Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader including Children, Education & Young People’s Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2023/223

Contact: Jane Mumford, Interim Head of SEND jane.mumford@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Report by Corporate Director for Children’s Services (CA8).

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

i)                 Note the findings of the Ombudsman’s investigation;

ii)               Note the procedures when consulting for new education placements for children with Education, Health, and Care plans; and to

iii)              Consider whether additional actions are presently needed to improve the timely completion of Education, Health, and Care plans.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet received a report on the findings of a case investigated by the  Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman concerning the the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Service.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services introduced the report and offered the Council’s sincere apologies to those involved in this case. She referred to the measures the Council needed to take to improve the SEND service.

The Executive Director (People, Transformation and Performance) explained the background to the case and outlined the steps being taken to realise improvements to services provided by the Children’s Services Directorate. He explained details of the considerable performance improvements that had been made during the past year.

During discussion, members made the following points:-

·       Improvements to systems and processes involved in SEND cases should be prioritised.

·       The importance of work with partners, particularly those in the health sector, in delivering an improved SEND service

Councillor Brighouse moved and Councillor Sudbury seconded the recommendations and they were approved.

RESOLVED to:

(a)            note the findings of the Ombudsman’s investigation;

(b)            note the procedures when consulting for new education placements for children with Education, Health, and Care plans; and to

(c)             consider whether additional actions are presently needed to improve the timely completion of Education, Health, and Care plans.