Autumn Meeting November 5 2010

Present:
Wakefield - Lyn Clarke, Katie Curnin, Amy Wilson
York - Sue Perutz, Mary Griffiths
Barnsley - Anne Killick
North Yorks - Caroline Barnes-Tee
Bradford - Julie Williams, Deborah Craig
Hull - Jean Bean
Darlington - Andrea Griffiths

Apologies
Durham - Gurby

Agenda
1. AAC funding and tracking
Discussion of how AAC equipment is funded and tracked and which LAs have specialist equipment budgets. Wakefield have been using Access Initiative funding up until now; York have a budget of £3,000. In most LAs Speech and Language therapists take the lead but most teams have difficulty reporting on outcomes. From Wakefield's experience it is better to catalogue the equipment and loan it to the family, this prevents equipment lost to the LA when it is no longer needed by a particular individual. There have been issues in LAs where the funding stream for provision has not been clear and equipment has either been disposed of or given to another agency to reuse. Darlington currently have 15 trainee SALTs. Wakefield have approached charities for funding individual children but hold a 'stock' of reused AAC aids for loan.
All agreed that statements will need very specific wording and advice in the future. Jean mentioned the recent Cumbrian Statement costed to provide for 2:1 support for a child. We then discussed the different banding systems for provision and the likely changes to statements in the near future.
* Documents circulated - York's form, Wakefield CALL pathway, involvement form and loan form.
* York to provide details of Charity streams.

2. Portable Hoists
Darlington are routinely using portable, folding hoists so that they can be used in a variety of situations and for trips. Caroline mentioned that 'Yorkshire Care' will hire them out at a daily rate for trips.

3. Funding and Statements
* Wakefield Matrix and descriptors to be shared
* York forms 1, 2 and 3 to be shared
* An example of Wakefield's table on the front of an Annual Review report to be shared
* Mary has offered to show the 'Pupil Centred Review DVD' at the next meeting
Statements will need to include progress made over the year and the Coalition Government will be introducing major changes in the near future.

4. Funding issues and the Spending Review
Darlington are facing significant cuts to their early years provision with reductions to 3 out of 11 nursery Nurses/TA's with the rest facing redundancy. These will now be based at Children's Centres. Advisory teacher work will be statutory only and Moving and Handling work will continue. Several people mentioned the good work coming from the Deaf organisations in lobbying and challenging government on SEN issues ans said it was a shame there was no National lobby group for PD pupils in the same way. The DDA provides some safeguards, the Single Equality Act is on its way and the should be an Accessibility Plan for each school but this did not always mean that some schools considered there disabled pupils properly. Andrea mentioned there is no legal toileting regulations covering children as far as she has been able to find out, they are covered by adult regulations which are not always appropriate.

5. Academies and Service Level Agreements
York, Wakefield and Bradford are providing statutory services only, but have no definitive SLAs in place. Bradford cost out their teachers at £60 per hour, significantly less than they are likely to charge in Wakefield. This lead on to a discussion on across LA service provision and the buying in of services.

6. School Transport issues
York have a three tiered provision, taxi, taxi plus escort and petrol. Susan Coulter is looking at a policy 'Home to School Transport for disabled children with additional needs'. We will be able to look at this at the next meeting.
Wakefield's 'Home to School transport for wheelchairs and buggies 2009' was circulated. Training for drivers and escorts is usually a requirement in the contract.

7. Motor Coordination folders North Yorkshire
'Supporting Children and Young People with Coordination Difficulties' folders have been produced by North Yorks (Jan Chapman has taken a lead)and the work continues that in the RELEAS booklets. The folders were circulated for the group to look at. York will be attending training and may be able to report back at the next meeting.
* Sue Perutz to contact Jan Chapman re costs for other LAs and training available.

8. 'Clever Fingers' Hull early coordination resources
'Clever Fingers' links in with the North York folders in the sense that it was designed to tackle the early problems of coordination before they became an issue leading a greater need for fine motor and handwriting assessments. Each Primary school in the Hull area has been provided with a kit at a cost of approximately £300. The Kit was funded by the LA. The activities in the kit tell schools what to do and what to look for with the idea that schools improve their skills on assessment and interventions. A similar kit was supplied to the North East Lincolnshire primary school a few years ago.


9. 'A-Z of catching'
Now complete and ready to use. This entails 26 activities for early gross motor activities designed by advisory teachers and Paediatric Therapists. The activities are grouped in to areas to improve such problems as Visual Motor Integration, Proprioception, Motor planning, Spatial Awareness etc. The new Head of SENSS is keen for this to be marketed.

10 Independent Working
Mary Griffiths is working on this over the next few months
Amy Wilson has advice to teaching assistants which she is able to share.
* Mary to report on Progress at the next meeting
* Amy to provide information to circulate via email.

Date of the next meeting March 18 2011
Agenda
HemiHelp presentation
Report on North Yorks Motor Coordination training
York - Home School Transport document
York - Report on Independent Working
York - Pupil Centred Review video/DVD
York - Reading with symbols
Hull - Feedback from Inclusive Sports training
Wakefield - Accessible material for textiles