| Clare Curran, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning said “This was an independent review of the provision for children and families across the whole of the Surrey Local Area, as coordinated by the Additional Needs and Disabilities Partnership. The findings appear to us to be a fair reflection of areas for focus and further improvement, as well as of good practice.
“All the Partners acknowledge that the service and support some children, young people and their parents and carers are receiving in Surrey is currently not good enough, and we apologise for that. We also recognise the frustrations felt – and expressed clearly through the report – by some families and practitioners within Surrey while trying to navigate the complex SEND system and access the right support for their children.
“The Inspection report highlights the Partnership’s collective commitment to make a difference and the plans already in place for improvement. Alongside delivering better services for children at a local level in Surrey, the Partnership – along with other Local Areas – will continue to work with the Government in relation to policy reform and funding to ultimately achieve better outcomes for children across the SEND system.”
Clare Stone, ICS Director of Multi-Professional Leadership and Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB said: “This report has justly highlighted that families across Surrey are experiencing inconsistent support and outcomes. Health partners, like those in education and social care are facing the difficulties associated with rising demand and increased complexity of need, set within the challenging context of finite resources. By working better together with children, their families and our partners we aim to achieve more consistent, sustainable services that are affordable to the integrated care system.
“There is no doubt that this is a complex national issue, none the less we remain committed to commissioning high quality care that is responsive to diverse local need and ultimately achieves better outcomes for children”.
Tracey Faraday-Drake, Director for Children and Young People for NHS Frimley said: “Across Surrey, 28,348 children and young people receive SEN support in school, and 12,925 have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). As a partnership, we reaffirm our total and unwavering commitment to doing all we can to deliver improvements and reach a place where all these children and young people have positive experiences and outcomes. We will continue to work closely with families, schools and other key stakeholders to achieve this.”
Read the full press release from the Local Area partnership here https://news.surreycc.gov.uk/2023/11/24/progress-being-made-to-improve-services-for-children-with-additional-needs-and-disabilities/ |
