Issues tracker

What families have told us

• At the start new school academic year families have fedback issues with home to school transport i.e. transport not turning up, families not knowing what is happening etc.
• Families have said transport feels at arms length to provision / school. Families want to receive information about home to school transport as soon as they are offered a place at a school.
• Families have said there is a lack of flexibility with transport if a child is on shorter or longer days, and is not available during transitions.
• Not always a designated driver, can be a different driver everyday.
• Doesn’t cater for split families, and only pick up from one address.
• Families are not aware of the process for cancelling transport etc.
• Need a user friendly transport application form.

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• The Leeds Parent Carer Forum and Voice, Influence and Change Team to review how user friendly the current information that is sent out to families on receipt of home to school transport (meeting arranged for 24 April 2025).  
• Passenger transport are reviewing the information on the Leeds Local Offer website.
• The Leeds Parent Carer forum and Passenger Transport to explore how parent voice / experiences can be included within new driver training. 

Update (March 2025)

At the start new school academic year families have fedback issues with home to school transport i.e. transport not turning up, families not knowing what is happening etc. 

Families received a letter about their home to school transport after transport has been awarded. 

There is a new phone line for passenger transport (0113 3760100) that can be used by families when transport does not turn up etc. The phone line has been given an increased capacity to ensure families get a response. 

The Leeds PCF and VIC team are going to review the information provided to families and ensure it is user friendly and includes all the relevant information.

The Children’s Transport team will work with the Leeds PCF and VIC team to produce a FAQ about home to school transport, and what families can expect. 

The Children’s Transport and Passenger Transport team are reviewing the home to school transport information on the Leeds Local Offer website. 

Families have said transport feels at arm’s length to provision / school. Families want to receive information about home to school transport as soon as they are offered a place at a school. 

Letters about how to apply for home to school transport are sent out to families once their EHCP has been finalised. 

Families will receive confirmation of their transport either in the summer, or 15 days after their application. 

Families have said there is a lack of flexibility with transport if a child is on shorter or longer days and is not available during transitions.

Unfortunately, we are unable to amend this now due to the financial situation at the council. 

Not always a designated driver, can be a different driver every day. 

Passenger transport are recruiting drivers on a weekly basis, however there is a high turnover of drives. 

On average there can be between 19 and 40 drivers off a day (annual leave and sickness). 

All drivers receive training. The Leeds PCF to explore how they can be involved in the training to share the importance of consistency of drivers.

Doesn’t cater for split families, and only pick up from one address. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to amend this now due to the financial situation at the council. 

Families are not aware of the process for cancelling transport etc.

The Leeds PCF and VIC team are going to review the information provided to families and ensure it is user friendly and includes all the relevant information.

The Children’s Transport team will work with the Leeds PCF and VIC team to produce a FAQ about home to school transport, and what families can expect. 

The Children’s Transport and Passenger Transport team are reviewing the home to school transport information on the Leeds Local Offer website. 

Need a user-friendly transport application form.

A new, digital user-friendly application form has been launched. 

What families have told us

• Families not understanding what support is available when a child transitions to adulthood across education, health and social care.
• Transition supported should be planned and actioned. 
• Support, information and resources for all key stages of transition. (primary to secondary, secondary to post 16, post 16 to next steps).  

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• It is a statutory requirement of SENDASS to provide transition information, advice and support to families. This is currently not being carried out by the team due to capacity. The SENDIASS Coordinator has put together a business case to request more capacity within the team. 
• Further promotion and work with schools from our Learning Inclusion Service to promote transitions resources available, and identify gaps in support, training and resources available. 
• Through workforce development working group identify ways that third sector providers can be supported to deliver transition processes more effectively.
• Develop and embed a transitions policy into Adult Health Services and to develop a comprehensive pack of information to be shared with young people approaching Transition.
• Increased offer of Supported Internships.

Updates

The Leeds Parent Carer Forum and Leeds City Council have reviewed and updated the preparing for adulthood transitions information on the Leeds Local Offer website to ensure families are clear of the support available to them. 

The gaps in transitions support is being raised at the Leeds Area SEND and AP Partnership Board in December 2024. 

What families have told us

• The support for adoptive parents of children with SEND isn’t clear.
• Adopted young people have the same trauma etc. as children in care yet young people and families do not have the same access to support and services.

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• A representative from One Adoption will be invited to join the Leeds Area SEND and AP Partnership Board.
• Leeds City Council are working with One Adoption to review their support offer to families. 

Updates

• The Leeds Parent Carer Form and adoptive parents will be meeting with a representative from the Learning and Inclusion service to explore the gaps in service and support for adoptive parents and what the One Adoption offer is for families. 

What families have told us

Families have fedback that they are having to ring the police on their own children due to violence and or mental health issues. 

When the police arrive they advise that it is not a police matter and a report will be submitted to social care. If this child is taken into custody, they are often realised with no further action.  

If a child is taken to A&E by the police, they are often discharged on the day as they are not  ‘severe’ enough to fully section under the mental health act, or there are no beds available. 

Within days or even hours families often have to call the police again; as the violence has escalated or the child has gone missing. 

These children are not in the youth justice system, so are not picked up by them but in a vicious circle of police being called reports to social care etc 

Families have fedback that they are in crisis, however when they approach services for support they are not meeting their thresholds for crisis intervention. 

What families have told us

• The waiting lists continue to be extremely long, and families are not getting the support they need. 
• The delay in diagnosis can affect self esteems and prevent children from learning. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• As the health issues are a challenge to the health system and will not be fully resolved easily, the Leeds Parent Carer Forum and the Designated Clinical Officer will review regularly and provide updates.
• Additional funding for CAMHS to increase capacity.
• 3 additional Occupational Therapists to increase capacity and reduce waiting times.
• CAMHS are looking at a full service redesign. 

Update 

The Leeds Parent Carer Forum and Health colleagues meet on a monthly basis to feedback parental voice and views. As part of these sessions we have themed updates where services from across Health are highlighted and discussed. More recently we have had updates regarding the following services. If these could be helpful to the families you are working with, please pass this information on or reach out directly to the service provider. Thank you 

• Occupational Therapy 
• Community Nursing Team 
• Hannah House (Respite) 
• Autism and learning disability - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Complications of Excess Weight (CEW) - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

The neurodiversity working group, which is a subgroup of the Leeds SEND and AP Partnership Board, aim to: 

• Ensure children can access prescribing services for ADHD medication and melatonin swiftly when this is appropriate as part of an individualised management plan.   

What families have told us

• Scope sleep service is no longer available to families. What support is available for families? 
• Children not being prescribed melatonin, and no increase in dosage for those already prescribed. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• As the health issues are a challenge to the health system and will not be fully resolved easily, the Leeds Parent Carer Forum and the Designated Clinical Officer will review regularly and provide updates.
• Development of pathways across services to deliver offers for behaviour, eating, drinking, nutrition, continence and sleep.

What families have told us

• Parents been advised by professionals that Hydrotherapy cannot be documented as a support option as there no services available in Leeds.

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• As the health issues are a challenge to the health system and will not be fully resolved easily, the Leeds Parent Carer Forum and the Designated Clinical Officer will review regularly and provide updates.

Updates

Many children will benefit from exercise in water, and this can take place in any type of swimming pool at any time of the week and is not linked to a specific health need, or specific training requirements. Physiotherapists may, if appropriate for the child / young person's needs, recommend alternative ways of accessing meaningful PE that may include water- based exercise as an individual or within a group. This does not mean it has to be in a hydrotherapy pool to get the benefit, but could be in a local swimming pool.

Hydrotherapy refers specifically to a programme of activities, developed by a physiotherapist, being followed in a water environment, often a hydrotherapy pool. A physiotherapist will teach family / carers and / or educational staff to deliver these activities. Physiotherapy will recommend hydrotherapy if a child / young person’s therapy needs cannot be met effectively on dry land. 

Aquatic physiotherapy is provided by a therapist in a hydrotherapy pool as an intervention to meet a specific therapy goal. Leeds children’s physiotherapy deliver aquatic physiotherapy in blocks where referrals meet the following criteria, based on clinical evidence:

1. Post-operative therapy where the same movement and rehab opportunities cannot be achieved on land

2. Deterioration in skills / function, not manageable through a land-based programme

3.  Where pain/ muscle spasm makes land-based intervention ineffective

For all of the above aquatic physiotherapy criteria, a suitable goal must have been agreed between family and therapist that justifies the use of aquatic physiotherapy, and there must be evidence that all relevant "standard, or land-based" interventions are in place during the child's usual week. These may include where appropriate, but are not limited to, daily stretching, movement and positioning programmes and use of postural management equipment.

How do families independently access hydrotherapy pools if required / advised by physiotherapists?

The hydrotherapy pools run by Leeds City Council can be accessed by families. There is usually a requirement to have a form filled in by a professional that confirms the person should be allowed to use a hydrotherapy facility. Families are advised to contact the leisure centre directly about use of the hydrotherapy pool. 

Alternatively, SNAPS and Little Hiccups offer subsidised hydro sessions and families need to register with the charities directly and be accepted on to their waiting list for sessions. These are usually offered on a block basis of e.g. a term of sessions, then families can ask to go back on the waiting list for future sessions. 

Can aquatic physiotherapy be named in a young person’s EHCP? 

Yes if a physiotherapist recommends it in line with the criteria above.

Aquatic physiotherapy is provided by a therapist in a hydrotherapy pool as an intervention to meet a specific therapy goal. Leeds children’s physiotherapy deliver aquatic physiotherapy in blocks where referrals meet the following criteria, based on clinical evidence:

• Post-operative therapy where the same movement and rehab opportunities cannot be achieved on land
• Deterioration in skills / function, not manageable through a land-based programme
• Where pain/ muscle spasm makes land-based intervention ineffective

For all of the above aquatic physiotherapy criteria, a suitable goal must have been agreed between family and therapist that justifies the use of aquatic physiotherapy, and there must be evidence that all relevant "standard, or land-based" interventions are in place during the child's usual week. These may include where appropriate, but are not limited to, daily stretching, movement and positioning programmes and use of postural management equipment”

What families have told us

• Parents and carer are increasingly having to give up work to support their child at home as they cannot attend school due to school not being able to meet their needs. How do families challenge this? 
• LA not supporting EOTAS packages and naming them in EHCPs. 
• There is no support for families wanting to undertake the EOTAS package. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• The Educational Psychologist Team set up a working group with representatives from across services to consider service perspective and understanding. The working group will be looking at two areas: resources for schools and parental support / guidance. 
• The Educational Psychologist Team have consulted with the Leeds Parent Carer Forum, to look at attendance barriers and what support can be developed for parents. 
• Resources have been developed by the Educational Psychologist Team for school staff (and professionals) provide support with attendance. 
• The Educational Psychologist Team have a central training offer to school staff and wider professionals on ESNA and how to understand and support the needs of C&YP and their families.
• Work and consultation with families to find creative solutions to ensuring schools, settings and appropriate provisions are in place. 
• The Voice, Influence and Change Team to explore how the voices of elective home educated and those in education other than at school are gathered. 

What families have told us

• Children and young people are unable to go to school for a range of reasons, this may be due to anxiety.
• More children and young people are being given part time timetables.
• There is increased reports and concerns in relation to ESNA. 
• Parents and carers report having to give up work to support their child at home. 
• Not all children and young people have EHCP’s. 
• Parents and carers have fedback a lack of understanding and/or support from school.
• Families do not feel they are receiving support around exclusions. 
• There has been a rise in families of children and young people who attend mainstream schools contacting the SILC Cluster.

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

Whilst our Area Inclusion Partnership (AIP) and Alternative Provision (AP) model is a strength within Leeds there are plans to review our approach to devolving funds to partnerships of school leaders in AIPs, responding to the national focus on the use of AP and enabling them to co-design an offer of inclusion support and alternative provision that reflects their local area’s context and needs. We are aware there are too many children within AIP settings that require more long-term support and AIP provision is not always been seen and used as an intervention. In addition, we have plans to develop a guidance document for schools and commissioners outlining the LAs guiding principles for alternative provision and emphasising the school responsibilities in relation to alternative provision. E.g., exit planning; expectations on use of provision maps, integration with Fair Access Panel; how to record in their school registers to improve data available in School Census and implications for CYP with EHC Plans.

Continued identification of where new specialist provisions can be established in within existing settings and continued expansions where able with our established SILC provisions.

• A focus on attendance from our SEND teams when supporting schools and settings with individual case work.
• Continued support from attendance team to improve attendance in schools and settings.
• Review our approach to develop devolving funds to partnership of school leaders in AIP‘s enabling them to design an offer of inclusion support and alternative provision that reflects their local areas context and needs.
• Guidance document for all schools/commissioners outlining the LA guiding principles for arranging AP and setting out schools responsibilities in relation to AP.
• Health to be involved in the planning and development of Specialist places.
• The council will be investing in special and resource provision within mainstream settings. 
• Leeds City Council are developing an alternative provision strategy which will be co-produced with partners. 

What families have told us

• Application process not clear for families, and professionals not understanding the process. 
• Long waiting times for assessment. 
• Poor case worker communication. 
• Case work officers lack of awareness of law and practice. 
• Outcomes not consistent within EHCPs. 
• Health and Care should be as equal as Education in EHCP’s. 
• Children and young people are not involved in their plans and have a lack of understanding about them. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

Following an increase in demands on service and workforce challenges resulting in a drop in statutory performance, Leeds City Council commissioned a review of its current EHC assessment, plan and annual review processes to identify key opportunities for change. The review so far has highlighted areas for improvement in relation to the Council’s communications, processes, support provided and consistency in approaches.

Our aim is to implement changes and improvements, to help the Council achieve its vision, that children and young people in Leeds with SEND, have the best possible start to life and equal opportunities to learn.

The Children and Families Department will keep you updated throughout the process and this webpage will serve as an information hub about the changes.

https://www.leedslocaloffer.org.uk/education/send-and-inclusion-transformation 

• A review of end-to-end funding and assessment processes to decide how inclusion funding is issued in the future, in order to ensure legal compliance and move away from the existing dual process for assessment of need. With a single process for assessment of need agreed. Implementation of a new operating model and a transition of people and teams into new functions is predicted and will release capacity through improvements to technology and process, to enable a focus on value-adding effort.
• Investment in Educational Psychologists capacity.
• Additional capacity in SENSAP team.
• Embedding of Moderation process and scrutiny of EHCPs to ensure quality.
• Additional capacity within health to ensure timeliness and quality health advice for statutory assessments.
• SEND transformation programme to ensure timeliness around statutory assessments and annual reviews.
• Work to support join up between PEPs and EHCPs.
• Move towards a needs led approach rather than diagnosis.
• Bringing together EHCP and funding processes through SEND.
• SEND lead and SEND Coordinator employed by health to improve timeliness and quality of health advice for statutory assessments.
• Multiagency audits and identification of where processes can be improved across services for earlier identification of need.
• Further development of processes for electively home educated young people with an EHCP.
• Monthly multi-agency audit of cases, findings will be fed into the work of the SEND and AP Partnership Board. 
• Regular interdisciplinary team meetings have been organised with SENSAP and Social Care services.  

What families have told us

• There is no preparation for adulthood for children who are highly anxious. 
• Lack of post 16 provision. 
• Careers advice given in schools but families not aware of the options available for their child.  

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• Ensuring there is an emphasis on PFA throughout all the identified workstreams.
• Further promotion from One SEND teams of our locally developed PFA resource and certificate.
• Continued collation of voices of YP and their families through the SEND Employment forum.
• Build on the work implemented by the Employment and Skills team – continue to run SEND Next Choices Events and gain feedback from CYP from SEND Employment Forum.
• Working with Lighthouse Future Trust and Post 16 Settings to increase the offer.
• Virtual School/Care Leavers Service EET Panel and EET Surgeries to provide a problem-solving forum to explore Education, Employment and Training opportunities for all care experienced young people but in particular those with SEND.
• 14-19 Strategic Partnership SEND action plan delivered upon which seeks to address the challenges faced by SEND young people linked to their post 16 EET progression.

What families have told us

• Families have told us that they feel school staff require further SEND training to ensure they understand how to meet the needs of their children.
• School staff require more awareness of masking and need to reduce parent blame.
• Families would like professionals to show more empathy and understanding to families.  
• Families would like to be involved in training and feel all training should include should lived experience.
• Lack of neurodivergent expertise within leadership.
• Families feel professionals they come into contact with require more in-depth knowledge of SEND services available in Leeds.
• Families feel they receive different messages about service depending on who they speak to i.e. GPs, schools etc.
• Training for all services not just SEND i.e. housing. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

Educational professionals in Leeds settings (early years, primary, secondary and post 16) can access information, advice and support from a number of Local Authority SEND teams.

Information for all educational professionals on what is available to them is here. 

SENDIASS to be the first point of contact for young people, parents, carers and professionals about education, health and care processes and support available.

Since Sept 2023 to August 2024 there have been: 177 centrally run training courses (online or face to face) reaching a total of 3437 people. 69 different eLearning courses which have been viewed by 5457 people. There is always a focus on engaging and working on partnership through our CPD offer to ensure that the needs of our SEND CYP are met.

Our One SEND Service officers work in early years settings and schools across the city, with dedicated expert staff working in early years.  Early years referrals arrive via health notifications (HEN) or through direct requests form early years providers.  To date in the academic year 23/24 there has been 1609 requests for support received, 522 of these requests have been for early Years input and support. The SENIT team meet regularly with health colleagues to review both formal HEN notifications and any other children that have become known to services through direct contact. This provides a useful early opportunity to review individual children’s needs and have wider discussions about progress and emerging areas of need. Case management systems have been improved across our One SEND Service so now all requests to the service are met within 4-6 weeks and 2-3 weeks for Portage.   

Future plans:

• Developing Inclusive Mainstream Provision information, so families and schools understand the duties of schools around SEND.
• The Leeds Local Offer to be promoted widely to all professionals across Education, Health and Care.
• Through workforce development workstream ensure those across the partnership are aware of the Graduated Approach.
• Plans with health to co-produce a training framework with the Parent Carer Forum and Learning Inclusion Service, aiming for alignment with the planned release of a national SEND training framework by NHSE.
• Themes from SEND audits around partnership working and planning addressed through working groups.
• High support and challenge to our third sector Early Years settings to ensure inclusive practice.
• Continued support and offer from SEND Teams and learning Inclusion to support inclusive practice in schools.
• Continue to embed practice around being a trauma informed city  - joint funding for  initiatives designed to improve the wellbeing of children, young people and families in Leeds.
• Ordinarily Available Toolkit developed so all schools, settings and other services across the partnership are clear on what inclusive SEND provision looks like.

The practice and workforce development working group, which is a subgroup of the Leeds Area SEND and AP Partnership Board, will: 

• map existing learning, training, CPD opportunities across the partnership and ensure workforce are aware of these.
• identify any gaps in CPD and to develop learning and developments to meet these gaps that reflect on evidence -based practice.
• Develop a strong communication model that fosters engagement across all partners, promoting collaborative efforts and the sharing of best practices to share knowledge, strengthen partnership working and enhance joint working practices 

The neurodiversity working group, which is a subgroup of the Leeds Area SEND and AP Partnership Board, will: 

• ensure our workforce is secure in understanding of ND (with or without a diagnosis) to enable them to accurately understand and meet the needs of CYP in partnership with parents/carers and settings and know where to go for further support and information.
• ensure our workforce can access high quality and relevant continuing professional development to enable and provide inclusive practice for all CYP.

April 2024: The Leeds Parent Carer Forum and Voice, Influence and Change Team will further explore with families their experiences and which schools their children attend. 

What families have told us

Some families have told us:

• A setting can be neurodiverse - having different neurotypes - as long as it isn’t, say a setting just for Autistic child or young person. Then it would be a setting for Autistic children and young people. 
• A person can be neurodivergent - having a neurotype which differs from the majority. 
• A person cannot be neurodiverse. 
• Most mainstream schools are neurodiverse with a proportion of neurodivergent children and young people. 
• Most mainstream schools are neurodiverse with a proportion of neurodivergent children and young people.

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• The one SEND team inclusivity working group are completing a focused piece of work around language and terminology. 

Updates

• The Leeds Parent Carer Forum have developed a terminology / jargon buster. 

The practice and workforce development working group, which is a subgroup of the Leeds Area SEND and AP Partnership Board, will: 

• Review the Leeds Practice Model to develop a unified working model for the SEND workforce, ensuring consistency of understanding and a shared language across the entire system 

What families have told us

• Advocacy for families attending meetings with schools and SEND services.
• Support for families to navigate SEND services and not just signpost. 
• Sharing information about SEND school support with families.
• Information about youth groups and activities available. 
• Groups to support siblings. 
• Language and culture barriers when communicating with families. 
• Families continue to receive mixed messages depending on who they speak to. 
• Too many over lapping services which makes it hard to navigate the system. 
• Language used can be quite clinical and difficult for families to understand, especially when English is not their first language. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• A new Leeds Local Offer website was launched in April 2024 based on feedback from families www.leedslocaloffer.org.uk 
• The Leeds Local Offer information booklet has been updated (October 2024) and can be downloaded here.
• The Learning and Inclusion one SEND service are developing an ordinarily available toolkit to outline to schools and families what they can expect from schools and what to do if this is not happening. SENDIASS and the Leeds Parent Carer Forum will be involved in the developments. The toolkit will be made available on the Leeds Local Offer website. 
• Continuation of SEND Navigator Pilot.
• Officers challenged and supported through supervision processes in respect of communication with families.
• Early communication group and offer of additional support whilst families wait for SALT assessments.
• Continued engagement with children, young people and their families to ensure voices are heard and used to inform plans and service offer.
• Additional capacity at the front door in terms of Early Help provision. 
• The SENDIASS service will have an increased capacity in early 2025.  
• Communication with families is a priority within the SEND and Inclusion Transformation plan. 

The mental health and wellbeing working group, which is a subgroup of the Leeds SEND and AP Partnership Board, aims to: 

• Improve access to support and outcomes for CYP with SEND accessing mental health services 
• Ensure voice and influence of children and young people with SEND in Mental Health and Wellbeing services planning

What families have told us

• Adult mental health support not appropriate for young people with autism. Support needs to be tailored to the individuals. 
• Mental health support for parents and carers. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• Review of MindMate SPA.

What families have told us

• Families where English is a second language struggle to access SEND services and information. 
• Families cannot always read written information and require it in a different format. 

The local authorities and health’s future plans 

• SENDIASS, the Leeds Parent Carer Forum and the Leeds Local Offer are exploring ways to ensure information is accessible to all families.