It seems that Sheffield parents were a little premature in detecting a change of heart in respect of consultation, which I reported a couple of days ago. Claire sends the following update, which I copy in full. There is obviously considerable turmoil, but the strong sense that parents have that they are not being properly consulted clearly does not reflect well on the SEN Team. It does not take great wisdom to see that it would be a sensible course to address these consultation concerns and the concerns that parents have that significant changes are being implemented without consultation. A contributory root cause of the current turmoil is that Sheffield does not have a Strategic Plan for the education of children with special needs. As a Strategic Plan is simply a document that sets out an agreed course of action (What? Why? When? How?) which all stakeholders can share and understand, then it might, (a) not unreasonably, be said that the SEN Team cannot know what it is doing in any planned way and (b) that it is not surprising that other stakeholders are concerned and confused.
This lack of strategic planning compares poorly with that of the Adults with Learning Disabilities Team, whose consultation during the latter part of 2007 and into 2008, whilst not perfect, was a model that the SEN Team might consider.
It is also unfortunate that this turmoil - and apparent disregard of parents as key strategic stakeholders and partners - should be happening in the inter-regnum between the departure of former Director of Children and Young People services, Jonathan Crossley-Holland and the arrival of the new Director, Sonia Sharp.
Anyway, this is the email from Claire:
UPDATE ON “NO VOICE” CAMPAIGN
This lack of strategic planning compares poorly with that of the Adults with Learning Disabilities Team, whose consultation during the latter part of 2007 and into 2008, whilst not perfect, was a model that the SEN Team might consider.
It is also unfortunate that this turmoil - and apparent disregard of parents as key strategic stakeholders and partners - should be happening in the inter-regnum between the departure of former Director of Children and Young People services, Jonathan Crossley-Holland and the arrival of the new Director, Sonia Sharp.
Anyway, this is the email from Claire:
UPDATE ON “NO VOICE” CAMPAIGN
Thank you to all of you who have supported the “no voice” campaign.
The campaign’s focus continues to be insisting on the right of
parents/carers to be consulted about changes to special educational
needs provision in Sheffield.
Unfortunately, the information we conveyed to you in our last email has since proved to be wide of the mark.
The CYPD (Children and Young People’s Directorate) are not going to
start consultations on the changes to the SEN/LDD service from scratch. As far as we can understand, they are only going to consult on the fate of the integrated units.
This means that they are standing by all the changes that have already
been made, (ie delegation of sen budgets to mainstream, absorption of
the autism specific service into a generic LDD service, management
restructure etc). We apologise for this
misinformation but it is an indication of the difficulties we face in
trying to obtain any information whatsoever.
In
spite of promising the protesters last week, Ms Ludlam, (Director of
Specialist Services at Council’s Children Service), has not contacted
parent groups to talk. In view of the lack of
communication we have today written to CYPD, asking them to
confirm/explain simple factual information relating to the action that
the LA has already taken. (Copy of questions asked at bottom of this
email). The questions do not relate
principally to future proposals for change, nor do they encompass
parent’s concerns about specific changes. This is because the CYPD has yet to acknowledge that there has, to date, been a need to consult parents. So, it is necessary for us first to establish exactly what has happened to date.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We
have been overwhelmed by the number of parents, (representing children
with autism and other disabilities), who have wanted to support the “No
Voice” Campaign. Below are suggestions for ways you can help:-
1 Write to you MP and your Councillors
If
you wish to support the No Voice campaign please write to/attend the
surgeries of your MP/Councillors explaining that parents have not been
consulted about changes to SEN that have already taken place. Forward to them a copy of the questions we have asked the CYPD, which are shown at the end of this email. Ask them to ask the CYPD the same questions. ( Nb we have addressed the questions to Ms Ludlam at [email protected] )
2 Come to the “Autism Alliance” meeting
We
would like to use the support we have received for the No Voice
campaign, both from the “autism community” and from parents/carers of
children with other disabilities, to establish a permanent campaigning
voice.
We
do not wish, ever again, to find ourselves in this dreadful situation
where we are having to fight to hang on to a less than perfect service
because the proposed service is much worse. As
parents we wish to be involved, in partnership with the schools,
teachers and Local Authority, in “building” services that our children
“need” and deserve. We are, therefore, proposing that we set up the “Autism Alliance” as a permanent campaigning body.
Whilst the Alliance’s first task will be to continue with the No Voice
campaign, it is our intention that it would ultimately be the
campaigning organisation for all issues affecting children and adults
with autism in Sheffield.
Whilst
this body will principally concern itself with issues relating to
autism, we are hopeful that parents of children with other disabilities
will come to our meetings and either support what we are doing, or
consider organising similar bodies with the ultimate goal of creating a
“multi-disability” campaigning group. So, please come to our setting up meeting even if your child does not have autism.
We will be holding an open meeting between 7 and 9 pm, on Tuesday 15 July 2008, at the Salvation Army in Psalter Lane to set up the Autism Alliance. We will write to you again before then with details of some of the issues we will want to address at the meeting. Please put the date in your diaries.
3 Write to the Press
The “Star” published a letter (26.06.08) and a report of the protest (27.06.08) on the “No Voice” campaign. Further letters in support of the campaign would ensure that more parents get to hear what is happening.
4 Petition
A number of people have asked to sign a petition in support of Parents’ rights to be consulted over changes to SEN. We will shortly be setting up an Autism Alliance website, and will post a petition on-line.
Hard copies of the Petition will also be available through the
Sheffield Autistic Society newsletter, at local autism meetings, at the
Aspergers Conference on 30 June, downloading from the website once it
is up and running.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thanks again to everyone who has supported the No Voice Campaign
Please keep in touch. Let us know about any progress with MPs etc
Claire le Feuvre
Phil Cooney
COPY OF CYPD QUESTIONS TO USE WHEN CAMPAIGNING
A “Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD) Development Paper” – Agenda item 3, 6 June 2007, Council papers
1 Is the above paper the policy document for special education needs in Sheffield?
2 If it is not, please could you tell us what is the policy document.
3 Please can you tell us whether the current policy document has been distributed for consultation to the following:-
(a) Parent/carers (individual)
(b) Parent/carer groups
(c) Mainstream schools
(d) Special schools
(e) Integrated Resources
4
In the “LDD Development Paper” you write “ ..all other developments (ie
development of city-wide outreach programme/review of integrated
resource provision/development of role of special schools/review of SEN
transport policy), rely on the need to substantially reduce the link
between Statements and funding.” Since you
believe all the policy changes are dependent on each other it would
seem that you should have consulted on the proposed policy changes as a
whole. Yet, you seem to be adopting a phased
consultation/implementation approach. For instance, you have consulted
on the new internal management structure, but not on service delivery.
Given this, how do believe it is possible to consult in any meaningful
way, since any single change to an individual proposal could render the
overall Plan unworkable?
5 In
one letter about the proposal to re-structure the LDD Services you
wrote “The first stage of the process is to create the management
structure within LDD Services to enable work to begin on shaping
frontline service delivery …” It is our
understanding that management structures should reflect effective
service delivery, not precede it, and that planning is a“bottom up” (ie
based on the needs of individual children) not a “top down” process. Please explain why you have not done this?
B Other consultation documents
1 Have any consultation documents relating to the policy document above been distributed?
2 If so, (a) which documents?
(b) To whom have they been distributed?
(c) Please indicate when they were distributed, the closing date for
consultation and the outcome of consultation, including which groups
have access to minutes of consultation meetings.
3 We understand that Sheffield Council is to ratify some/all aspects of the LDD changes at their September meeting. Can you tell us what exactly they are ratifying and can you confirm that none of the action they are ratifying has already taken place. For instance, job adverts for posts in the new management structure appeared in the Star this month.
C Delegated funding and Statements
1 Have you delegated SEN funding to mainstream schools?
2 On which date did you do so?
3 What is the formula for the delegation of funds?
Please include references to Paper B, “Proposals for Changing SEN
Funding linked to Statements”, Sheffield Schools Forum, 19 February
2008, where it appears that delegated budgets will be assessed solely
on the index of multiple deprivation, free school meals, mobility and
various academic attainment tests.
4 Please explain how delegated funds relate to existing Statements. Specifically, do Schools continue to receive monies to support individual, named children with Statements?
5 Are Statements still being written for children with special needs.
6 Are school or LA staff advising some parents that they no longer need a Statement?
D The Autism Service
1 Does the autism specific service still exist. (We understand that there was an early years service, based at Ryegate, and a schools’ service).
2 Is the LDD support service now a generic service?
2 If
a teacher in mainstream wants advice/support about an autistic child
can you assure us that an autism specialist will be available?
E Integrated Resources/Special Schools
1 Please can you indicate where the policy statement is for Integrated Resources and Special Schools?
2 Have you consulted on this? If so, with whom?
3 What is the timetable for consultation and implementation for proposals affecting Integrated Resources and Special Schools?