CON_22618 - FHC Consultancy - project_8448 - DPS (ECSC) Preferred Supplier List for SEND and AP Advisory Services for the DfE High Needs Support and Intervention Programmes

As part of this contract, the supplier will be required to provide advice to the Department in association with the delivery of the Safety Valve programme, Delivering Better Value in SEND programme, Education and Skills Funding Agency activity, or other work to support the high needs financial sustainability agenda.

This could include:

• provide high quality experience and expertise to advise, challenge and support at risk or poor performing local authorities in continuing to develop and implement robust and achievable plans to improve their SEND and AP services;
• provide advice to the Department regarding the pace of improvement in local authorities, providing assurance that it is appropriate and that improvements to the SEND and AP system are sustainable;
• provide advice to the Department regarding local authority activity to ensure plans remain focused on outcomes for children and young people with SEND;
• apply expertise and experience to advise the local authority's senior leadership and SEND management team in addressing areas of weakness. We expect this will require you to engage with local authorities at both strategic and operational level;
• work closely with financial advisors appointed by DfE to work with the same local authority. These advisors provide the same service to the Department for the Safety Valve programme from a financial perspective, and the Department will seek your expertise in assuring the join up between the financial and educational functions in an local authority;
• have an awareness of the proposed SEND/AP system and Children's Social Care reforms including the Change Programme and work closely with relevant colleagues in supporting and challenging local authorities;

Arrangements will be made with the relevant programme team regarding the local authorities and programmes you will be asked to work on.

There may also be a requirement that advisors allocated to a particular local authorities work in conjunction with another SEND Advisor allocated to a local authority by Regions Group for general improvement work.