Welcome to the March 2024 edition of our parent carer monthly newsletter. This newsletter has been developed following a request from families and is not a replacement for or a repeat of the weekly SEND News Splash.

This month's SEND Families News Splash includes:

• A profile of our Statutory SEND Service - Review Team (South)
• The Local Offer
• SIAS summer dates

Hello everyone. I am Keri and I work as a Statutory SEND Team Leader in one of the Hubs in the SEND Service. I am part of the South Team Hub for Assessments and Reviews along with 8 EHCP coordinators and a Delivery Support Officer. We cover a range of early years, mainstream and specialist settings up to year 9 for pupils under Statutory Assessment or for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The EHCP Coordinator role consists of a high caseload and involves the administration and processing of the Statutory Assessments paperwork and the Annual Review paperwork for pupils with an EHCP, as well as casework to maintain EHCPs. This ranges from drafting of new and amended EHCP’s, change of placement requests, phase transfers and changes in provision. We also attend a variety of meetings to offer advice and support to schools, professionals and families and as part of the process will regularly amend the EHCP’s to ensure they reflect the child or young person’s needs and provision.

Below my team have described what they enjoy about being EHCP coordinator's. Here is what they said.

What does Denise like about being an EHCP Coordinator:

"I enjoy the variety of being an EHCP coordinator, no two days are the same! I enjoy helping and supporting children and young people ensuring they are in the right placements where their needs will be supported to enable them to reach their full potential. I enjoy building relationships with the schools I support, as well as the families, ensuring they are receiving the help they need and that they are being listened to and are valued.”

What does Emma like about being an EHCP Coordinator:

"I enjoy being involved in the SEND team and constantly learning new things. My background is in SEND and I am extremely passionate about this area of need.”

What does Hannah like about being an EHCP Coordinator:

"The best thing about my job is working with a variety of people and being able to make a difference.”

What does Jessica like about being an EHCP Coordinator:

“The role is incredibly purposeful, which I thrive on. I have always enjoyed working alongside professionals, families and young people, and I also enjoy the ownership of a caseload and the challenges of working for the best outcomes for children and young people. I will never stop learning in the world of SEND, but I am so happy to have made this career change to a lovely, highly knowledgeable and skilled team, with the role complementing my past experience as a secondary English teacher and SENCo.”

What does Jessica H like about being an Assessment Coordinator:

"I enjoy being part of the initial contact with parents, discussing the processes, finding out more information about their child’s needs and the aspirations for their children’s future. As I am usually one of the first people that parents speak to within the SEND service, it is nice to be able to answer any queries parents have, give them an idea of the process and form positive relationships with them from the start of their journey. Additionally, I enjoy getting to know all the different professionals involved with each child and trying to help them throughout the process. Although every case is different, I enjoy knowing I am able to support children and young people, their families and schools, form good relationships with them and achieve the best outcomes for the children and young people involved as well as making a difference to their lives.”

What does Karen like about being an Assessment Coordinator:

“I enjoy my role as an assessment coordinator as I build open, trusting relationships with young people, families and professionals to achieve the best possible outcomes. A key part of this role is being the direct link to the local authority for families and other professionals so they know who to contact and who knows the case well. I like to work closely with both schools and families to move things forward and communicate professionally. It can be challenging at times, with a high case load but I always prefer face to face conversation. However, I am happy to receive telephone calls, video calls or emails. I also feel I bring a level of understanding and empathy to this role due to my previous career as a primary school teacher and my own life experiences as a SEND parent.”

What does Maxine like about being an EHCP Coordinator:

“I enjoy my role as an EHCP coordinator because I like helping to make a difference to the lives of children and their families. I like working closely with the schools, families and other professionals to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.”

What does Sally like about being a Delivery Support Officer:

“I enjoy working as a Delivery Support Officer in a friendly supportive team.

As the first point of contact via phone and email, my role is varied and always busy. I enjoy talking to and assisting parents, children, young people and professionals with the processes the SEND Service provides.

I have both experience of and empathy for SEND children, young people and their families. I am pleased to be working in a role that supports them. The best part of my role is knowing that I have helped to support a family to access the support they really need.”

You can get to know more about members of the SEND Service and view their 'All About Me' profiles, on the Meet the SEND Service page.