A report published today (18 December 2024) by national inspectors Ofsted and CQC, recognises that the Hounslow Area Partnership* has made progress
Published: Wednesday, 18th December 2024
in improving the local system for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND**) since the previous inspection of 2022.
The report also highlights five key areas where there remains work still to do to improve the experiences and outcomes for families in the borough.
The partnership’s improvement journey was judged to be ‘going in the right direction,’ co-production (a way of working together to design and improve services) with parents, carers, and wider stakeholders ‘has improved,’ but it’s too early to see the ‘sustained impact’ of the local area's partnership’s work.
The report recorded strong examples of practitioners coming together to identify and support children's needs quickly in ‘early years’ and felt that ‘young people and their families can access effective help in times of crisis and/or if they are engaged with the mental health support team.’
The partnership’s introduction of monthly SEND Surgeries, where residents receive support and guidance across the borough, was an example of effective innovation, with parents describing officers as ‘very knowledgeable and helpful’ and the sessions being a positive improvement.
There was also praise for the ‘passion and ambition of professionals’ within the partnership. However, despite a ‘high proportion’ of EHC plans being received in a ‘timely way,’ with ‘the child or young person’s individual needs as golden threads’ running through them, some were ‘significantly out of date.’
The academic achievement of children and young people with SEND was commended along with specific projects to support young people into employment, including the offer of more opportunities for young people to follow a supported internship.
The ‘Mainstream Inclusion Partnership' (MIP), an initiative designed to provide additional resource to schools, was judged to help improve children and young people’s experiences through ‘improved communication between schools and services’ and ‘additional resources’ that ‘meet the specific needs of children and young people.’ The MIP has supported over five hundred young people in the last 18 months.
Ofsted and CQC also recommended improvements to enhance the provision, which included more coherent and cohesive strategies for supporting children and young people.
The full report can be viewed HERE
