Introduction
Specialist SEND services in North Yorkshire are coordinated and provided through 4 Locality based hubs.
What do they aim to do?
- Schools/settings will be more able to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND
- Schools/settings will increase in confidence so that children and young people with SEND are included and can achieve to their highest potential
- Parents/carers will gain a better understanding of the needs of their child and will have confidence that their needs are being met
- There will be increased participation and achievement for children and young people with SEND
- Schools and settings will build their own expertise through wider workforce development leading to better outcomes for all.
Who do they work with?
When settings/schools/colleges have identified additional needs of the child and can demonstrate how they have used their own resources and what support they require, they can refer to the SEND Hubs for specialist advice, support and guidance. This includes all children and young people 0-25 in the community from the earliest identification of SEND.
Core activity encompasses work around the most vulnerable children and young people, based on their individual needs and is free at the point of delivery.
When considering a referral for a core service the needs of the child or young person will be assessed, with consideration of the wider context, which will also be taken into account, e.g. family situation, experience of the setting and involvement of other agencies.
It is recognised, however, that some circumstances may mean that a child or young person requires support even if they do not fulfil the criteria described for different service areas. This will be because of exceptional circumstances, such as:
• They are new to the local authority and needs haven’t been fully assessed
• They have particular personal/family needs, e.g. being a looked after child or known to the Youth Justice service
• Their context, including the educational setting, is impacting on learning and development
• They are electively home educated, or missing education, and SEND is a significant factor in this
• They are a forces family and protected by duties under The Armed Forces (Covenant) Regulations 2022
Flexibility, in tandem with professional discretion, will be used in such circumstances. In principle, support will be allocated by individual requirements, taking into account complex and significant difficulties and presenting areas of need.
Hub staff will work into schools and settings across the 0-25 age range and also with parents / carers and in the home where appropriate. Each child will have a key worker who will be their main contact from the Hub team.
Please see the Hub Handbook for Schools for further details – link below. For referrals – please use the Hub Referral form – link below.
School responsibilities
- To be curious about potential SEND and to identify this early through High Quality Teaching using appropriate assessment / screening tools
- To intervene early to reduce the gap following Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice and using High Quality Teaching interventions / differentiation / modifications
- To document the impact of these interventions in order to evidence why further support is required
- To gain consent from parent / carer / young person before referral
- To complete the Hub Referral form demonstrating that the school has used all reasonably expected attempts to support the child
- To work with the Hub team once the child / young person is allocated to ensure that any skills / knowledge / strategies are embedded around the child / young person and transferred to the team supporting the child.
LA responsibilities
- To review the referral within 1 week (in term time) of the referral
- To make contact with the referrer within 2 weeks (in term time) to discuss the most appropriate next steps which may be for further support yo come from school.
- To provide high quality advice and support in line with agreed specialist pathways to ensure consistency of offer across the county.
- To give clear feedback to the school / setting and to families, agreeing the focus of the intervention collaboratively.
- To have clearly defined outcomes of their input and share these with the school / setting and to families
References/Links to Associated Information
North Yorkshire SEND - Hub Referral Form
SEND Hubs Handbook - Scarborough/Whitby/Ryedale
SEND Hubs Handbook - Harrogate/Ripon/Knaresborough/Craven
SEND Hubs Handbook - Hambleton/Richmondshire
Statutory Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Contact for more information
