Collaborative learning across local authorities: Enhancing EHCP quality‍

In our first 90-minute webinar, you'll hear from two local authorities sharing their practical strategies for improving the quality of EHCPs. Additionally, you'll gain valuable insights from a key representative from the SEND parent/carer community on fostering effective collaborations on impactful initiatives.‍

Webinar focus:
🚀 Actionable approaches to improving EHCP standards
🚀 Real-world experiences, making it relevant for all local authorities, regardless of prior engagement with Invision360.

Please note this webinar will not be focused on the Invision360 tools

Miss the webinar?

Hop over to our Youtube and watch the recording
Short on time? Take a browse through the presentation slides

Our speakers:

Tia Sohi- Education Consultant and Sector Led Improvement Partner for the Department for Education

Tia has served as a senior leader and Special Educational Needs Coordinator in Alternative Provision, specifically focusing on SEMH secondary education. With years of experience in both operational and strategic roles within Local Authorities' Education directorates, she has transitioned to become a Sector Led Improvement Partner for the Department for Education.

In the session Tia will dive into the importance of working with Sector Led Improvement Partners (SLIPs) to enhance SEND and Education practices.

Here's what she'll cover:

• Understanding SLIP and the definition and role of SLIPs in supporting local authorities and education
• Benefits of collaboration: Advantages such as expertise sharing, tailored support, capacity building, and accountability through data usage.
• Proactive improvement: Importance of implementing transformational practices before inspections and fostering a culture of continuous improvement with stakeholder engagement.
• Key inspection themes: Review of challenges from recent inspections, successful improvement journeys, and lessons learned.
• Long-term strategies: Effective strategies for embedding improvements, emphasising action plans, monitoring, evaluation, and staff development.
• Engaging stakeholders: Importance of involving parents, carers, and children, and promoting collaboration among education providers.

Rachael Kennedy - SEND Quality Assurance Team Manager and Amy Brittain - Practice Development Lead at Hertfordshire County Council

Rachael and Amy will present Hertfordshire’s innovative ‘Making SEND Everyone’s Business Model,’ which includes a new SEND Quality Assurance Team dedicated to focussing on enhancing quality and improving practice across SEND services. They will also introduce the ‘SEND Academy,’ an exciting new training and induction programme. Rachael and Amy will discuss how the quality function and the SEND Academy contribute to improving the quality of EHCPs.

Tina Emery OBE - Former Co-chair and Director of the national network of parent carers forum and former Director and Chair of the steering group at Somerset parent carer forum CIC

Hello, I’m Tina Emery.

With over 30 years of experience in education, residential social care, and youth work, I am passionate about hearing the voices of children, young people, parents, and carers.

In May 2014, I became involved with the Somerset Parent Carer Forum, where I initially joined to collaborate with Somerset’s Local Authority and the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group. At that time, we had just 260 members and a small leadership team of two managing all participation work. I established an online parent carer support group, growing it from 10 members to over 1,500 in a decade, and in 2016, we formally established the forum as a Community Interest Company CIC to accommodate our expanding membership, which now exceeds 2,000.

Each forum supported by the Department for Education’s participation grant is part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forum (NNPCF) CIC. This national network includes 153 local forums, reflecting England’s local authority areas, and is made up of 155,000 parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.

In 2017, I became the Southwest Steering Group member for the NNPCF, and in 2019, I was elected Co-Chair. Through my roles within the NNPCF, I have actively participated in numerous national boards and collaborated closely with national government entities, including the Department for Education, NHS England, and Ofsted. I have also worked closely with regional government teams, playing an instrumental role in building a strong, collaborative relationship with NHS England in the Southwest.

In 2023, I was awarded an OBE in the King’s first birthday honors. I have been a member on several significant government boards, including the Department for Education’s Vulnerable Children’s Board, the SEND and AP Improvement Group, the Alternative Provision Advisory Group, and the Attendance Action Alliance.