ACHIEVE outcomes

We are trying to change the focus from measuring what is done, to measure the impact of what is done. This will help to make sure that improvements are making a real difference to children and young people with SEND and their families. Shared outcomes are important to make sure that services are all working towards the same aims.

We worked with children and young people with SEND and their families to understand what is important to live a happy life. They have identified seven key outcomes, which together spell the word ACHIEVE.

• Ambitious – pursue my interests and aspirations
• Connected – have relationships with people who are important to me
• Healthy – access health and wellbeing support when I need it
• Informed – make informed choices
• Educated – access education and opportunities for lifelong learning
• Valued – be heard, have choices and have control over my life
• Employed – have access to money

To make sure these outcomes are met they are supported by three core principles:

• Empowerment – children and young people can ACHIEVE their ambitions and aspiration if given the right opportunities and support.
• Early Intervention – the earlier children, young people and their families can access information and support, the more likely it is that they will ACHIEVE better outcomes in the future.
• Collaboration – we ACHIEVE better outcomes for children, young people, and their families if we work together.

How did we get to this?

A considerable amount of work was undertaken as part of the development of the children and young people’s plan for Somerset. Lots of young people were involved in the design and gave their time to tell services what is important to them. The main four areas they wanted services to focus on as an area were:

• Supporting families
• Healthy lives
• Great education
• Positive activities

Read the Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan here.

The Council for Disabled Children ran a workshop for practitioners across Somerset to look at the existing frameworks and examples of good practice. Some examples included:

• Hertfordshire’s Outcomes Bees
• Leeds City Council: Child friendly Leeds
• Essex’s Children and Young People’s Plan

Workshops with parent carers were followed by some surveys to collect their views on the key outcomes they want for their children and young people.