The right help at the right time in the right place: strategy for the learning provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs 2017-2026

Foreword – A message from Margaret Orr,
Chairperson of the Doran National Commissioning Group

On behalf of the National Commissioning Group I have great pleasure in sharing the updated strategy which has developed as a direct consequence of the responses to the national consultation. 

The responses which we received reflected the keen interest of all stakeholders in supporting developments which will impact on the provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs. 

We have sought to ensure that the updated strategy reflects both the priorities identified by the respondents and takes into account related national developments which have evolved in the period since the publication of the consultation document.  

The Doran review recommended that national provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs should be strategically commissioned.  Children and young people with complex additional support needs should have access to early integrated assessment, that services offered are responsive to changing needs, lead to the best possible outcomes and are delivered where possible with the home community.  The review also aspires that there is a presumption of entitlement to the highest quality of services and that local and national provision are complementary and operate with coherence.

We have aligned the strategy to the priority areas of the National Improvement Framework (NIF).  The NIF vision for education is clear that we want to develop with our partners an empowered and collaborative system, where everyone’s contribution is heard and valued and improving children and young people’s outcomes is at the heart of everything we do.  This vision supports the recommendations of the Doran review which focused on how we can continue to develop capacity within the whole system of services and supports upon which children and young people and their families rely.  Capacity is more than buildings and expensive resources; it is also about the expertise, values and attitudes that make a real difference to the experiences and outcomes for children and young people with complex additional support needs.

I trust that you will find the updated strategy to be a  focussed document against which we can all benchmark the achievement of the stated priorities and our collective responsibility needed to realise the strategic vision which attracted full endorsement from all the respondents.