UPDATE NO 509 10 June 2022

Aspirant DCS Programme FINAL CALL – closes Monday 13 June

The Staff College, Institute of Public Care, Skills for Care, and GatenbySanderson – supported by DfE – invite applications for the upon Aspirant Directors Programme. Applications close 13 June 2022

Starting in late September 2022 and running until March 2023, the upon Programme will welcome around 40 Aspirant Directors. The flyer is here or contact upon@thestaffcollege.uk or call 0161-826-9450.

Learning Disability England – call for examples

Samantha Clark, Chief Executive of Learning Disability England writes,

We are doing a small piece of work with DHSC as part of our work as a Health and Wellbeing Alliance to help identify what positive or useful methods, services or systems support people with learning disabilities, autistic people and their families get, understand use information about social care or support. Please see our Call for Examples for further details. There is a brief form here to contribute local examples (max 5 min to fill in).

This project will be shared with DHSC as a contribution to social care reform information provision plans including the LA Assurance framework measures CQQ are developing.

There is more information in the Call for Examples sheet but simply put we are looking for examples of services, methods or approaches to helping people with learning disabilities and autistic get and understand information about social care or local support. Thank you in advance for your help.

£4.8m DfE grant to RISE to support SEND improvement

On 6 June, DfE announced that the Research & Improvement for SEND Excellence partnership (RISE), led by the Council for Disabled Children and including the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), the University of Warwick and Isos Partnership will deliver a three year, £4.8m contract to support SEND improvement in local areas.

The contract includes two programmes of work:

• The first will enable targeted performance improvement for local areas with weaknesses in their multi-agency SEND system via the provision of bespoke support
• The second will design and develop a What Works in SEND programme; as a learning system, comprising research, development, and dissemination of resources and models of effective practice; and as an evidence base for exemplary practice within the sector.

Local authority established MATs: registration of interest

On 25 May DfE published Local authority established MATs: registration of interest, which closes on 31 July 2022. 

The Schools White Paper signalled the DfE’s intention to allow local authorities to set up new multi-academy trusts (MAT) in areas where too few strong trusts exist.

This document provides further details for LAs on: setting up an LA-established MAT; the intention to commence with a test and learn exercise for 2022 to 2023; how to submit a registration of interest.

The detailed report is here 

Future dates for network meetings

Lead Members Group: Friday 22 July 10.00am.  More from Alison Michalska (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: Tuesday 12 July 10:00am More from Alastair Lee (contact details below)

Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board: Wednesday 20 July 10.30am-12noon More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

AD Education: Friday 1 July 10:00am. More from Chris Owen (contact details below)

AD Safeguarding: Friday 9 September 10:00am. More from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: Thursday 16 June 2:00pm – 5:00pm. More from Amanda Meadows (contact details below)

Fostering Network: Wednesday 13 July 10-11.30am More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

SEND SE19: Wednesday 15 June 12 – 1.30 Strategic Conversation: LAs & DfE. More from Sheelagh Sullivan (contact details below)

Early Help: Monday 12 September 1.30pm. More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Family Hubs Community of Practice: Governance and commissioning workshop via Teams Tuesday 19 July 9.20 – 11.30. More from Carly Bain (contact details below)