Designated Social Care Officer's Quick Go To Guide For SEND
Page Updated: 17th August 2022
This page has been written by the West Sussex County Council Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) with the aim of providing social care workers an introduction to relevant Special Educational Needs and/or Disability Services for people aged 0 to 25.
The key focus of the DSCO is to support and develop the social care elements of the SEND strategy, in compliance with legislative requirements of the SEND Code of Practice (2015), and ensure they are embedded within our working practice for children and young people aged 0 to 25 across all services. A key aspect to this role is to work collaboratively and strategically across health, education and social care to act as an enabler for system change.
The DSCO for West Sussex County Council is Natalie Mcneill who you can contact via email: [email protected]
Local Offer
To share with families if they have a child with SEND or think they may have a child with SEND (they don’t have to have an EHCP). It can help to find service, events and information relevant to SEND in West Sussex and parts of the neighbouring counties.
Short breaks offer
You could contact Michael Rhodes-Kubiak - [email protected] to discuss short breaks in more detail.
Reaching Families
Reaching Families was first established in 2008 by parent-carers to “…empower, inform and support parents and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in West Sussex”. They provide a range of services which you can find out more about on the Local Offer.
Disability Register and SEND and Inclusion Newsletter.
The compass card has now finished and there will be a launch of the disability register (a must on the code of practice) There is a SEND and Inclusion Newsletter, please email [email protected] if you would like to receive this.
SEND Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS) Service
The SENDIAS Service provides information, advice and support to children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and to their parent carers. They also have a range of webinars and other resources available to watch on their website.
West Sussex Parent Carer Forum
An independent charity ran by parents. They represent parent/carer views to various organisations and professional bodies to improve county/health/social care services for disabled children, young people, and their families. They also provide a range of training for parent carers and resources on their website.
Young Voices Youth Forum
Young Voices is about young people from all areas of additional needs, disability, neurodiversity and inclusion. Not everyone wants a 'label', and this is something we are respectful of. Young Voices helps children and young people having a say and working with services as the experts on their own lives. There are lots of different ways to take part, from online surveys to the Youth Ambassadors Forum.
Please share this information with your young people to enable them to share views and impact service development. We want to hear their VOICE!
Please contact Rachel Sadler, Participation Lead, if you would like further information. [email protected]
Learning and behaviour Advisory Team (LBAT)
LBAT work directly with WSCC maintained mainstream schools and academies, offering consultation and training in all areas relating to learning and behaviour where difficulties in these areas may be impacting on pupils making progress in school.
Education, Health, Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) guidance for Social Workers
To help write the Social Care advice part of the EHCNA.
Special Education Needs Assessment Team (SENAT)
This team is responsible for children with Special Educational Needs who have an Education Health and Care Plan, are requesting one, or who are going through the process of an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment.
Virtual School
The West Sussex Virtual School (WSVS) coordinates strategic and operational educational services for children that are in care with West Sussex County Council and will advise on educational issues for children placed by other local authorities in WSCC schools.
Tools for Schools
Resources and information to support the inclusion of all West Sussex children and young people in early years, schools, post 16 and other education settings.
Graduated Approach in Schools
These videos explain what the Graduated approach is, or if that doesn’t help read about the Graduated Approach on Tools for Schools and Frequently Asked Questions on EHCP’s on the Local Offer.
SEND Code of Practice 2015
Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.
Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice
Most children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities have needs that can be met by the resources, staff and specialists already available to their mainstream school. The SEND Code of Practice calls this ‘ordinarily available provision‘.
Questions to consider around parent/carer when completing a CFA:
Tribunal guidance- Now on TriX.
Parent/carers want my advice regarding a EHCA or certain school placement?
Even though your intentions will be to try and offer support to the child, YP and parent it is not within Social Care’s or other practitioners’ role to make recommendations on educational placements or level of support needed in their educational setting. It is clearly stated in the SEND Code of Practice 2015, that professionals should limit their advice to areas in which they have expertise.
The type of educational placement or supportive approaches required within a setting are decisions which the SEN Assessment Team will make. To do this they will consider the holistic picture of the child provided through the assessment or annual review process – which is why it is so important that all professionals contribute their relevant professional view to the process.
SENAT have two panels which operate to make key decisions:
Both panels have regular representation from a range of educational professionals as well as parent/carer representatives (via the West Sussex Parent/Carer Forum) and on a less frequent basis social care and health colleagues attend. The EHCP is a legal document which requires the education specific elements to be delivered by law. There are various points where an appeal against the decisions reached can be undertaken by families. This is explained at each stage in writing through letters issued by the SEN Assessment Team.
This tribunal process can make legal directions around the educational elements of an EHCP, it cannot make legal direction around health and care elements but it can make recommendations through a special type of appeal called the ‘Single Route of Redress’. If these recommendations are not delivered by the Local Authority the family could raise a further challenge about this which could be subject to Judicial Review.
It is imperative that all professionals remain within their professional remit when contributing to all these processes. If a Social Worker or indeed any professional has made recommendations supporting an EHCNA, EHCP or type of placement that is used as evidence in a tribunal, the author of the report may be called to attend the tribunal hearing to explain their position.
To protect yourself as professionals and reduce confusion for families, please refrain from making recommendations about the need for an EHCP or for a specific educational setting. If a family is asking for support on this, explain you cannot comment on whether a child needs an EHCP or specialist setting as this is decided by the SEN Assessment Team, however you can contribute through a social work report to help them understand the needs and support the child is receiving from your service’s perspective.
West Sussex SENDIAS (SEND Information, Advice and Support) Service provides information, advice and support to children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and to their parent carers. Please signpost parents to this service who can talk to them about their rights under the SEND Code of Practice.
SENDIAS Service Contact details: telephone (0330 222 8555), and by email: [email protected]
Myself and the SENAT team manager are more than happy to come to team meetings to explain the process and legal framework that the whole LA (including social care teams) have to work under as set in the SEND Code of Practice further and answer questions should this be helpful. Please let me know if this would be something you would like to pursue by contacting me on: [email protected]
