Performance Improvement in the Public Sector
Derby was facing a crisis within its provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Demand was rocketing, putting pressure on already stretched budgets, but outcomes for children and young people were poor.
The council boldly decided to invest in improving early support and communication for schools, settings and families, understanding that this should also drive down costs by reducing the escalation of need and demand for specialist support.
It engaged IMPOWER to help design and implement the High Needs Transformation Programme, to fundamentally changing the way children with SEND are supported across what had become a fragmented system.
They helped the council to track and predict demand, evidence the impact of new ways of working and get a firmer grasp on costs; supported SEND staff in schools to utilise a tailored tool that brings a collaborative approach to meeting a child’s needs with parents and carers fully involved; and built the foundations for continued improvement and a more resilient system.
A key intervention was the introduction of the Derby Inclusion Tool (DIT), a Derby specific version of IMPOWER’s Valuing Send tool which was co-produced with parents and carers. It was used by the client to facilitate conversations between all those involved in shaping a child’s care (including parents, carers, schools and system partners) so their needs are more appropriately met. So far more than 1,900 children have been registered on the tool and it has put parents at the heart of shaping support for their children.
View the IMPOWER Consulting profile in the MCA Members Directory.