County's SEND partnership told to improve

Inspectors said the Local Area Partnership had already made improvements at an "operational and strategic level"

Herefordshire's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) partnership must work jointly to make improvements, inspectors have said.

The county's council and NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board are responsible for providing services for children and young people with SEND.

Inspectors found it had improved, but its work "leads to inconsistent experiences and outcomes," Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concluded.

A spokesperson for the Local Area Partnership said it remained "highly committed" to serving children and families.

The inspection, which took place in early December, drew upon a survey of parents and carers, as well as children and young people.

The report said many parents were not fully aware of how to access the full range of support available locally.

Less than a quarter reported that their child received the right help and support to join in with clubs or activities or to benefit from holidays or make friends.

Inspectors also found the partnership's plans for therapies and diagnostic services in the county were "at an early stage of implementation", and had "not yet sufficiently reduced" waiting times for assessment.

But it found the county "strongly supports disabled young people as they move to adulthood", singling out the Youth Employment Hub as an "exciting recent development".

Inspectors added the SEND partnership had made improvements at an "operational and strategic level" and had also invested in appointing additional staff.

The Local Area Partnership welcomed the report findings and said it acknowledged current arrangements had led to some inconsistent experiences for some children, young people and their families.

"The partnership remains highly committed to serving children and families well, despite the nationally acknowledged pressures on SEND services," it added.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.