The Local Offer – summary of consultations and feedback 2017.

Introduction:

Local Authorities have a duty to publish a Local Offer, setting out in one place information about services available across education, health & social care for children & young people who have special educational needs or disability. The requirements can be found in The SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 years (Chapter 4) and the SEND (Local Offer) Regulations Part 4.

In Slough, the Local Offer has been co-produced with parents and a multi-agency steering group. Some feedback from young people was also included. A Berkshire-wide steering group, which included representatives from the 6 Local Authorities and the Parent Carer Forums, met to develop a common understanding of the requirements and to coordinate the format of information to enhance the sharing of information across borders.

Slough’s Local Offer is on the Slough Services Guide and can be found at:

We are required to publish a report of the consultation undertaken & feedback received on the Local Offer during the year – see SEND Code of Practice sections 4.21 – 4.25. This report has been produced in a ‘you said – we did’ format.

2017
Activity / Feedback / What you said / What we did / will do.
January 2017 South East SEND Local Offer Peer Review
Purpose: The purpose of the Local Offer workshop is to enable local authorities to act as a peer review and challenge to another local authority in the region. In doing this they will:
  • check a partner LA’s Local Offer for compliance and quality
  • identify how they could improve their own Local Offers
  • share good practice and ideas to improve individual Local Offers
  • identify any regional issues and develop solutions
  • identify collective regional actions and next steps
  • involve parent carers and young people in the development of Local Offers
A set process and template for the review was provided. Slough’s Local Offer was reviewed by a team from Bracknell which included a parent carer representative. In return, the Slough group reviewed Bracknell’s Local Offer.
At a regional meeting, LAs met to feedback on each others Local Offers and to discuss common difficulties. / Bracknell’s feedback on the Slough Local Offer can be read in full - Local Offer review framework – Slough. Completed by: Bracknell Forest.
Key points raised:
  • FIS phone number was on the front page of Local Offer but this wouldn’t necessarily be recognised as the contact for information about the Local Offer.
  • Education providers – some information had not been updated for 2 years.
  • Out of area education provision not available
  • Health information seemed to be generic rather than SEN specific
  • Information on EHC assessment& plan limited and difficult to find
  • Phase transfer / higher education – limited information that was difficult to find
  • Couldn’t find details of the IAS service just the national website
  • Accessibility strategy not on the Local Offer
  • Area wide local Education Offer – some information available.
  • Some issues with finding information using the search facilities
/ Overall, the review was positive and it was encouraging to see that another LA was able to find information and advice on the Slough Local Offer.
As part of the process, an action plan was developed to respond to the issues raised in both the review and the accompanying discussions – Local Offer Peer Review Action Plan 16-02-17
Issues raised in the Action Plan include:
  • System issues – will mainly be addressed as part of the re-design of the website and in consultation with Open Objects (some recommendations may not be possible).
  • Communicating the Local Offer and making the Local Offer available for those without internet access – develop a Communications Plan
  • Identifying and including missing information including information about the EHC process.
  • Young people’s voice – consultation and feedback
The action plan has been reviewed by the Steering Group and the actions will be followed through.
Special Voices Family Participation Day; feedback from parent/carers. 4th February 2017 / Key points raised:
  • 56% of those present had heard of the Local Offer
  • 78% of those had heard of it from Special Voices and 7% from Autism Berkshire
  • Only 14% present had used the Local Offer
  • 80% said they would use it in the future (2 people only said they had no internet access).
  • 73% of people felt that it was very important to have all the information they might need in one place.
  • 60% of people would be prepared to feedback about the Local Offer.
The group were asked to decide on the main colour for the re-designed Local Offer website from a set of samples provided – a dark blue colour was selected. /
  • The percentage of those who have heard of the Local Offer is approximately the same as last year – between 50 & 60%. Special Voices have continued to promote the Local Offer to parents.
  • There is a need to continue and to increase promotion of the Local Offer to parents and to professional who work with them. A Communications Plan has been drafted which indicates how we will promote the Local Offer across Slough.
  • A small percentage of the group had used the Local Offer but a large proportion said that they would use it in future. We will work with parents to assist them to be confident in their use of the Local Offer website.
  • We will continue to develop alternative ways of providing feedback on the Local Offer – rate & review, focus groups or questionnaires – in addition to the Special Voices Participation Days.
  • We will continue to consult with the Special Voices group about the design and content of the Local Offer website.

Special Voices Family Participation Event; feedback from parent/carers. 18th March 2017
Following a discussion at the Local Offer Steering Group on 21st February 2017 regarding the search facilities on the website, it was agreed that the Special Voices Participation Event to be held on the 18th March would include an exercise looking at the sort of words, ‘key words’, that parents use for some of the terms which are frequently used by professionals. / Parents were asked to give alternative words that they would use for the following terms (words provided enclosed):
  • Holiday activities- holiday clubs, activity clubs, Short Breaks, After School Club, Autistic Activities.
  • Respite – Break, time away, childcare, relaxation, sleepovers.
  • Transition - Growing up, Difficult, Change/Moving
  • Choose some words that lack meaning - Gross Motor Skills, High/Low Functioning Autism, GAD-generalised anxiety disorder, Short Breaks, Inexorable, Retinal Haemorrhage
/ This was a useful exercise to begin to investigate how we use key words in searches on the Local Offer website.
It is clear that parents and professionals use different words to describe a particular term. Also, some words that professionals use on a regular basis are not easily understood by parents.
When setting up records in the Local Offer we will try to include a wider range of ‘key words’ that are more generally used by parents. We will also review information and advice that is included within the Local Offer to ensure that the text is user-friendly.
It may also be useful to undertake more consultation with groups of parents to investigate further how we can better use ‘key words’ to improve searches.