Inclusive Communities – family and community short breaks
The range of short breaks activities and support on offer to Nottingham City children and young people has been depleted for quite some time. Despite extensive commissioning activity, there remains a particular gap in support for children with complex health needs and physical disabilities. The gaps in low-mid levels of provision in the City have placed increased pressure on our internal short breaks service. The gaps are increasing demand and costs for higher level services, driving up waiting lists, and limiting choice for families and young people.
You Said…
Children, young people and families, many linked to our local Parent Carer Forum, Rainbow, tell us that the shortage of provision has a negative impact on their lives, and that some families have ‘no-where to spend’ their short breaks personal budgets. Parents want more accessible places for their children to attend, with well trained staff, offering a wider variety and choice of activities:
“It is so important that children and young people have things to do. Some current provision is not accessible and there is some great youth provision that is at capacity. More choice is needed.”
“We need market stimulation and development, and also training for universal providers in supporting SEND”
“Short breaks and link work has been a god-send for me. As a single parent, this service has given me the time I need to recharge and i would not have coped without it. It has been hugely beneficial for my child to interact and spend time with his peers in an environment away from home.”
We Did…
Nottingham City Council’s Pathway to Short Breaks system already uses light touch assessment, strengths-based conversations, direct payments and creative micro-commissioning to put children, young people and their families in control. However, without a choice of diverse activities, services and support for people to purchase, this control can only have a limited impact on people’s lives and wellbeing.
During 2023 we have successfully secured funding from central government to:
- re-energise the local market by upskilling existing community providers who do not currently support children with complex needs,
- generate new, bespoke provision to meet localised demand.
We have enlisted the Community Catalysts organisation to support us, based on their experience and success with similar projects.
The difficulty in attracting providers to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been reflected in the City’s recent experience of coordinating the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) programme. Training on meeting the needs of children and young people with ADHD and with Social Emotional and Mental Health needs has been provided to community settings through the HAF programme. We are looking to draw on the relationships being developed with HAF providers to influence market development for short breaks.
Our project will increase opportunities for children with complex needs to attend community-based individual and group activities at weekends and during school holidays, enabling them to develop friendships, improve their health and wellbeing, and promote their independence and self-determination. Parents will have increased opportunities to receive a short break from their caring responsibilities and to develop wider support networks, improving their health and wellbeing.
SEND Sufficiency – You said, we did
In January and February 2023, we held a public consultation on how we plan to make more places available in the City for children and young people with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND) over the coming years.
We are investing capital funding received from the Department for Education (DfE), to create additional high quality inclusive places and to improve existing provision for children and young people with complex needs or who have an education, health and care plan (EHCP). The funding can also be used to support SEND pupils without an EHCP and pupils who require alternative provision without an EHCP, where appropriate.
The consultation presented the draft SEND Sufficiency Strategy, which included key data, evidence and trends to inform decisions. It also outlined key priorities and proposals to increase high quality inclusive provision and improve existing provision, to support all schools to be inclusive and to meet growing demand.
Your response to the consultation showed that there was a high level of support for the priorities set out in the draft strategy document. You also generally felt that the actions presented in the consultation document to achieve the priorities were the right ones, while commenting that how they are implemented is key.
81% of you agreed with our broad priorities to enhance facilities in mainstream schools to ensure that young people with SEND have the best environment and resources to meet their needs, close to home within their local community. You also agreed that we need to increase the number of special school places available and develop more specialist specialist provision in mainstream schools.
Your feedback generally related to the following 6 themes.
- Capacity, funding and other resources
- Training, recruitment and retention
- Support services for schools and pupils
- Diagnosis, EHCPs and access / pathways
- Alternative Provision & Exclusion
- Hospital and Home Education Learning Centre (HHELC)
Since the consultation closed, we have:
- Published the SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2023/28 and stage 1 priorities for increasing capacity. The priorities agreed are:
- To expand Rosehill Special school for children with autism by 80 places
- To develop an enhanced resource provision in both Fernwood and Nottingham Girl’s secondary schools for young people with autism and/or learning difficulties
- To develop an enhanced resource provision in both Gladehill and Milford primary schools for children with autism and/or learning difficulties
- To expand and improve facilities at Rise Park Primary School to enable them to continue to provide high quality, inclusive places for catchment children with SEND
- Worked with existing schools to provide additional places as an interim measure to ease capacity issues whilst builds and adaptations are progressing
- Prioritised the builds and adaptations that will create extra places the earliest
- Begun work to look at the best way to support, train and recruit teaching assistants
- Developed plans for increasing capacity in some SEND support services to schools and families
- Started working with Nottinghamshire County and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to improve pathways and reduce waiting times to health services
- Commissioned a full review of alternative provision within the City
