Bradford SEND Complex Care Panel Plan

Purpose

The remit of the Complex Care Panel will be to jointly agree and commission highly specialist provision for a small number of C&YP (0-25 years) with a complexity of needs.

Membership

Stakeholder Decision Makers

Co-Chair

Marium Haque

Interim (Strategic Lead for Inclusion, SEND and Early Years) ) Deputy Director, Education Employment and Skills

Clare Smart

Co-Chair

Co-Chair

Ann Chester-Walsh

Deputy Director, Social Care

Advisor

David Byrom

Head of Service, LAC & Resources

Advisor

Gary Saul

Interim SEND Team Manager

Advisor

Ruth Dennis

Principal Educational Psychologist

Advisor

Ruth Hayward  (to alternate)

Head of Commissioning (Women and Children) ), NHS Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven, Bradford City and Bradford Districts CCGs

Advisor

Lorraine Hawksworth-Quill

Service Manager - Children's Disability Service

Advisor

Sally Townend

Adult Social Care representation 

Advisor

Lisa Stead

CAMHS

Advisor

Julia Elliott

Head of School Nursing

Advisor

Cath Dew

Early Help (LAC)

Advisor

Jenny Cryer

Assistant Director, Performance & Commissioning (Children's Services)

Advisor

Mary Brittle

Commissioning and Contract Manager

Advisor

Andrew Redding

Business Advisor

Panel Administrator

Claire Willoughby

Panel Administrator

Scope of Panel Decisions

It is recognised that a very small number of children and young people (0-25 years) who have an Education Health and Care Plan, will be unable to have their needs met from services and provisions that are  available or able to be provided within the district.  These children and young people will require highly specialist and individualised packages of support.  These are often high cost, specialist residential providers, able to offer specialist education, health and care provision that the LA and CCG are unable to commission and deliver from within existing services.

It should be noted that whilst the majority of the Children/Young People will have an EHC Plan, there will be a small number who do not have a disability or special educational need that impacts upon their lives to an extent that requires an EHC Plan.  However, other factors mean that their needs are sufficiently complex and cannot be met within the usual commissioning and provision of services.

Decisions to approve placements and funding will need to be agreed at a senior level due to the high cost of the individualised packages needing to be commissioned.

For the purposes of auditing, challenges, complaints, or other matters arising linked to the decision of the Panel, the following membership will be considered accountable:

• Deputy Director, Education, Employment and Skills
• Director of Strategic Partnerships, Executive Lead for Bradford Districts CCG
• Deputy Director, Social Care
• Assistant Director, Health & Wellbeing (Adults)

Substitutes sent on behalf of any Panel member must have the delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of the service/organisation they are representing.

The Complex Care Panel will be provided with support and advice by:

• SEND and Behaviour Strategic Manager
• Strategic Manager Integrated Assessment & Psychology
• Head of Service, Through Care and Resources
• SEN Assessment Team Manager
• Principal Educational Psychologist
• Head of Commissioning for (Women and Children) , NHS Bradford Districts, NHS Bradford City & NHS Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven CCGs
• CAMHS
• Head of School Nursing
• Assistant Director, Performance & Commissioning (Children's Services)
• Commissioning and Contract Manager
• 14-19 Lead Officer LDD Post 16
• Transitions Social Care
• LAC Virtual Headteacher
• Legal Advisor 
• Senior Finance Officer
• Business Support Manager - Integrated Assessment Team (Panel Administrator)

These individuals will act in an advisory capacity only and will not be eligible to make decisions unless indicated otherwise by the key stakeholder organisations represented in the Panel membership.

Terms of Reference

1. The focus of the Panel will be on those children/young people (aged 0-25 years) who have a complexity of need which requires provision (usually residential) that is not available, or is unable to be made, within Bradford.  For young people aged 18-25, this will include provision whereby there is a requirement for them to remain or access out of authority specialist provision, which must include specialist education as well as care and/or health provision, as no such specialist provision is available in the Bradford District, but the young person intends to remain a Bradford resident (e.g. they may attend a specialist residential post 16 college).
2. The Complex Care Panel will only consider cases that are “high cost” and/or bespoke and highly specialist packages which are jointly commissioned between the LA and the CCG.
3. The Complex Care Panel will have representatives who are at an appropriately senior level from key stakeholders, specifically Children & Young Peoples Service (covering Education & Children’s Social Care), Adults Social Care, Children’s and Adults CCG.  All members of the Complex Care Panel must have the approved delegated authority to make decisions on behalf of the organisation/stakeholder they represent.
4. Cases will be presented by the most appropriate key worker.  This will usually be the Social Worker, SEND Case Officer and/or Health Worker.  The key worker will be responsible for ensuring reports are prepared in advance and presented to the Complex Care Panel within the required timescale.
5. The Complex Care Panel will usually seek to commission provision from within the relevant approved Commissioning Frameworks.  However, it is recognised that in order to secure the appropriate provision, on occasion it may be necessary to commission provision outside of the Framework arrangements.

The EHC Panel and the Complex Care Panel will work closely together to ensure that the needs of C&YP are assessed and met appropriately, efficiently and effectively.  This will include the need for systems to be in place that recognise the movement of C&YP between the EHC Panel and the Complex Care Panel

Practical Considerations

The panel will make decisions based only on the written evidence presented. If this is insufficient to support a decision being made, the case will be referred back to the referring agency for further clarification.

It is expected that the lead/key worker would present the case. In their absence, the team manager should present the case to Panel on their behalf.

All relevant information will be shared with Complex Care Panel members 2 working days before the panel meeting.  The information will be available on Sharepoint to which all members will have access.  This will include all the necessary paperwork to support the decision making process. The meetings will be attended by the Business Support Manager (Administrator) to support the administration requirements of the Panel.

The minutes of the panel will be shared with professionals 1 week after the Panel meeting. It is the relevant worker’s responsibility to input the Panel notes on Electronic Case Files.

The Panel advises that all paperwork be shredded after the meeting.

Reports not submitted on time to the Complex Care Panel mailbox will be deferred to the next Panel, unless there are exceptional circumstances where a delay could impact negatively on a child’s needs.

Reporting Mechanisms

• Children's Services:  Directorate Management Team
• SEND Strategic Partnership
• Health and Well-being Board

Meeting Cycle

The Panel will meet once a month.