Support and Aspiration in Calderdale SEND Pathfinder Programme

Phil Brayshaw – Programme Manager for Disabled Children

(NHS Calderdale)Chris Easton – Chief Executive (Calderdale Parents and Carers)

The Calderdale Approach• We set out to:• Develop an approach that is family

led• Think about families in a genuinely

holistic way, hearing their story• Create a plan that is first and

foremost about identifying children and families aspirations

• Streamline assessment looking at how the single plan can join processes together

• Help families think positively about their child’s future

If both personalisation and resilience training had been

available to our family earlier it would have saved a lot of toil, sweat and tears as well as financial expense. If every family could have that positive start, what a

difference that would make to our children’s lives.

The Calderdale Approach

Underpinned by:• Raising families’ goals and

aspirations• Building natural family strength

and resilience• Building family networks• Solid person centred principles• Strong partnerships• Early intervention

Families need to be ready to make change

• We need to help families understand our ambition whilst raising awareness of some of the constraints that exist?

• We have to give families good information if we are to promote choice.

• We need to change the dynamic of assessment.

• We need to look at the whole piece taking into account the resources families bring.

Changing Conversations

• Service led culture has led to a culture of battle amongst some families campaigning for more service

• Need to change the conversation to focus on family outcomes

• We often talk about service culture, we also need to challenge families to look at services and support in a different way

Developing a Single Plan consistent with the approach

The Single Plan will:

• Help everybody to see the child as a member of a family and a community…

• with their own aspirations…• and help everybody work towards a single goal

which are the aspirations of the child and family

• A clear idea of where we are going • A set of values and beliefs• A commitment in person centred approaches• Enthusiastic professionals and managers• Local and national support • The involvement of Children, young people

and families

Preparing for the Single Plan – what we have done?

• Five Sessions of Group work

– Pragmatic a number of plans in a short amount of time

– Families learn from each other – give people a bit more than a piece of paper, share information and resources and ideas. Start building community.

– Community Mapping… – If you had an emergency who would you

call and how long would it take them to get there? How many people could you call who would get there in ten minutes?

– Strength of natural resource.

The Single Plan – Where are we now?The right foundations– What are your goals and aspirations? – What is working and not working? – What are the resources? – family, friends, community…different for everyone

The right questions and the right information…– How can childcare, schools and education services contribute – what support does the child need

to learn and achieve?– What input is needed from health services – universal – specifics around specialist services such

as equipment, wheelchairs and therapies?– Does this child or family need support from social care?

Building on the right principles– Families are at the centre from the beginning– Life outcomes before resources– Shared ownership – social inclusion is families, communities, schools, health and everybody else.– Combined creativity and resources of everyone involved to best effect.– Less silly questions, less intrusion and less irrelevance

How will it work? andWhat difference will it make?

• Underpins all future support• The single plan is centrally

held and the families copy is updated.

• Professionals read what is there – ask nothing that has been asked – any further questions add value

• Identifies the support needed• Uses all of the available

resources

I have enjoyed talking about my little girl in a positive

way and thinking about the future.

I have used the things I have learnt to make some

changes and this has helped me feel more in control

What will happen next…

• We will have meetings for the families we have worked with to look at how we move their plans on• The families can invite who want to be there - they can as

well as the people that need to be there. • Professionals will meet to help think about what will it take

to meet the families outcomes

And we will work with more families to build on the learning… having made some changes

Elephants, Challenges and Next Steps

• Children can’t be supported effectively as service users, patients or pupils

• How do we shift from priorities at a service/agency level and start focusing on whole child priorities?

• Specific accountabilities and responsibilities can make a whole child approach complex.

Elephants, Challenges and Next Steps

• Assessment must be a tool to help families achieve, best lives not solely as a mechanism to manage resource, mitigate risk or tackle crisis

• For the ‘Calderdale Approach’ to work, it must be strategically embedded and driven

• We need to make sure we don’t make discussions complicated where there is a simple solution

• The voluntary sector has had a big role in Calderdale.

This has confirmed to me that parents need to be invested in at grass roots level in order to become more resilient

and embark on a journey of meaningful participation in their

communities

Elephants, Challenges and Next Steps

• This is a long term change that won’t happen overnight – we need to make immediate change, but keep our eye firmly on the big picture

• Critically we need to focus on life outcomes, not health, education or social care outcomes

Further information

Please contact

Kelly Griffiths01422 343090

Kelly.griffiths@parents-and-carers.org.uk