Issue - meetings
SEND Update (Christine)
Meeting: 17/11/2020 - Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board (Item 7)
7 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Inspection Update PDF 296 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Board received a presentation from James Thomas (Corporate Director for Children and Culture - LBTH) providing an update on the forthcoming SEND Inspection. A summary of the discussion is set out below:
The Board noted that:
- Too many families struggle to get the services that they need in a timely way.
- There have been delays in completing assessments for Education Health and Care plans which although primarily a Council responsibility depends on contributions from partners to complete those assessments.
- There are issues with exceptionally long waiting times for Autism Spectrum Diagnosis (ASD) diagnosis that primarily is a Health Service responsibility.
- The Council is working with its colleagues together to develop innovative new models of delivery e.g. virtual online platforms.
- An increasing number of referrals into the ASD pathway which means that this is always going to be an oversubscribed service and requires an investment of time and money.
- The is a need to develop Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to enable practitioners and other professionals in health and social care to collaborate successfully. As MDTs can be effective in meeting the needs of some groups e.g. elderly terminal care and those with complex care needs.
- The Health and Well Being Board can help to assist these developments by holding the to hold Corporate Director for Children and Culture and those partner agencies to account until it is confident that some of the areas of concern have been addressed
- Whilst the Council and its partners are operational under financial constraints it needs to be recognised that effective solutions are not always about additional money it is also about time; prioritisation; multi-disciplinary working to develop an innovated and fully integrated response to meet the needs of those that they seek to serve.
In conclusion, the Chair:
- Thanked James Thomas for his presentation and the contribution of Board Members to the discussion on this item.; and
- Moved and it was RESOLVED to note the update on the forthcoming SEND Inspection.