The voices of young people with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) matter in Warrington, according to a new report.
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have published their Area SEND inspection report of Warrington Local Area Partnership, following their inspection in February 2022. It highlights that senior leaders across the Warrington Partnership are ambitious for children and young people with SEND. Inspectors also found a number of areas where Warrington Partnership is making a positive difference to improve the lives of children and young people with SEND.
Warrington Borough Council and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) are jointly responsible for planning and commissioning services for children and young people with SEND. The report praises the work of education, health and social care professionals to enable young people to take part in decision making about their education, care and support.
Most children and young people who responded to the online survey during the inspection reported having a trusted adult in their lives, who listens and acts on their views.
The report also stated that the workforce benefits from training opportunities, which help to improve staff’s ability to quickly identify and meet the needs of children and young people.
The inspection also found that many children and young people with SEND enjoy a wide range of inclusive leisure activities across Warrington, including dedicated sessions at Warrington Youth Zone.
Ofsted found that the local area partnership supports young people to gain valuable work experience. These experiences help children and young people with SEND to be visible in the community and prepares them well for the future. Young people with SEND were found to benefit from good quality careers information, advice and guidance.
The report also raises areas for improvement. These include better sharing of information between partners, so that professionals working in education, health and social care have an accurate understanding of children and young people’s emerging and changing needs.
The report also highlights the need for more work to be done to address increasing pressures, so that the needs of children and young people are assessed and met in a timely manner.
Warrington Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for children’s services, Cllr Sarah Hall, said: “I’m pleased with this report, which highlights some of the good work our local area partnership is doing to make a difference to the lives of children and young people with SEND, so that they are listened to and given the best opportunities to reach their full potential.
“We will also fully take on board the areas of improvement highlighted in the report. By better sharing information between partners and putting measures in place to deal with increased pressures on services, we can further strengthen our ability to meet the needs of all young people with SEND in Warrington. We’ll be working hard to achieve this.”
