Annual Report 2023 – 2024
Introduction
Local Authorities must arrange for children with SEN or disabilities for whom they are responsible, and their parents, and young people with SEN or disabilities for whom they are responsible, to be provided with information and advice about matters relating to their SEN and disabilities, including matters relating to health and social care.
In North Lincolnshire, this service is provided by the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS), an in-house service situated within Evaluation, Partnerships and Outcomes for Children (which is independent of direct SEND decision making and service provision) within the Children and Families Directorate. The service consists of two full time SENDIASS Officers and a full time SENDIASS Manager.
North Lincolnshire’s SENDIASS provides free, confidential, impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and their parents.
The purpose of the Annual Report is to provide an overview of the service during the academic year 2023 – 2024, covering service activity, feedback from those who have accessed the service, developments throughout the year and priorities for the future.
Overview
During the academic year 2022 –23, there was a significant increase in the number of families contacting the service for information, advice and support. This year has seen further increase, with the service receiving more referrals than any previous academic year, since the current SENDIASS structure and systems were implemented in 2018. We understand that increasing numbers of families seeking support is part of national picture for SENDIAS Services.
In view of the rising number of families seeking help from the service, building upon the changes introduced during the previous year, further adaptation to the way in which the service is delivered were essential in ensuring that more families could access information, advice or support. Changes were developed with commissioners of the service, the majority of which are focussed on further empowering families to feel confident in navigating SEND systems and addressing any concerns independently wherever possible. The changes have included enhancing opportunities for information and advice to be shared with those who need it both now and in the future.
Feedback received from individuals who have accessed the service during the year continues to show a generally high level of satisfaction with the information, advice or support they received, however, overall feedback scores have reduced which based on the changes made throughout the year, are likely associated with these.
Referrals and Activity
Across the full year, a total of 544 referrals were received. This figure represents a 27% increase on the previous year and comprises of 399 new referrals, (individuals contacting the service for the first time) and 145 re-referrals, (individuals who have contacted the service on one or more previous occasions).
For recording purposes some referrals are anonymous enquiries, and their previous referral status is unknown, therefore, it is possible that the number of re-referrals is higher than documented.
There have been a total of 4521 contacts during the year. A contact refers to any single communication that has taken place between a family or professional and the service, this includes telephone calls, emails, website enquiries and virtual / online or face to face contacts.
Referrals into the service are usually made via three contact methods, telephone, email and online enquiry form. Referrals via telephone to the SENDIASS Helpline continue to be the most popular method of contact however, use of the online enquiry form is increasing with 14% of referrals received via this route during the current year.
Each referral received into the service is recorded within a specific category based on the primary reason for contact. SENDIASS note that some enquires cover multiple categories and primary reasons may change over time whilst the team are providing information, advice and support, however, categorising referrals in this way helps the team to identify the most common reasons that individuals seek information advice or support.
For the purpose of the annual report, some categories are grouped together as they refer to similar topics.
SEN Support – 19% (101 individual referrals)
This category includes all enquiries relating to SEN Support in mainstream schools. The most prevalent reason for contact with the service within this category was associated with parental dissatisfaction or concern about the support in place at SEN Support.
(Pre) Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – 15% (80 individual referrals)
This category includes all enquires relating to EHCPs where a child or young person does not have an existing EHCP. The most prevalent reasons for contact within this category are requests for information, advice or support relating to the assessment process including support to make a parental request.
Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – 15% (84 individual referrals)
This category includes enquiries relating to existing EHCP’s. The most common sub-categories are associated with requests for information, advice relating to Placement/ Section I of the EHCP.
The top three referral categories account for 50% of the total number of referrals to the service. Whilst referrals have increased significantly this year, the most prevalent reasons for contact are consistent across recent years.
The remaining 50% of referrals are spread broadly across numerous referral categories with each receiving less than 10% of the total number of referrals.
These include;
- Suspension or Exclusion
- Attendance
- Health Processes
- Transport
- Requests for information about local services including the support available for families
Throughout the year, the team have continued to prioritise attending local SEND events for children and families in North Lincolnshire, this helps to raise awareness of the service amongst families and professionals and provides opportunities to access information and advice.
Events this year have included;
-Parent Forum SEND Conference, where the service delivered a presentation sharing information about the service and the development of parent information/ training sessions.
-Parent Forum and Carer’s Support Service Empowering SEND/ Transition event, providing a drop-in for young people and their parents.
-North Lincolnshire Council’s Lets Get Ready for School, for children who are starting school in the next academic year
-Local Authority SEND Conference for Professionals, where the service held a stall in the marketplace
-SEND coffee mornings in local schools, providing information about the service and advice to families.
-Youth Council Meeting, sharing information about the service and seeking the views of young people.
Developments
The way in which SENDIASS engage with local partners in order to inform and influence policy and practice in the local area has evolved over recent years. The team are involved with a range of strategic workstreams and this year, were delighted to become a permanent member of the SEND Standards Board. The SEND Standards Board is an overarching group that has overview of standards and quality to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities within North Lincolnshire.
During the previous year, temporary service changes were made in partnership with the SENDIASS Steering Group and Lead Commissioners, in response to the significant increase in referrals. In the current year, whilst responding to further increase, ensuring that families continue to have access to the information and advice they require has continued to be a priority. Building upon the developments of the previous year, we have continued to explore ways to increase service capacity to enable more families to receive the information, advice or support they need.
The most significant change introduced towards the end of the previous academic year was focussed on realigning resources through adjusting the level of support provided to those who access the service which has led to a reduction in the number of meetings attended with parents in school settings.
The approach has been embedded into practice, through increased communication with families and professionals about the offer, alongside further service developments aligned to our approach to empowerment.
One of the most significant developments, is the launch of a new training offer for parents and carers, covering the most prevalent reasons for contact with the service. The first session focussed on “SEN Support in Mainstream Schools” is due to be launched in September 2025, as the schools reopen for the new academic year, with additional sessions focussed on EHCP and Meeting Preparation (and associated booklet) prepared with a view to rolling out later in the year.
A SENDIASS Guide for Parents completing a parental EHC Needs Assessment request has been created. At the end of the academic year, the guide was in draft form and meetings were scheduled with the parent forum to seek their views and feedback about the document.
As the service continues to evolve, focused work is underway to further develop the resources available to families and to ensure partner agencies across North Lincolnshire are aware of the temporary changes to the service offer and the range of resources available.
All SENDIASS staff ensure that mandatory training including Safeguarding, Prevent and Health and Safety is completed in line with the host organisation (North Lincolnshire Council) policy.
Staff regularly participate in training which provides opportunity to develop expertise in providing advice on SEND legislation and guidance.
All staff have accessed legal training from IPSEA up to Level 3 and this year, had the opportunity to attend the following training;
-Human Rights – British Institute of Human Rights
-EOTAS – Council for Disabled Children
-Vicarious Trauma – Council for Disabled Children
-Emotional Based School Avoidance – Council for Disabled Children
-Bullying – Anti Bullying Alliance
-Children and Young People’s Trauma Informed Care – Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
Service User Voice and Engagement
The Council for Disabled Children provide six core survey questions for SENDIASS’ when seeking feedback from those who have accessed the service. Feedback is gained via an online questionnaire.
To promote honest responses, feedback forms are automatically anonymous, although individuals are invited to include their details should they wish to discuss their experiences with the service.
This year, the service had anticipated that there may be a reduction in the level of satisfaction of those accessing the service, particularly where families were seeking support that was not currently available to them within their specific circumstances. However, the majority of individuals accessing the service continue to provide feedback indicating a high level of satisfaction with the service and the team have regularly received positive comments both formally and informally, about the support received.
As anticipated, the service has seen a decrease in overall feedback scores. Individual comments received, give a strong indication that this is associated with the changes to the way in which the service is delivered. Such comments include; “Being able to attend meetings at the school with me”, “I’m feeling anxious and I want someone to attend with me”, “be more available”.
Whilst the reduction in overall satisfaction with the service was somewhat anticipated in line with service changes, we will continue to record and monitor all feedback received and have recently introduced a You Said We Did Style approach to more closely monitor individual feedback. We will also continue to share feedback insights with service commissioners to help ensure that the views of those who access the service are considered during decision making processes.
Average feedback scores are presented below (each question is scored between 1 – 4);
How easy was it to get in touch with the service? – 3.3/4
How helpful was the information, advice or support? – 3.4/4
How neutral, fair and unbiased was the information, advice and support? – 3.6/4
How much difference did the information, advice or support make? – 3.2/4
How satisfied were you with the information, advice and support provided? – 3.5/4
How likely are you to recommend the service to others? – 3.3/4
Within the feedback questionnaire, individuals are asked an optional question about how SENDIASS has helped them, or what we could have done better. A sample of the positive comments received are included below;
- “Gave me confidence and support throughout attending a meeting which was a massive help”
- “They helped me get the right things in place for my children, by clarifying my requests were ok”
- “…it was so reassuring to know these were listening and wanting to help. Even had a follow up email. Thank you”
- “Throughout the years I have received fantastic support from the team”
- “Very helpful and supportive throughout and really helped me in getting things finally sorted for my son”
- “They have empowered me to ensure my daughter receives what she is entitled to and I understand legislation better”
- “They have provided me with examples and information to help me complete paperwork”
- “You were a great help in providing information and support”
- “Sendiass has been a vital service to support me and direct me to appropriate next steps”
Monitoring and Assurance
The current Service Level Agreement detailing the expectations of the service was implemented in 2020 between SENDIASS and its commissioners from North Lincolnshire Council and the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
The contract, formally monitored through bi-annual contract monitoring meetings is now due for review. In addition to service performance, the focus of the meetings throughout the current year has been on service demand and subsequent impact upon capacity, compliance against the minimum standards as well as options for the service into the future.
It is anticipated that the current commissioning discussions will conclude in the near future and a subsequent review of the Service Level Agreement will take place.
Additional processes for monitoring service performance and activity include;
-Termly Steering Group Meetings independently chaired by North Lincolnshire’s Parent Forum Co-Chairs. The purpose of the Steering Group is to monitor service performance including impartiality and to plan and support service development.
-Monthly updates to North Lincolnshire Council as the lead commissioner, with a more detailed overview provided on a quarterly basis, (in line with local assurance procedures), covering data, feedback, exceptions and workforce matters
-Internal monitoring processes including analysis of formal and informal feedback received from individuals who have accessed the service
-Service reports to the Council for Disabled Children, aligned to the publication of national benchmarking data for SENDIAS Services, typically covering referral activity, feedback and compliance against the Minimum Standards for IASS’.
Conclusion and Priorities
The rise in referrals to the service experienced during recent years has continued into 2023/24, seeing significantly more families seeking information, advice and support from the service than ever before. Therefore, service development has been primarily focussed on adapting the way the service is delivered to ensure that more families can access information, advice and support.
Although feedback scores have reduced during the year, overall scores continue to suggest that the service is valued by the majority of individuals seeking information, advice or support. We will continue to look at ways to improve the service and have confidence that the planned developments over the coming year will enable more families to access timely information and advice in alternative methods to those previously available.
We will continue to work with commissioners of the service to highlight the impact of both the rising numbers of families receiving support and the changes to service delivery, to inform a review of the Service Level Agreement in the coming year.
Priorities throughout 2024/2025 include;
Launch of the new information/ training sessions for parents and carers focussed on the most prevalent reasons for contact with the service
Review of the SENDIASS website, working with IT partners to improve the design as well as enhancing the range of information topics available
Engage with more local events in the community to promote the service, and changes to the service offer and to offer information and advice
Reach out to post 16 settings to explore ways to further raise awareness of the offer of support for young people.