That is the finding of the most recent review meeting between the city's SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England, which concluded that the city continues to make 'sustainable progress' and that this work is 'having a positive impact'.
It follows a Local Area Review of SEND services which looked at how well partners – including the City of Wolverhampton Council, the Black Country Integrated Care Board, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Early Years’ settings, schools and further education providers – identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.
It highlighted a number of areas of good practice and also those areas which required further development, and a Written Statement of Action was produced to outline the steps that would be taken by partners to further improve SEND services in the city in 6 key areas.
The review meeting, the latest in a series of regular progress checks, found that clear and sustained progress had been made in addressing another of these key areas – how partners share information – meaning it will no longer be monitored going forward.
Assessors found Wolverhampton's 'Local Offer' of information and support for children and young people with SEND and their families had been relaunched with the development of a new website. As a result, awareness of the Local Offer had 'significantly increased' and people now 'feel better informed and know where support is available'.
Four of the other areas for improvement have already been 'closed off', and assessors will continue to monitor the one remaining area over the coming months.
Jon Dore from the DfE said: "I know this positive outcome is as a result of a great deal of commitment and hard work on the part of the local authority, the Integrated Care Board, families and front line staff across education, health and social care.
"I would like to thank you for all that you are doing to support some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society, and to congratulate you on the progress you have made. Please do continue with these efforts and build on the successes you have already achieved."
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: "As a system, we have made excellent progress to improve SEND support over the last few years, and it is reassuring to hear the feedback from the Department of Education about this, and particularly the positive impact this work is having on children, young people and their families.
"We know there is still more to do and we will continue working at pace to deliver the high standards our families with SEND expect and deserve, and so we will be looking to close off the one remaining area for improvement over the coming months.”
