Action needed to tackle 'inconsistent' SEND service

Durham County Council was told it needed to take action

Action is needed to tackle "inconsistent experiences and outcomes" in a local body's Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) service, an inspection has found.

The review of the Durham Local Area Partnership was carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Ofsted.

An action plan presented to Durham County Council included a pledge for partners across education, health and care services to work together.

The meeting also heard that the council hoped to have more specialist provision for SEND children by autumn 2025.

The report also said the authority and local area partners needed to improve the quality of assessments of children who may need to access the service, however it recognised that timings for the assessments had improved.

It added that partners should work to reduce delays for people accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAHMS) and neurodevelopmental support.

Among strengths identified in the current SEND services, inspectors highlighted that persistent absenteeism was being reduced, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Inspectors found the local area partnership’s arrangements typically led to positive experiences and outcomes and that children and young people felt “valued, visible, included in their communities, and listened to".