for 18 to 25 year olds.

The team would like to thank the staff, volunteers and young adults at PACSO Job Club, Ashdown Extra (Guildcare), Crawley College, M8s youth group Bognor, Young Voices 4 You and everyone who completed the online survey for your views and comments.

The top three activities you said you liked were

• Going out; from meals out, to local attractions, and further away like trips to theme parks. This included the chance to go out in the evenings.
• Socialising and making friends
• Cooking

The top three skills you said you wanted to build were

• Making friends, and talking to/meeting new people
• Doing more for yourself/life skills
• Team work/being part of a team with other people your own age

You told us that you would like to follow your own interests like art, cooking, go-karting and outdoor adventure activities.

Some of your ideas would make really good Compass Card offers. We are working with Amaze, who run the Compass Card scheme to develop their offers for young adults. You can find out more about the Compass Card scheme here  https://www.compasscard.org.uk/

You said that everyone is different. Travel training might be great for one person but may not work so well for someone else. You said we need to think about different ways that different people can learn to do more for themselves , for example helping out with preparing a meal.

You said that you would like us to develop more opportunities for young adults in this age group to take part in Short Breaks, as you do not feel there is enough available for over 18s.

Michael, Short Breaks Commissioning Manager, has written a short list of ideas for Short Breaks, using the comments and views you gave us.

• Pub or Dinner Club (this could happen once a week)

Activities could include: eating, drinking, buying your own food and drinks, chatting with friends, play pub games (maybe snooker/pool and darts).

• Residential (this could happen maybe once or twice in the year)

A residential break would happen somewhere in West Sussex and would include one or two nights away. You would be with people of a similar age to you and you would have a timetable of events for your break.

Activities could include: eating, drinking, chatting with friends, cooking meals, washing up, shopping on a budget, making your bed, travelling on public transport, going out to do something in the community i.e. cinema, bowling.

• Lifeskills (this could happen once a week)

A course run in West Sussex where you would get to learn some new skills that will help you in your adult life.

Activities could include: cooking, being able to travel on your own on public transport, looking after your money, making friends, staying healthy, coping with stress, having a boyfriend or girlfriend, sex education.

We will work on these ideas with the Young Voices 4 You group, who are our young people’s reference group in West Sussex, to develop one or two of them into new Short Breaks opportunities for young adults.

Information on the progress of these new Short Breaks will be published on the Participation and Short Breaks Wiki webpages , so please check these for any further updates. https://wiki.rixwiki.org/west-sussex-mmm/home/commissioning-team/

https://wiki.rixwiki.org/west-sussex-mmm/home/youth-participation-1

If you, or someone you know aged 14 to 25, would like to join Young Voices 4 You as a youth ambassador, taking part in projects including developing Short Breaks, please contact rachel.sadler@westsussex.gov.uk 07734000401