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Dorset SENDIASS – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service
Access to Information, Advice and Support services is a statutory requirement and should be available and accessible for Dorset children, young people and young adults (0 to 25 years) with Special Educational Needs, their parents and carers.
As a result of the changes in the law - Children and Families Act 2014 - the requirements on the Local Authority and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide information, advice and support in relation to SEND have increased.
A National Information, Advice and Support Programme (IASP) has been put in place to support SENDIASS services to meet the statutory requirements and the new Minimum Standards. The IASP is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and administered by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB).
Dorset SENDIASS completed a comprehensive self-review in September 2018, from this a two-year SENDIASS Operational Plan was agreed and forms part of the IASP contract between Dorset Council and the NCB.
The operational plan addresses 3 strategic objectives:
A business case was developed October 2019 which was shared with Children’s Senior Leadership Team (CSLT) who directed for the Dorset SENDIASS to be externally commissioned to ensure that Dorset Council is fully meeting its statutory duties of the minimum standards. An updated version of the Business Case was considered by CSLT in July 2020 and the scope of the new service has been widened to include a service for children and young people.
This will affect both current employees and residents, communities and partners because the service is for external residents and will be an externally commissioned provider.
There was a market engagement event which took place on 11th February 2020 and there are a number of interested and suitable potential service providers for this tender.
There is a SENDIASS steering group which is part of the management structure that oversees the development and performance of the service. This includes representatives from service user groups and key stakeholders from education, social care and health. They have been consulted and updated regularly about this work and will continue to be.
We have used multiple sources of data, information and evidence including:
No further information is needed to help inform this proposal.
Co-production events with service users and stakeholders:
Impact type | Description of impact |
---|---|
Positive impact | the proposal eliminates discrimination, advances equality of opportunity and/or fosters good relations with protected groups |
Negative impact | Protected characteristic group(s) could be disadvantaged or discriminated against |
Neutral impact | No change/ no assessed significant impact of protected characteristic groups |
Unclear | Not enough data/evidence has been collected to make an informed decision |
Age: | Positive impact |
---|---|
What age bracket does this affect? | 0 to 25 years old |
Please provide details: | Advances equality of opportunity for children and young people to access the same level of service. |
Disability:(including physical, mental, sensory and progressive conditions) | Positive impact |
---|---|
Does this affect a specific disability group? | No |
Please provide details?: | The service is targeted to offer information, advice and support to children and young people (0 to 25 years) with Special Educational Needs and/ or Disability (SEND) and their parents and carers Improved capacity of the service increases the number of children and young people able to access the service. |
Gender reassignment and gender identity: | Positive impact
|
---|---|
Please provide details: | The gender of the child, young person or parent carer has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. Improved capacity of the service increases the number of children and young people able to access the service and the likelihood of addressing the needs of this group. By raising the profile of the service is likely to engage people from a broader range of communities. |
Pregnancy and maternity: | Neutral impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | Whether the child, young person or parent carer is pregnant, a new parent or on maternity leave has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. Potentially there could be more service users who are pregnant or on maternity, however this is unlikely because the child would usually be older before identifying needs. |
Race and Ethnicity: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | The race or ethnicity of the child, young person or parent carer should have no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. The expectation on the external provider is that they understand the demographics of Dorset and are able to make the service fully accessible and welcoming to those from different cultural groups and who use languages other than English using translation services if appropriate. The service will engage in coproduction with minority ethnic groups. By raising the profile of the service it is likely to engage people from a broader range of communities. |
Religion or belief: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | The religion or belief of the child, young person or parent carer has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. The expectation of the external providing is that there will be training in place in order that staff respond in a sensitive and appropriate way to service users of different religions and beliefs. |
Sexual orientation: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: |
|
Sex (consider both men and women): | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | The sex of the child, young person or parent carer has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. |
Marriage or civil partnership: | Neutral impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | Whether the young person or parent carer is married or in a civil partnership has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. |
Carers: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | There may be more accessibility to young carers as a result of the increased capacity in the children and young person’s service, and co-production with this group. |
Rural isolation: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | We are going to be seeking a more consistent service offer for service users in every part of the Dorset Council area with the revised service specification. The Digital Offer will be improved including enhancing the website.
|
Single parent families: | Neutral impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | Whether the child, young person or parent carer is part of a single parent family has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. Increased capacity may allow for an increase in the group accessing the service. |
Social and economic deprivation: | Positive impact |
---|---|
Please provide details: | Whether the child, young person or parent carer are socially or economically deprived has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services.
|
Armed Forces communities: | Positive impact |
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Please provide details: | Whether the child, young person and/or parent carer is part of a military family has no effect on whether they receive SENDIASS services. The capacity to focus specific staff in locality areas is more likely to pick up the armed forces communities in that area. |
Issue | Action to be taken | Person(s) responsible | Date to be completed by |
---|---|---|---|
Age | Add to tender documents and service specification about the development of the children's and young people element of the service. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Disability | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Gender reassignment and gender Identity | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Race and ethnicity | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Religion or belief | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Sexual orientation | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Sex | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Carers | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Rural isolation | Add to tender documents and service specification about providing a consistent service offer for service users in every part of the Dorset Council area. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Social & economic deprivation | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Armed Forces communities | Ensuring the tender questionnaire and evaluation criteria specifically cover all of the points identified in the EqIA. Subsequent contract monitoring will hold providers to account on these issues. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
All the above ‘Issues’ | The tender document will include a link to information about the Dorset Population to allow the providers to understand the diverse make-up of the Dorset Council area in order to allow them to take account of this in their service delivery proposals. |
Commissioning & Transformation Lead |
By 19 October 2020 |
Role | Name | Date |
---|---|---|
Officer completing this EqIA | Tom Smith | 17 September 2020 |
Equality Lead | Susan Ward-Rice | 17 September 2020 |
Equality & Diversity Action Group Chair | Rick Perry | 17 September 2020 |