CONSULTATION on changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School

OVERVIEW

Topic of Consultation	North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) wishes to make changes to the current residential offer at Welburn Hall School.
Scope	This consultation sets out a proposal to make changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to accommodate children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed social care need for residential provision. Residential provision would be extended to be available as required on a term time basis, 38 weeks per year, including weekends.
Who is being consulted / Stakeholders who may be affected	North Yorkshire County Council are consulting with all interested stakeholders. This is a 7 week consultation beginning on 14^th October 21 and ending on 3^rd December 2021. If you have any questions about this consultation please read the frequently asked questions below or please email SEND@northyorks.gov.uk
Who is consulting	North Yorkshire County Council
Duration	This is a 7 week consultation beginning on 14^th October 2021 and ending 3^rd December 2021.
Enquiries	For any questions about this consultation please access the Frequently Ask Questions here https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations. For further queries please email SEND@northyorks.gov.uk
How to respond	If you would like to make any comments or share your views regarding these arrangements please complete the survey here https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations
Compliance with government & local practice on consultation	The consultation has been set at 7 weeks which is considered sufficient time to enable stakeholders to respond. The proposal is to make changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to accommodate children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed need for residential provision. Residential provision would be extended to be available on a term time basis, 38 weeks per year, including weekends. The changes would begin implementation, subject to the outcome of the consultation from 1 September 2021.

1. Summary

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) wishes to make changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to accommodate children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed need for residential provision. Residential provision would be extended to be available a term time basis up to 38 weeks per year, including weekends.

To do this, the Council would like to consult with all stakeholders who may be affected by the changes being put in place.

The County Council are keen to hear what you think of the proposal to make changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to accommodate children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed need for residential provision. Residential provision would be extended to be available up to a term time basis,38 weeks per year, including weekends.

2. Background

NYCC want all children and young people with SEND in North Yorkshire:

• To have the best educational opportunities so that they achieve the best outcomes.

• To be able to attend a school or provision locally, as close to their home as possible, where they can make friends and be part of their local community.

• To make progress with learning, have good social and emotional health, and to prepare them for a fulfilling adult life.

The LA has a statutory responsibility under the Children and Families Act 2014 to keep its special educational provision under review, to ensure sufficiency in placements to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND). Under the same Act the local authority also has responsibility for ensuring that the needs of children and young people with SEND are suitably assessed and that needs are met.

The criteria for assessing a young person’s need for residential provision was updated and agreed in 2017. Since this time the numbers of young people entering into the residential provision at Welburn Hall have been declining. It is forecast that this will make the current residential offer unviable for the school within the next 3 years. This would result in NYCC having no residential offer for children and young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability.

The current offer at Welburn Hall School results in children and young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability who require residential placement prior to age 16 being placed in Independent settings, sometimes out of county away from their family and community.

3. Benefits of the proposed residential offer

The advantages that such an offer aims to bring are:

· For young people with communication and interaction needs, who have an assessed need for residential placement, to be able to attend a school locally.

· To be able to offer the right support for young people and their families at the right time – residential provision available to meet assessed need for children and young people with communication and interaction needs from age 8.

· To seek best use of resources for the local population.

Please tell us your views

Before any changes are made to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School, the Council are keen to consult with any stakeholders who may be affected by the arrangement. It is important to us that we gather and listen to feedback about the proposal and ensure all considerations have been taken into account. In undertaking this consultation, we are required to follow good practice guidance.

NYCC are keen to hear your comments and feedback on the proposal to make changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to enable children and young people from age 8 - 19 with an assessed need for residential provision to be placed here. Residential provision would be available on a term time basis, 38 weeks per year, including weekends. Any member of the public and interested organisations can comment on the proposal.

We have tried to ensure giving feedback is as easy as possible by a range of different methods as follows:

Please let us know what you think by completing the survey at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations

Please note we will not be able to offer an individual response to your feedback.

You can request a hard copy of the survey by emailing SEND@northyorks.gov.uk or by writing to:

Central Admin Team

North Yorkshire County Council

County Hall

Northallerton

North Yorkshire

DL7 8AE

If you would like the information on this page and the survey in a different format, please email SEND@northyorks.gov.uk or write to the address above.

If you want this information in another language you can find more information here Website accessibility | North Yorkshire County Council

Or email SEND@northyorks.gov.uk

Deadline for your Feedback

The consultation is open from 14^th October 2021 and ends on 3^rd December 2021. The deadline for feedback is Midnight on 3^rd December 2021. We will not be able to consider feedback after this date.

After the consultation closes

At the end of the consultation period NYCC will review the feedback and produce a summary report showing the themes and issues raised, which will be reviewed by the County Council Executive for a decision. Responses from individuals will be anonymised.

A summary of the consultation responses and next steps will be available to view on this page.

Please contact us using one of the methods outlined above to request details as hard copies.

Consultation Questions:

Please answer the following questions, by completing the online survey at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/current-consultations

1. In what role are you completing this survey? (Please tick all that apply)

· I am a parent / carer of a child or young person with SEND

· I am a parent/carer of child/young person on the roll of Welburn Hall

· I am responding on behalf of an organisation/in my professional role – health

· I am responding on behalf of an organisation/in my professional role – care

· I am responding on behalf of an organisation/in my professional role - education

· I am a member of the public who lives in North Yorkshire

2. Do you agree that North Yorkshire County Council should change the residential offer at Welburn Hall School for children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed social care need for residential provision?

Yes/No/Don’t Know (Please select one)

2.1 Please explain the reasons for your answer

3. What do you think the benefits of this change will be?

4.Do you have any concerns about the proposal that you would like to tell us about?

5.Please feel free to provide any relevant supporting information to accompany your previous answer relating to the proposal for changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School.

Frequently asked questions

Q1 What is this consultation about?

This consultation is about NYCC proposing changes to the residential offer at Welburn Hall School to accommodate children and young people aged 8-19, who have communication and interaction needs (including Autism) and / or learning disability, where there is an assessed need for residential provision. Residential provision would be extended to be available on a term time basis, 38 weeks per year, including weekends. .

Q2. Why do we need to change the residential off at Welburn Hall School?

The current residential offer at Welburn Hall School is for young people aged 16-19 who are completing the college course at the school and who have an assessed need for residential provision. This offer results in children and young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability who require residential placement prior to age 16 being placed in Independent settings, sometimes out of county away from their family and community.

It is forecast that the current residential offer will become unviable for the school within the next 3 years. This would result in NYCC having no residential offer for children and young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability.

Q3. What difference will the proposed changes make to young people who attend Welburn Hall School?

Young people who attend Welburn Hall school will welcome a wider cohort of learners into their school community.

Families of current pupils of Welburn Hall School who have an assessed need for residential placement will be able to consider this at the age that it is needed rather than for post 16 only.

Young people moving onto the post 16 college course will attend as day pupils unless there is an assessed need for residential placement.

Q4. How will you consult with stakeholders and when?

The consultation will start on 13^th October 2021 and conclude on 1^st December 2021. Every effort will be made to ensure stakeholders have the opportunity to find out about the proposal and give feedback. We are making contact with known networks and those who represent stakeholders to provide relevant information and offer a full briefing if required. The consultation is for 7 weeks and we hope this will give stakeholders the opportunity to comment.

Q5. How will the changes to the residential offer improve SEND services for people who use them?

Young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability who have an assessed need for residential placement will be able to attend a school locally.

Young people and their families will be better able to access the right support at the right time since residential provision will be available to meet assessed need for children and young people with communication and interaction needs and / or learning disability from age 8.

Q6. What are the next steps?

Consultation responses and feedback will be collated and reviewed by NYCC at the end of the consultation period. A summary report showing the themes and issues raised will be published on this page.