- Wakefield SEND Local Offer
- Consultations
- Previous Consultation Outcomes
Previous Consultation Outcomes
SEND Strategy
Wakefield Council is working on their SEND Strategy for 2020-2024. The strategy is focused on improving services and outcomes for children, young people and adults with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) aged 0-25 in Wakefield.
There are 7 priorities in the strategy and Wakefield Council wanted to know which ones are important to your child/young person, or if they had any other concerns.
Short Breaks
During 2018 the Council wanted to look at what short breaks will look like across the Wakefield District in 2020/21.
What is a Short Break?
To clarify, a definition of a Short Break could be:-
- Fun activities Children and Young People do in the community
- Someone who comes to help Children and Young People access fun activities
- Someone who helps Children and Young People in their home in the day time or during the night
- Children and Young People sleeping over night away from home
- Other help the family has in their home to give a break to parents / carers
As you recall a series of engagement events occurred between November 2018 and July 2019 to find out what children and young people, their parents and carers and the people who work with them thought about the Short Breaks Services.
We have designed the Short Breaks Offer based on feedback received throughout the engagement events, as well as the budget available.
What did people feedback?
Summaries of the feedback previously received from consultation about short breaks can be found below.
Children and Young People's feedback about their short breaks - December 2018
Parent and Carer's feedback about short breaks - February 2019
You can also read a copy of the Final Short Breaks Enagagment Report by clicking on the link below.
Full Short Breaks Engagement Report
What are the plans going forward?
We would like to invite you to look at the Short Breaks Offer we are proposing to make available to children and young people across the Wakefield District from September 2020.
You can read about details of the proposed Short Breaks Offer in the document to download below. It also includes some frequently asked questions. This will be updated if we are asked more questions during the consultation process.
Short Breaks 2020/21 Final Consultation - Frequently Asked Questions - October 2019
For more information, you can contact the SEND Development Team by email at SEND@wakefield.gov.uk or telephone 01924 302410.
High Needs Review
In March 2017, the Government wrote to the Directors of Children’s Services at all local authorities to ask them to complete a review of High Needs provision in their area.
What does High Needs mean?
High Needs includes children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans, children and young people attending Pupil Referral Units and those being educated out of the Wakefield District.
Did people have the chance to share their view?
Yes, in January and February 2018, Wakefield Council asked for the views of people who make use of High Needs provision. This included children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), their families, and the organisations that support SEND. Links to copies of the engagement letters and questionnaires are at the bottom of this page. We sent out almost 2000 letters and asked schools, academies and other partners to share the questionnaires and details about events.
What did people feedback?
Almost 370 responses were received as well as feedback from the parents, carers and practitioners who attended face to face events. A summary of the feedback received is available here
Every single comment received was read and collated. Feedback was collated in two stages. Stage 1 looked at all responses that related to buildings, what types of education provisions might be needed in the future and how many places might be needed. This is called Capital work.
Stage 2 looked at all responses that related to how services are delivered, what was good and what might need to change in the future.
What are the plans going forward?
The Department for Education (DfE) provided the Council with a standard template for Capital Work to complete as part of their review. You can see the updated completed version of this document here.
This plan shows that the building work the Council would like to explore will cost more than the funding the DfE is planning to provide. Because of this, the Council will have to do more detailed work with schools, parents, carers, children, young people, practitioners and the DfE in order to explore options and work to see what other funding for building (capital) work can be put aside.
After considering the feedback, and a wide range of other information, a second plan has also been produced. This plan outlines what the Wakefield Local Area wants to do differently in the future to help improve outcomes for all children and young people with SEND (not just those with High Needs). You can see a summary of this plan here.
Letter and Key Messages Shared
Key Messages and Engagement Dates
Questionnaires Used
For children and young people with SEND. Particularly those with EHC Plans.
Easy Read Version (with PECS) Other version
For children and young people who have been permanently excluded and are attending a PRU.
For parent carers of children and young people with SEND. Particularly those with EHC Plans.
For practitioners working with children and young people with SEND and/or their families.
Parent/Carer Survey 2019
To help us to plan activities, engagement events and to assist us in representing the voice of SEND parents and carers, KIDS, on behalf of TEAM, conducted a survey.
This survey was for parents / carers in Wakefield who have children and young people aged 0 to 25 years with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our aim was to see how well Wakefield Council and Health Services identify children and young people with SEND, how well they meet those needs and how effectively they improve outcomes for those children and young people.
What are the plans going forward?
The results of the survey are currently being reviewed and summarised in a short report. They will be used in our discussions with Wakefield Council to help improve services. The survey findings will also be made available to parent / carers on the local offer.