Strategic SEND Partnership Board minutes summary - 18 March 2026

Work is underway across the six NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in the South East to develop a shared SEND data set.

The dashboard will bring together information from different services, including SEND, early years, physical health, mental health, and learning disability and autism services. It will use data from a range of sources to help partners better understand local needs and track progress.

The work will be delivered in phases to reflect the different levels of readiness across local areas. Early work will focus on reviewing existing data, working with service providers, and identifying priorities for improvement.

The partnership highlighted the importance of having detailed local data and receiving information in a timely way. Thames Valley ICB will coordinate engagement with NHS providers to support data collection and consistency.

The data project is linked to wider national work to improve health data.

The outcome of the SEND inspection will not be published until after the election.

The local area is now preparing its response to the inspection findings. The inspection highlighted both strengths and areas where improvements are needed. It also identified some positive early signs of progress.

More work is needed across education, health and care services to show how the changes being made are improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The local area has 9 weeks to develop and submit its SEND reform plan. This includes completing a joint self-assessment, reviewing local data and identifying any gaps. The Department for Education (DfE) will provide opportunities for feedback before the final plan is submitted in June.

As part of this work, partners will complete a maturity matrix. This is a tool that helps education, health, social care, and parent and carer representatives assess how well the SEND system is working across seven key areas.

Partners agreed that the maturity matrix should be completed jointly so that different experiences and perspectives can help identify strengths, challenges and areas for development.

There was also discussion about how data relating to children and young people who attend schools or receive support outside the local area can be included. Partners recognised that this will require further joint working.

The eight local authorities within the new Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) are working together where possible to support partnership working and align approaches within the tight timescales.

Agreed actions

• A checklist will be shared to help partners develop the local area SEND reform plan.
• Partners will prioritise attending the SEND reform plan design workshops taking place during the week beginning 20 April.

Partners reported improvements in the timeliness of EHCPs. However, delays at the stage where professional advice is gathered remain a challenge. Regular meetings are taking place to help reduce delays and improve the completion of EHCPs and annual reviews.

Further work is needed across the partnership to show how health needs identified in EHCPs are linked to the health support that children and young people receive.

The annual EHCP audit showed improvements in quality, with more plans achieving the highest ratings.

The Partnership Board discussed how future reports should focus on:

• quality assurance activity and improvement work
• the quality and impact of support provided through EHCPs
• annual reviews data and insights
• risks and issues that need action at a strategic level

To strengthen oversight, the SEND Quality and Practice Lead will attend future Partnership Board meetings.

Health partners are also carrying out further quality assurance work, and the resulting action plans will be shared with partners.

Agreed action

• The quality assurance action plan will be shared with partners.

Partners discussed ongoing work to improve the wheelchair service.

Regular safeguarding, quality assurance and contract meetings are taking place to monitor progress and address concerns.

Board members highlighted the importance of providing clear assurance that appropriate actions are being taken to improve the service and address the issues that have been identified.

Feedback from families has highlighted concerns about:

• difficulties contacting the service
• delays in receiving responses
• a lack of information about waiting times
• uncertainty about how concerns can be escalated

A meeting has been arranged between health partners, the wheelchair service provider and the Parent Carer Forum to discuss these issues.

Partners also confirmed that regular clinical meetings are taking place to review individual cases and support children and young people while they wait for equipment.

The Board discussed the need for clearer information about what temporary support is available to families during delays and how the impact of waiting times is being monitored.

Agreed action

• A progress update on the wheelchair service recovery plan will be shared with the Board.

Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

Partners received an update on the Children’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), including its structure, timescales and how it links to the local area SEND reform plan.

The JSNA helps partners develop a shared understanding of the needs and experiences of children, young people and families. Positive feedback has been received from school leaders and partner organisations, who said the process feels more collaborative and focused on working together.

The first draft of the JSNA is due to be completed by 31 March. This will be followed by a detailed review period between April and June before the final version is agreed.

Partners received an update on the rollout of the Best Start in Life Family Hubs, including plans for a specialist SEND hub and closer working between early years and family support services.

Families are helping to shape the programme through events, surveys and involvement from the Parent Carer Forum. There is a focus on reducing isolation, improving peer support and making sure a wide range of communities are represented.

The programme supports SEND reforms and improved partnership working across education, health and care services. A local Best Start Plan will be published by March 2026.

Partners noted that the recent soft launch was well attended by families from a range of backgrounds.

Partners discussed a draft joint risk register and agreed that the Partnership Board needs clear oversight of risks and confidence that the right actions are being taken to manage them.

The Board agreed that the risk register should include clearer measures of progress, stronger links to performance data, and evidence that actions are reducing risks.

The SEND Assurance Board will take ownership of the joint risk register. Partners also discussed holding a dedicated workshop to review risks in more detail, including equipment provision as a specific area of concern.

There was support for developing key performance indicators (KPIs) linked to the risk register and aligning these with the local data dashboard to help identify emerging risks more quickly.

Work is already underway with health partners to review the local data dashboard and agree proposed KPIs.