Sutton Council and Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity, have announced an innovative new partnership that will see closer working with parents and carers to help improve services and outcomes for children with special educational needs (SEND) in the borough.
The goal of the partnership will be to co-design and implement a more consistent and inclusive model of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional needs, to improve outcomes and experiences for all children and young people with SEND in Sutton. The initiative will be a collaboration between a range of local area partners, with families being directly involved in helping to co-produce and shape services going forward.
Councillor Marian James, Chair of Sutton’s People Committee, said: “Sutton supports a range of families with SEND but we want to do more to understand how we can shape our support and services going forward. By engaging more widely with families to deliver better outcomes for children and their families we can ensure we can coproduce services for the future.
“Barnardo’s brings a huge wealth of expertise and we greatly look forward to working with them, to see how we take these national changes and make them relevant for Sutton.”
Jane Knowles, Chair of Sutton Parent Carer Forum, said: “The Sutton Parent Carer Forum is fully involved with the areas that are outlined in the papers and are pleased to be working with the new leadership team, and have been encouraged by the developments taking place.
“There has also been the opportunity to provide support, challenge and feedback on the work taking place. The Sutton Parent Carer Forum welcomes the strategic partnership with Barnardo’s and looks forward to being fully engaged with the partnership, with the aim of continued improvement of services for children and young people with SEND and their families in Sutton.”
Lucy Ivankovic, Head of London Children’s Services, Barnardo’s said: “Barnardo’s was founded over 150 years ago to ensure that no child is turned away from the help they need. We are delighted to be entering into this new strategic partnership with Sutton Council to co-design and then implement an improved, more consistent and inclusive model of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional needs and to improve outcomes and experiences for all children and young people with SEND in Sutton.
“This new partnership sits alongside a number of other Barnardo’s strategic partnerships across the UK, and we look forward to drawing on all the experience, learning and expertise we have gained to make a difference in Sutton.”
The new partnership is just one response by Sutton Council to the recommendations in the government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan: right support, right place, right time (published in March 2023), which sets out a number of changes to the SEND and Alternative Provision offer nationally and pulls together a number of themes including:
The need for inclusive education and quality teaching and learning through the implementation of ‘national standards’
Successful transitions and preparation for adulthood including new guidance on transitions and further investment in the supported internship programmes
Early identification and intervention through the development of a skilled workforce and excellent leadership
Collaboration and partnership working among schools, local authorities, parents/carers, and relevant agencies to ensure that children and young people with SEND and those in AP receive coordinated and holistic support – underpinned by accountability measure such as local and national dashboards, and
A financially sustainable system delivering improved outcomes
