Special Educational Needs and Educational Psychology Service
Group Manager - Michele Rose
Structure
The aim of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Groups work is to raise the achievement of all children and young people with SEN, from birth to age 19, who are resident within Somerset in the Early Years, who attend Somerset maintained schools (even if they live in a neighbouring authority) or who are in receipt of Statements of SEN. The latter are issued for Somerset resident children and young people with severe and highly complex SEN, wherever they are - in maintained, private or independent special schools both within and outside Somerset.
To achieve its aims, the SEN Group works in close partnership with schools, families, other services within the Children and Young People's Directorate, other agencies and the voluntary sector.
The SEN Group lies within the Educational Individual Services of the Children and Young People's Directorate of Somerset County Council.
The SEN Group is led by Michèle Rose, SEN Group Manager and Principal Educational Psychologist and managed by a leadership group of 6 colleagues. The SEN Group is made up of 4 broad areas, the work being governed by the Somerset Framework for the national SEN Code of Practice, with developments in line with the Government's Strategy for Inclusion 'Removing Barriers to Achievement'. In Somerset this is expressed in the SEN Strategy; and "Access and Achievement for All". The 4 areas are:
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the Autism Service, including management of autism resource bases
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the Educational Psychology Service, including management of Portage Home Education;
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the Specialist Intervention Service of specialist advisory teachers and some assistants and therapists. Within these are: Learning Support (covering school development, specific learning difficulties, language and communication areas, sensory physical and medical support (covering hearing including hearing resource bases, vision and physical and medical areas);
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the Statutory Casework and Professional Support Services, including professional and business functions and Parent Partnership.
Roles
The SEN Support Services role are described succinctly in an introductory booklet and a Parent Partnership leaflet and in detail in the SEN Handbook:
The work of the Educational Psychologists and Specialist Teaching services fall broadly within 2 key areas and is multi-professional in its delivery:
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Preventative work, which means that by supporting schools and families and intervening early, that SEN can be kept to a minimum in terms of numbers and complexity of need. This is the 'Provision for All' and 'School Action' stages of the SEN Code of Practice. Such work includes building capacity through advice, consultation and training, including running accredited courses with Plymouth University; direct teaching and running themed support groups. Schools receive financial support at the School Action stage, to support the majority of pupils with SEN. The service also support multi-agency strategic developments through working and steering groups, such as for Autism, Communication and Complex Cases.
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Reactive Work through direct work with schools, early years settings, individual and groups of children and young people in their families. Joint multi-agency assessment and support groups are contributed to, for Autism and Sensory Impairments. Most work is planned through consultation but there is also a rapid response facility, such as The Educational Psychology response to Critical Incidents, where a traumatic incident such as a child's death may impact on a school's functioning. Such work is largely at the School Action Plus and LA Action stages of the SEN Code of Practice.
Together with the other 2 stages, these form a graduated response to SEN which is detailed in the SEN framework: http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/sixv3/content_view.asp?did=12461
Users views of the SEN Group are vital to its development. The Local Authority commissions consultation with parents/carers on SEN themes and with children and young people on their provision. These are area based and led by Parent Partnership with the voluntary sector, through Somerset IMPACT and Barnardos. Every two years, all schools are consulted on the services they received. Self-evaluation is also an important part of development and the EFQM framework is used for that process.
Information
The work of the SEN Group is written up annually, with SEN developments also reflected in the quarterly SEN updates:
Information and guidance about SEN are publicly accessible on SiX and all schools are e-mailed on a SEN and Social Inclusion Catalogue on a quarterly basis, with hyperlinks.
SEN Catalogue: http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/sixv3/content_view.asp?did=2835
Another useful link is Parent Partnership's own website: http://www.six.somersetparentpartnership.org.uk
Click here for details of a number of websites and other helpful inks to SEN matters.
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