Oversight and future
The Southend SEND Partnership commits to ensuring that children and young people with SEND achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, such as being able to live independently, secure meaningful employment and be well prepared for their adult lives. The area has produced a SEND strategic action plan which sets out the local area's plans to jointly deliver its priorities and improvements.
Recommendation 6 in the plan includes actions relating to the SEND Local Offer and the work of the SEND Local Offer team.
The implementation of the strategic action plan is monitored by the Department for Education (DfE) and at a local level by the Southend Health and Well Being Board (HWBB). Activity and progress against the plan are monitored at 4 monthly intervals and reported through the Southend SEND and Alternative Provision (SEND&AP) Operations Group, and onto the Southend SEND Strategic Partnership Board.
Plans for 2026
In addition to continuing with business-as-usual work, the SEND Local Offer team will be working on the following actions in the coming year:
- continue the SAVS Parent Voice Ambassador project and develop an early years podcast series as part of the project
- run a second SEND Information Day
- support Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) events and webinars
- support implementation of the PFA strategy
- continue ICB health work, improving information about Autism and ADHD assessment and diagnosis
- develop a SENCO information pack
- support Additional Resource Base opening events
- continue to develop SEND routemaps
- implement the SEND Area Partnership Communications Plan
- continue to implement the Local Offer Communications Plan
- develop more impact and feedback mechanisms for the Local Offer and support and advice given to families