To present a report in respect of the above.
(Report to follow)
Minutes:
A report was submitted by the Corporate Director of Gwynedd Council incorporating the Council’s draft Strategy for the transformation of additional learning needs in order to deliver the following outputs for children and young people who have additional learning needs:
• That children receive the correct type of support and intervention in early years.
• Children receive the best possible educational experiences and, as a result, are able to realize their potential and receive the best opportunities in life.
• That children receive a quality service from multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams across Anglesey who work and plan together and who provide clear advice and information for the parents of every child.
• That children receive their education in a high quality learning environment (particularly children with complex and acute needs) and that the best possible use is made of the new ALN Excellence Centre.
The Educational Portfolio Holder for Gwynedd Council reported that the draft submitted was the culmination of a review of Additional Learning Needs generally. The Strategy will be the subject of consultation from 19 January until the end of February 2015 prior to its final submission to the Joint Committee and subsequently to the Cabinet of Gwynedd Council during April 2015. The Strategy was motivated by several factors including legislative changes; the desire to give more attention to children in their early years and earlier interventions; the programme for developing the Centre of Excellence in Gwynedd and the need to make optimal use of scarce resources. The desire is to bring all aspects of the ALN provision together in an integrated team.
The Corporate Director of Gwynedd Council endorsed the above comments and elaborated on the reasons for the review and the desired outcome of creating a more efficient and effective service which responds appropriately and in a timely fashion to the needs of children and young people in Gwynedd.
The Senior Delivery Officer for Transforming ALN Services and Inclusion at Gwynedd Council gave a visual presentation elaborating on the individual actions to be taken to realise the four key objectives/outcomes noted above.
The Joint Committee’s Principal Educational Psychologist declared that he was disappointed with the proposal in the Strategy to decommission the Special Educational Needs Joint Committee particularly in terms of ensuring clarity in relation to responsibilities and accountability; he felt that this was possible within the structure of the Joint Committee and that it already operates as a specialist centre for both counties.
Anglesey’s representatives also expressed their disappointment that an opportunity had not been afforded to shape the Strategy on the basis of joint planning as partners. It was noted that the Williams Report encourages collaboration between Authorities on a wider scale, which is what the Joint Committee has been undertaking constructively since its establishment. It was suggested that the partnership is now being weakened in that Gwynedd Council is setting out its own vision for the provision within that county specifically.
The Director of Lifelong Learning of Anglesey County Council observed that the Strategy includes initial ideas that need to be considered in terms of their impact on Anglesey and in order to perceive a way forward. The principles espoused by both counties for the service are similar in the sense that both counties are anxious to ensure the best experiences and outcomes for children with additional learning needs. Anglesey’s viewpoint was highlighted at the previous meeting, namely that it did not wish to see the Joint Committee being disbanded but rather to see its work being consolidated through the medium of a more robust and detailed Service Level Agreement. Although this continues to be the opinion, there is a desire to examine the proposals in Gwynedd Council’s draft Strategy to look for common ground for moving forward. The Joint Committee was established in 1996 as a mechanism for collaboration on a broad level and in order to share scarce bilingual expertise in the area of additional learning needs. Separating the link would lead to a risk that both authorities would be competing for the same staff. In terms of Anglesey, there is a continuing commitment to collaborate but to a purpose. To that end, it was agreed to convene a further meeting to ascertain which elements of the Strategy’s vision both counties share and how that benefits Anglesey.
In the ensuing discussion the following general points were raised:
• There was an acceptance of the underlying principles of the Strategy, namely to secure the best outcomes for children with additional learning needs and to do so in an effective and efficient manner. However, reservations were expressed with regard to the cost of implementing the Strategy, particularly in light of the commitment made in the document e.g. investment in strengthening provision in the early years and upskilling staff. It was noted that there was no clear evidence of where savings could be found.
• The document was not clear in terms of the governance arrangements of the new system and whether it would be happening on the basis of both counties separately.
• That there was concern that both Authorities could find themselves in a situation of competing for specialist staff leading to the disintegration of the current team and the specialisms therein.
• Whilst Gwynedd welcomed the concept of having one central point, concern was expressed that there would be additional pressure on schools and greater expectations on the nursery provision without sufficient investment in the provision. This would, in turn, make it difficult to identify children with additional learning needs at an earlier stage as desired in the Strategy.
• It was enquired whether the new arrangement would improve the relationship with the Health Service and ensure earlier input from them.
The Corporate Director of Gwynedd Council clarified that the Strategy was in no way a criticism of the effectiveness of the Joint Committee but was rather an attempt to build on the strengths of that entity by establishing a multi-agency and a multi-disciplinary central team. The review is a systematic and dedicated review of the whole subject and has been carefully planned. It was acknowledged that some of the proposals had associated costs but Gwynedd Council wishes to invest on a one-off basis in order to implement elements of the strategy e.g. training staff and upskilling the workforce. Some of the proposals also entail changing and adapting how resources are used so that they better reflect the Council’s priorities such as by targeting early years. It is projected that implementing the proposals in the strategy will lead to annual permanent savings of £1.1m by 2021/22 and an element of those savings will be derived from Gwynedd Council’s contribution to the Joint Committee. The Officer explained that there was an opportunity to present further comments on the document during the consultation period if so desired.
It was resolved to note Gwynedd Council’s draft Strategy for Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion and to also note that further discussions will be held between both counties thereon.
NO ACTION POINT ARISING