Following an inspection by Government watchdog Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a new report outlines the progress made by the city council, health leaders and other partners in the city to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Over several weeks in March 2024, Ofsted and CQC inspectors spoke with children and young people with SEND, parents and carers, and professionals from Milton Keynes City Council and the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (ICB) who are jointly responsible for the planning and commissioning of local services for children and young people with SEND.
They reviewed a range of information about current processes and the local SEND strategy. As part of this they considered Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, which are legal documents that set out the additional support needed by some children and young people.
In the resulting report, Ofsted and the CQC recognised the local good practice taking place and made recommendations to further improve the consistency of services for children and young people with SEND.
Positive developments since Milton Keynes’ last inspection in 2018 were highlighted, such as shorter average waiting times for young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) thanks to streamlined processes, and improved arrangements for transitions between health and social care services as they reach adulthood.
The report recommended partners should share more data between organisations so they can better monitor the impact of their work on outcomes for children and young people with SEND, and better plan for the future – such as considering what young children with complex mental health needs will need locally when they are teenagers.
Ofsted and the CQC will next visit Milton Keynes in three years’ time to check further progress. Around half of areas reviewed by inspectors receive recommendations for future improvement and will be visited again in three years. Around a quarter of areas are considered to have serious failings and in those cases the inspectors return in 18 months.
“This report highlights the diverse range of work being done by partners in Milton Keynes to improve the lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
“We’ll build on the strengths identified in the report and act on its recommendations as we’re committed to improving how children with SEND and their families receive the right support.”
“Supporting children and young people is a priority in our Integrated Care System. We are pleased with the progress that we have made together since 2018. It provides us with a strong foundation for continuing to work closely with our partners to take forward the report’s recommendations.”
To learn more about the local help and support available to children and young people with SEND, please visit: www.mksendlocaloffer.co.uk