SENDSTART - this is just the beginning!

The past few months have seen a lot of changes to Wirral's SEND Statutory Assessment and Review Team (SENDSTART).

SENDSTART is the team at Wirral Council responsible for co-ordinating Education, Health and Care Needs (EHC) assessments. This team also maintain Education Health and Care plans (EHCPS).

The Journey so far…

SENDSTART recently took on 38 new members of staff. Plus, the team also now work in a different way. These changes will help improve communication for parents and carers. Read the following update to find out what’s next for SENDSTART as the team continues to work hard to improve the service.

The next steps…

The new SENDSTART team members have now completed their induction training. They are already building relationships with their locality schools. But this is just the beginning! There are strong foundations now in place. We are committed to making real and lasting improvements to the SEND Statutory Assessment and Review service for Wirral's children, young people, and their families.

We are working hard to unpick and try and move forward the backlog of EHC assessments and reviews. We also making the assessment process clearer and more efficient. This will help speed up decision-making and improve communication with families and schools. Our caseworkers are out visiting schools, getting to know the staff. Most importantly, they are getting to know the children we are here to support.

Inclusion is something I am truly passionate about. As SEND Manager, I am excited to be working closely with schools. I look forward to seeing first-hand the difference we can make together. Over the next few months, you will start to see the impact of these changes. Especially in EHCP completion times, review processes. More importantly the team will be more available and more visible.

If you'd like to find out more about SENDSTART or how to contact us, please visit the Local Offer website SENDLO. We look forward to continue working with you on making this service better!

Danielle Smith, SEND Manager