Children, Schools
and Families
PROTOCOL ON SEN AND EBD REVIEWS
FOR CHILDREN IN CARE
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE NUMBER: / CSF 4090PUBLICATION DATE: January 2005
/ ISSUE NO: 1AUTHORISING OFFICER: / Moira Swann
AUTHORISING OFFICER’S SIGNATURE:
AUTHOR OF PUBLICATION: / Debbie Orton and
Felicity Evans
POST: / Head of Learner Support Services and Corporate Parenting Officer
UNIT: / CSF
REVIEW DATE: / January 2007
TARGET AUDIENCE: / CSF, Schools and School Governors
PUBLISHED BY Hertfordshire Children, Schools and Families
Index Page
Page 3Statutory Assessment Procedures for Looked After Children
Page 4Protocol for Looked After Children reviews, PEPs and SEN Statement reviews
Statutory Assessment Procedures for Looked After Children
(i)Referrals for Statutory Assessment are sent to CAST who checks names against up-to-date information re Looked After (and accommodated) children within five working days. (Check with IRIS).
(ii)CAST write to LAC Advisory Teachers (LAC ATs) informing them of statutory assessment request and asking for further information. (By copy letter)
(iii)When a request is received and meets the criteria for Statutory Assessment the Authority will undertake a statutory assessment
(iv)CAST confirms decision of Panel to LAC AT by copy letter within 3 working days of Panel.
(v)LAC ATs take responsibility for monitoring the progress of the process process, including involving social worker (SW).
(vi)29 days allowed for parents to make representations to Authority will be waived for LAC (Section 31) where the Social Worker has indicated agreement.
(vii)SW liaises with parents of accommodated children (Section 20) re waiving 29 days for school referrals.
(viii)When key educational professional advice (EP, school and Social Worker) is received , papers may be presented to next Provision panel, without waiting for all advice. It will be the responsibility of the Panel whether a decision can be made on this basis.
(ix)When all professional advice is received by the named officer, drafting of a provisional statement or a ‘Note in Lieu’ for a LAC takes priority.
(x)Where the Provisional Panel has decided that a special school is appropriate the Prioritisation Panel will give priority to LAC for a school place.
(xi)Following decision at Prioritisation Panel, the SN case officer will inform the SW and the AT regarding the decision so that future actions can be implemented.
(xii)All professionals should try to ensure placement begins within 20 school days of decision at Prioritisation or 20 school days of the care placement, whichever is earlier. (Ref - The joint DfES and DH guidance ‘The Education of Children and Young People in Public Care’ – 2001 section 10.5)
(xiii)Educational and Social Care planning will take account of the special educational needs of the child and all subsequent decisions must reflect this joint planning. It is advised that Personal Education Plan (PEP) and SEN reviews are synchronised.
(xiv)These arrangements will be monitored by the SEN LAC Liaison Group* in the summer term of each academic year and by the analysis of SEN data for the annual report to the Children Services Panel on the academic achievement of children in care.
*The SEN LAC Liaison Group is made up of the four Advisory Teachers for children in care, the four Specialist LAC EPs, an EPAT Team manager and the Corporate Parenting Officer
Protocol for Looked After Children reviews, PEPs
and SEN Statement reviews
- Where a child who is already on the roll of an EBD school becomes Looked After.
Principle: The PEP review and the Statement Review will become co-terminus
The information pages of the PEP will need to be completed within 20 days of the child becoming Looked After.
The PEP meeting should be held by the time of the 2nd review (16 weeks after becoming Looked After)
This may need to be a separately convened meeting unless it coincides with a pre-arranged Statement Review meeting.
Subsequent PEP reviews will follow the Statement Review pattern.
- Where a child is taken onto the roll of an EBD school is already a Looked After child
Principle: The Statement Review and PEP Review will become co-terminus
If the Statement Review is not due within 6 months of the child becoming Looked after, the school will call an early review to enable PEP and Statement reviews to become co-terminus.
The Looked After Review will need to be arranged to fit in with the Statement Review cycle to ensure that information is up to date and timely. This may mean Looked After reviews being brought forward to meet the timetable.
- 15+ Transition Plan
The Year 11 Statement review should take place within the Autumn term.
The information from this review will support the Needs Assessment and Pathway planning.
Protocol on SEN and EBD ReviewsPage 1 of 5January 2005
CSF No 4090 Issue No. 1