Dear Parent or Carer,
We want to start by recognising the ongoing challenges we face in meeting the demand for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) needs assessments. We know the delays have a real impact on you, your children, and young people, and we want to sincerely thank you for your patience as we work to improve our services.
Partnership with Liquid Personnel
In August 2024, we partnered with a company called Liquid Personnel to bring in additional interim Educational Psychologists (EPs). This has been a vital step in helping us reduce delays. Thanks to this partnership, we’ve been able to complete an extra 100 assessments per month and have reviewed over 304 cases to date.
Short-term Measures and Long-term Goals
These short-term measures are helping us reduce delays, but we are also working on long-term improvements to create a better and more reliable service. We are recruiting for senior roles and hope to fill these positions by January 2025. To attract the right people, we are finding ways to make these jobs more appealing. We are also focused on strengthening our Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision (SENSAP) and Educational Psychology teams and improving the EHC assessment process to make things easier and better for families, schools, and settings.
Looking Ahead
We know this is a journey, and there is still more work to do, but we are making meaningful progress. By working closely with schools, settings, and families like yours, we are moving closer to creating a system that better supports children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Stay Up to Date
We are committed to keeping you informed as we move forward. For the latest updates on our progress and the SEND and Inclusion Transformation Programme, please visit the Leeds Local Offer page: SEND and Inclusion Transformation | Leeds Local Offer
We also share updates in the Leeds Local Offer bulletin: LLO ebulletins | Leeds Local Offer. If you would like to receive those, please email LLO@leeds.gov.uk.
Additionally, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) who offer free, impartial, and confidential advice to families, are also kindly sharing key transformation updates through their service page and Facebook group, providing another avenue to stay informed.
If you have any queries regarding the SEND and Inclusion transformation programme, please don’t hesitate to contact us at ehcpreview@leeds.gov.uk.
We sincerely thank you for your understanding, patience, and support as we work to improve the services your children and young people rely on. Together, we are making progress and moving closer to creating a system that provides the support every child deserves.
With very best wishes,
Dan Barton
Deputy Director (Learning)
Children and Families Directorate
Leeds City Council
Gary Saul
Chief Officer Learning Inclusion
Children and Families Directorate
Leeds City Council
