Inspectors have found "widespread failings" at the partnership providing services for thousands of vulnerable children and young people in Nottinghamshire amid reports of parents feeling "worried and angry." A report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) says some parents and carers feel they are having to "fight" for their children as many of them wait too long to be assessed.
The inspection was carried out into the partnership that provides services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Conditions like ADHD and physical disabilities are among the broad range of needs encompassed by SEND, which 16,000 children and young people in Nottinghamshire are currently classed as having.
Tailored services range from education and activities to transport and healthcare, but the new report says the outcomes of those using such services need to be addressed "urgently." One of the main issues is the time it takes to get an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in place.
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EHCPs identify the additional support required to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, with local authorities having to make an assessment before such a plan is prepared. The Government target is for these assessments to be carried out in 20 weeks, but the average time in Nottinghamshire is currently 32 weeks.
SEND services in the county are the joint responsibility of Nottinghamshire County Council and the local Integrated Care Board (ICB). The partnership says 4,000 children and young people currently have an EHCP, with around 300 people at any time waiting for an assessment.
Colin Pettigrew is the Director of Children's and Families' services at Nottinghamshire County Council, having worked at the authority since 2015. Mr Pettigrew says the long waits for assessments was "very well known" and that the plan to address that "wasn't effective enough."
He said: "We're sorry to parents and carers, but especially to the children and young people with SEND, that they're not receiving the timeliness of assessments in the way that they should do. The demand has peaked really quickly and our capacity to meet that demand is lagging, hence poor timeliness and too long and large waiting lists."
The partnership says demand for EHCPs has doubled in recent years, but that it can take up to six years to train the specialists who carry the assessments out. The ICB is also reporting a doubling in the demand for specific services, such as speech and language therapy.
But as well as such nationwide factors, the Ofsted and CQC report, published on May 16, highlights several concerns specific to Nottinghamshire. In particular, inspectors found an inadequate amount of partnership working between the ICB and county council.
The report says: "Partnership leaders are setting up new processes to improve data-sharing across the partnership. However, this work is at an early stage and there is no evidence of improved data-sharing and co-working."
The report also notes issues in how children and young people with SEND are being supported as they become adults. It says: "Many parents and carers lack confidence in how well their children or young people are being prepared for adult life because they do not know what support is available."
The report also criticises delays and gaps in services such as neuro-developmental pathways and specialist equipment. Inadequate partnership working, long waits for assessments and gaps in some services are the most urgent problems that the Nottinghamshire SEND partnership has been told to resolve.
Other areas for improvement include better governance arrangements and an improvement in the quality of new and existing EHCPs. Mr Pettigrew said: "Demand has been rapid post-covid because for a significant period during covid, there was a reduction in children coming forward for a whole range of support.
"That means that maybe their conditions didn't improve and there is then a lag. Whatever the factors are, they are our responsibility to resolve."
A monitoring inspection will now take place within 18 months to assess improvements, with the next full inspection due in three years. A 'priority action plan' will also have to be prepared following the most recent inspection, which took place in February.
An improvement board has also been set up to monitor improvements made in Nottinghamshire, which is being chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan. Dame Christine is the Director of the Council for Disabled Children and previously led an inquiry into abuse at children's homes in Doncaster.
Opposition parties at the Conservative-run county council have expressed anger at the findings of the report. Labour Group leader, Councillor Kate Foale, said: "I'm hearing from very tried, very worried and sometimes very angry parents who say we're not getting what we need for our child.
"Sometimes these cases go on for years and years. I've met groups of parents who have children with SEND and they look as though they've absolutely had enough."
Councillor Francis Purdue-Horan, the Education Spokesperson for the Independent Alliance said: "What the report says is that Nottinghamshire County Council are categorically letting down some of our most vulnerable children and young people.
"Their recent attitude towards decisions made by the independent Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman criticising the council shows that they have a track record in not accepting criticism. I hope now, in the light of this report, they take robust action and work with Ofsted to ensure that our children and young people receive the best support and help possible."
Councillor Foale added: "We need more money for SEND, the system is broken. It needs more money and we're not doing right by these children, but what we're not getting is honesty from the political leadership here. We keep getting told 'it's okay, we balanced the budget, we've got some more money and we're doing a good job' - well clearly they're not."
But ICB chair Amanda Sullivan said: "It's less around financial resources and more about the very specialist skills we need in the workforce. It's not a financial resources problem. The demand for services has gone up very significantly in recent years and we are investing in services, but the two aren't keeping track with each other.
"We need to make sure that we are able to meet those needs, developing the very specialist skills that we need. We're also determined to listen to those families to make sure we fully understand from their point of view what is going to help most."
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