Tag: review

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Department for Education

DfE publishes Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review

The DfE recently published the Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review which aims to set out a ‘framework for growing the impact of the academies system, so parents and carers can be confident that their child will receive a high-quality education wherever they live.’

You can find the review here Academies regulatory and commissioning review – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The review comprises of three main sections:

  1. Regulatory oversight for academies
  2. Trust quality and commissioning
  3. Effective Practice and self-improvement

The NNPCF were not a part of the review advisory group although we did have extensive contact with the Department for Education including the Minister for Schools Systems Baroness Barren.

You can find a note of our meetings here Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review – National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C (nnpcf.org.uk)

We have been very clear that the accountability of the schools system needs a major overhaul. We have consistently called for a closer alignment of the incentives, responsibilities, powers and accountability across the education sector across schools, trusts, local authorities, the DfE Regions Group and the inspectors (Ofsted). Forums tell us that schools are not incentivised to be inclusive and that local authorities and the DfE regions group cannot hold them to account if they are not.

The ability of the review to address these concerns is limited because since the Schools Bill was withdrawn, there is no legislation to make the changes we are looking for. As a result, it falls short of the tightening and clarification of accountability in schools that we believe the SEND system needs

However, the review, goes as far as it can to address some of our concerns without legislation:

  • We are pleased that SEND features very prominently in the document – it is made clear from the start that SEND should be a priority for all trusts and there is a strong read across the SENDAP Improvement Plan.
  • The first line of the definition of a high quality trust is “delivering high quality and inclusive education for all pupils”. More detailed descriptions of Trust quality will be published in late April. We are told that these will be clear on the importance of SEND and inclusive practice and will align with the SEND national standards from the SENDAP Improvement plan.
  • Aligned with the review, the DfE has also published the MAT Leadership Development: CEO Content framework which re-iterates the responsibilities of school leaders with regards to SEND Mat leadership development CEO content framework (publishing.service.gov.uk)
  • The document promises a review of the complaints system for parents making it clearer, simpler and less duplicative for them to seek redress. We will seek to work with the Department for Education on this topic.
  • The report also states that the commissioning system will be used to promote high quality trusts. However, there are no new powers to call to account existing trusts that are not inclusive.
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Department for Education Education Minister for the School System NNPCF work

Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review

Earlier this week, our co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia met with the Minister for the School System, Baroness Barran, to discuss the Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review.

The meeting covered the NNPCF’s input into the Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review . This group has been looking at the accountability framework for academies.

The current accountability regime remains very unclear. The division of powers, responsibilities, regulation and enforcement between schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities and the DfE Regions Group is confused. We hear too often about schools that do not make reasonable adjustments or promote inclusion that parents and local authorities are powerless to hold to account.

We asked the minister to ensure that the Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review closed these gaps and enforce that schools, local authorities and Integrated Care Systems meet needs.

The success of the SENDAP Improvement Plan published last week depends on whether the Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review can address these concerns.

In particular, we raised three main issues with the minister:

  • The inability of individual families to seek redress when they believe that a school is not promoting inclusion. For example, if they are failing to make reasonable adjustments. In these cases, parents have to use the school or trust’s complaints process, something that a delegate at our 2023 conference described as “marking their own homework.”
  • The need to align the powers, responsibilities and accountability between schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, the DfE Regions Group and Integrated Care Systems. There are huge gaps which mean that no-one has the authority to effectively hold schools to account.
  • Greater clarity on what inclusive practice is and what good looks like. The Schools Bill defined a strong trust as being “inclusive”. We asked for clarity on what these means and how it will be assessed.

Unfortunately, following the shelving of the Schools Bill, the ability to make regulatory changes may be constrained and we are concerned that the scope of change that the Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review may bring will be limited.

The team promised to meet the NNPCF steering group to further develop these points.

For our previous work on this area please see:

NNPCF Steering Group meet with Minister on Schools White Paper – National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C

Initial NNPCF response to the Schools White Paper – National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C

Categories
NNPCF Social Care

Government publishes response to the Children’s Social Care Review 

On the 2 February, the government published its response to the Independent Review into Children’s Social Care chaired by Josh MacCallister.

You can find a link to the government response, Stable Homes, Built on Love here: Children’s social care stable homes built on love consulation (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

You can read our submission here: https://nnpcf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Social-Care-consulation-response.pdf

Alongside the strategy, the government are launching three consultations: 

  • A consultation on the strategy that invites views on our proposals for reform here 
  • A consultation on a new National Framework and dashboard for children’s social care which asks for views on our proposed outcomes and indicators here 
  • A consultation on a set of national rules on the engagement of agency social worker resource here 

The NNPCF will be compiling responses to the relevant consultations over the coming months. Details of how to help shape the NNPCF response will be included in the March consultation briefing available on our website, social media and distributed to forums through their regional representative.   

The strategy responds to the three independent reviews that were published last year – the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel report into the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson and the Competition and Markets Authority Children’s Social Care market study.  

The strategy aims to create a vision of how to help families to overcome challenges at the earliest stage, keep children safe from significant harm, and make sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships and opportunities for a good life. 

The strategy is laid out across six pillars: 

  1. Family Help provides the right support at the right time so that children can thrive with their families 
  1. A decisive multi-agency child protection system 
  1. Unlocking the potential of family networks 
  1. Putting love, relationships and a stable home at the heart of being a child in care 
  1. A valued, supported and highly-skilled social worker for every child who needs one 
  1. A system that continuously learns and improves, and makes better use of evidence and data 

There is little detail or content in this paper about the SEND social care system – the Department for Education has indicated that the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement plan which they intend to publish shortly will aim to align the two systems. However, some of the key themes that the NNPCF raised are explicitly picked up in the strategy, namely: 

  • the call for a more joined us system across education health and care 
  • the need for earlier intervention 

But, some of the more specific things that we asked for in the independent review are not picked up: 

  • a call for a “support not safeguarding” for the majority of SEND families 
  • the quality of social care input into EHCPs and a recognition that too often this is non-existent. 
  • a huge variation in consistency and standards across the country 

Nevertheless, question 8 in the consultation does explicitly ask:  

What more can be done by government, local authorities and service providers to make sure that disabled children and young people can access the right type of help and support? 

The NNPCF had considerable engagement and input into the review, most notably when Josh MacCallister launched his case for change with parent carer forums Josh MacAlister makes “The Case for Change” at joint NNPCF / Contact webinar – National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C 

You can find an article on earlier NNPCF input here: NNPCF input into children’s social care review – National Network of Parent Carer Forums C.I.C 

Independent review of children’s social care – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

National review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Children’s social care market study final report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Categories
consultations Government

Intergrated Care Systems call for evidence

The Public Accounts Committee are due to be questioning senior officials and executives at the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England on the progress in establishing Integrated Care Systems in England.

They will examine if they are being set up in a way which allows them to achieve their objectives:  

  • improve outcomes in population health and healthcare
  • tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access
  • enhance productivity and value for money
  • help the NHS support broader social and economic development.

To help and inform the NNPCF’s response, we have created a survey for forums to complete.

Whatever your experience, please help us by completing our survey: https://forms.office.com/r/Xb4DiK1NbU

The survey is open until Thursday 20 October.

For more information on the Call for Evidence see:
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6931/introducing-integrated-care-systems/

For an explanation of Integrated Care Systems see:
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/integrated-care-systems-explained

If you want more information or want to add anything not covered in the survey, please email consultation@nnpcf.org.uk

Categories
consultations Department for Education Education NNPCF work Parent Carer Forums SEND Review

NNPCF launch SEND Green Paper consultation survey for all parent carers.

The NNPCF have recently launched their parent carer survey on the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper consultation.

They hope to collect as many responses as possible from all parent carers, not just those who are involved in their local parent carer forums.

The responses of the survey will help to inform the NNPCF’s own response to the SEND Green Paper consultation.

Co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia stated that, “The Green Paper is an opportunity to reset the SEND system after the 2014 reforms failed to deliver the improvements that families of children with SEND so desperately need. It is vital that every parent carer’s voice is heard and so we have launched a short, simple survey to gather parental views that we will use to inform our response to the Green Paper. We will, of course, also publish the survey results.”

You can complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/J63QX22

The survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete and remains open until the 30 June.

Categories
Committee Education Select Committee SEND Review

NNPCF gives evidence to the Education Select Committee

The NNPCF co-chair Mrunal Sisodia gave evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee on 24 May, when a session was held on the SEND Green Paper consultation.

Mrunal was joined by IPSEA chief executive Ali Fiddy, Local Government Ombudsman Michael King and Imogen Jolley, Head of Public Law at Simpson Millar.

In the evidence session Mrunal spoke to key points on the SEND Green Paper, including:

  • The need for the incentives in the overall education, care and health system to be aligned with the needs of SEND children, young people and their families.
  • The need for improved accountability in the sector to ensure that when needs were not being met issues could be addressed.
  • The need to listen to families and drive early intervention and stop families getting to crisis point before help is given. This increases needs, creates anger, frustration, mistrust, and costs more money.
  • The need for the Green Paper to say more about long term outcomes for young people with SEND beyond education such as employment, community inclusion and independent living.
  • NNPCF support for national standards in SEND provision that, if set properly and implemented effectively, would help to drive greater clarity in what families can expect and what services need to provide.
  • Parental concerns about naming a setting from a suitable list for children with EHCPs.
  • The importance of strong advocacy and independent support for parents, for example through SENDIAS services and keyworking.
  • The role of Ofsted and the desire from parents that no school should be classified as good or outstanding without being good or outstanding for SEND.

You can find a recording of the session here: The Government’s SEND Review – Committees – UK Parliament

Categories
Bills and legislations Department for Education Education NNPCF work Parent Carer Forums SEND Review

The SEND Green Paper: NNPCF briefing

What does it say and what does the NNPCF think about it?

The NNPCF co-chairs, Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia held a briefing on the contents of the long-awaited SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper consultation for parent carer forums on 23 May.

A recording of the session can now be viewed by following the links below:

YouTube recording of the briefing

Slides from the briefing

Mentimeter survey results

The NNPCF have also published their parent carer survey.

They hope to collect as many responses as possible from all parent carers, not just those who are involved in their local parent carer forums.

The responses of the survey will help to inform the NNPCF’s own response to the SEND Green Paper consultation.

Co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia stated that, “The Green Paper is an opportunity to reset the SEND system after the 2014 reforms failed to deliver the improvements that families of children with SEND so desperately need. It is vital that every parent carer’s voice is heard and so we have launched a short, simple survey to gather parental views that we will use to inform our response to the Green Paper. We will, of course, also publish the survey results.”

You can complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/J63QX22

The survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete and remains open until the 30 June.

Categories
consultations Department for Education Education Minister for children and families Parent Carer Forums SEND Review

SEND Green Paper engagement events with the Department for Education and parent carer forums

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) consultation was published at the end of March. The NNPCF have been working with the Green Paper team at the Department for Education (DfE) to organise a series of engagement events for parent carer forums to feedback and discuss the plans outlined in the Green Paper.

There are three different categories of events:

A national webinar hosted by NNPCF co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia – 12 noon 23 May

At this event Mrunal and Tina will share the initial NNPCF response to the proposals. The session will step through the Green Paper outlining which proposals the NNPCF supports and which we have concerns about. The session will be interactive, and we will be seeking flash feedback from parent carer forums on their views of some of the proposals in the Green Paper. We will also outline the different ways that parent carer forums as well as individual parents can respond to the consultation and have their voices heard.

To sign up for this event please use the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZModeCvrTwoGNUve-OwXisL0SQaUniHSchz

Regional events hosted by the Department for Education for Parent Carer Forums

The DfE Green Paper team will be attending NNPCF regional events to share the thinking behind the Green Paper and to have a discussion with regional parent carer groups about their thoughts on the proposals. In these sessions the DfE team will offer a short presentation of 20-30 minutes and then will take feedback and questions relating to the Green Paper for the rest of the hour. The objective of these sessions is to offer parent carer forums the opportunity to have frank and honest exchanges with the DfE team. The sessions will not be recorded due to confidentiality reasons.

The schedule of events is as follows:

RegionDateTimeVirtual or in person meeting
North East26 May11am – 12.30pmVirtual
North West   
Yorkshire and Humber24 May10amIn person York
West Midlands16 May1pmVirtual
East Midlands8 June10amVirtual
East of England12 May10am-2pmIn person – Cambridge
London
16 May 10am-12.30pmVirtual
South East20 May10am-12noonVirtual
South West10 May12:30pm-2pmVirtual (Teams)
Please note, any gaps to the table will be filled once confirmed by the DfE.
Details of how to join these meetings will be sent out through the usual regional parent carer forum channels.

National SEND review briefing hosted by Minister Will Quince

We are currently working with the DfE to organise a national webinar. This will give parent carer forums the opportunity to discuss and feedback to the DfE on the proposals set out in the Green Paper. Children and Families Minister Will Quince will host this event. Once the dates have been confirmed we will publish the webinar, with more information including how to register for the session.