Consultancy for the redesign of the EHCP service in Children Services SEND

The consultant shall undertake the implementation of the signed-off EHCP proposal and recommendations for a redesign of the service and the pathway development in line with requirements set out below.

Governance

• Adhere to the governance arrangements of the programme to ensure sign off at each stage of the service redesign.

• Attend the Spend Redesign project boards every 6-8 weeks, and present to the programme board and leadership teams as required.

• Provide status reports and briefings to inform the project/programme highlight reports.

Stakeholder management

• Engage with the SROs of the JAN & High Needs Transformation Programme, the programme team and workstream leads to develop an understanding of the local context of work and in particular the JHNTP objectives.

• Engage and drive change by gaining buy-in and ownership of the EHCP team through a collaborative and coproduction approach.

• Engage users of the service to ensure the pathway development of the service redesign is coproduced.

• Communicate with the wider Children Services directorate throughout the contract period the developments in the service changes and utilising the existing web channels, webinar forums and boards.

Interdependencies

• Coordinate the interdependencies of the Banded Funding initiative and integrate the Graduated Pathway to the EHCP redesign to enable early intervention.

• Thresholds for agreeing to assess and for agreeing to place into special and independent special schools.

• Contributions of social care and health to plans

• Volume of Tribunals/reason for these and position of the LA and quality of defensible position.

Digitalisation

• Optimise digitalisation of case work and the service as a whole whilst ensuring integration to the wider system and interfaces.

• Integration of a compliance module to the EHCP Capita1 system for statutory requirements to be digitalised.

Evaluation and outcomes framework

• Benchmark other local authorities EHCP services for innovation and new approaches to inform and shape the re-design including regional and national scoping to measure GCC position against other LA's in terms of plans, costs, approach.

• Establish the baseline data and onward meaningful data dashboards for the service, including appropriate benchmarking tools against the national profile, including forecasting of emerging trends.

• Establish a performance management and competencies framework for the service that aligns to PDRs and training requirements and engenders a child centred approach.

• Identify knowledge and skills gaps and arrange the delivery of any relevant training.

• Establish an evaluation, quality assurance, and continuous improvement cycle and approach for the EHCP service.

2. Detailed deliverables

EHCP Pathway Redesign

• Redesign the EHCP pathway from assessment through to planning and review, removing unnecessary steps, improving communication flow, and ensuring that the voice of the child, yo