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Darlington SEND Local Offer

A female teacher with a young girl in a classroom

The Local Offer is Darlington Borough Council's publication of all the provision the local authority expects to be available across Education, Health, and Social Care for children and young people (0-25) in our area, who have special educational needs and/or are disabled, including those who do not have Education Health and Care (EHC) plans.

We are refreshing the local offer to make it more accessible to families. This includes the development of podcasts from local professionals and details of the council’s regular Let’s Talk SEND events.

The main purpose of the Local Offer is to provide clear, comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date information about the available provision and how to access it; and to make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations by directly involving children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, their parents, and service providers in its development and review.

Give your feedback on the Local Offer [external link]

Independent, impartial advice on all matters SEND is freely available to children, young people and their parents and carers from SENDIASS and also from the Darlington Parent Carer Forum. The staff in these organisations have had relevant training regarding the SEND Code of Practice and the Equalities Act, as well as appropriate personal checks carried out on their suitability to carry out their roles. Both organisations comply with data protection legislation to keep you and your information safe and secure and both are covered by public liability insurance. When seeking advice and support on SEND matters please ensure you are doing so safely – the easiest way to do this is through the appropriate and recognised channels.

 

Darlington Local Area SEND strategy 2025-2029

The local area partnership has co-produced a new SEND strategy for 2025-2029. The SEND Strategy establishes our strategic approach to the delivery of SEND services for children and young people in Darlington, ensuring the offer is coordinated and responsive to the needs of our community. The strategy sets out our shared local area vision, principles, and priorities to ensure that partners across the Darlington local area are working together effectively to identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) from birth to the age of 25. The SEND Strategy has been coproduced with partners across the borough, and is fundamental to implementing partners responsibilities under the Children and Families Act 2014. It reflects the ambitions and priorities of the Council Plan and other key strategic documents.

Initial consultation on this strategy took place with a range of partners through 2024. The SEND Strategy has been co-produced with key stakeholders including children and young people and parents/carers. Following approval by Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet in October 2024 the plan was subject to public consultation. The public consultation process has now closed but conversations with parents, carers, children and young people and stakeholders about how best they can be supported to achieve the co-produced vision and outcomes will continue as the strategy is implemented.

 

Darlington Local Area SEND Inspection Report Published

Darlington local area was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in November 2024 to evaluate how services in the area support Children and Young People with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Darlington has seen improvements to services for children with SEND its previous inspections in 2022.

Darlington Borough Council and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) are jointly responsible for the planning and commissioning of services for children and you people with SEND in Darlington

The report, published today, said children and young people with SEND have a voice in Darlington. They are valued, visible and included in their communities. Children, young people and their families are included in decision-making about the individual support plans and types of support that they receive. There are many positives about the partnership’s SEND arrangements and the experiences and outcomes for children for young people with SEND.

Inspectors state the local area partnership is committed to improving the education, health and social care services across Darlington which benefit children and young people with SEND.  However, inspectors found the partnership’s arrangements for some children and young people can lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes.

Some of the areas of strength the report highlighted include:

  • The partnership is ambitious for children and young people with SEND. Leaders work closely together to improve local provision.
  • Children and young people are involved effectively in co-producing the Darlington SEND strategy
  • The timeliness and quality of children and young people’s education, health and care plans are improving
  • Children, young people and their families receive a comprehensive range of effective support while they are waiting for access to services
  • The partnership has implemented well-thought-out strategies to support the mental health and emotional well-being needs of children and young people across Darlington
  • Children and young people who are in care, and have SEND, are successfully prepared for adulthood.
  • Disabled children receiving support from children’s social care experience smooth transitions to adult social care.

However, the report also highlighted areas where the partnership must improve, including:

  • Leaders need to continue to develop how they use data to inform strategic planning
  • Children and young people wait too long for some therapy services and a diagnosis for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • There is a lack of a defined process to assess and support children and young people with a learning disability
  • Some children and young people experience delays in the delivery of some health services, for example when navigating access to home equipment.
  • Improve the quality of information sharing with schools and services

The partnership already recognises and is responding to these challenges. The partnership had developed a new SEND Strategy to be adopted this year and completed a full public consultation on the strategy in December 2024. The partnership will use the findings of the report to align with and inform the SEND Strategy implementation plan.

Councillor Nick Wallis, Cabinet Member: Children & Young People said: “We are committed to working in partnership across Darlington to support children and young people with SEND and their families so that they are able to fulfil their ambitions and thrive. This latest report demonstrates how our local education, health and care services have continued to improve and this is thanks to the hardworking and committed staff working across the partnership and the local children and families who we listen to and work with to develop services and plans.”

Levi Buckley, chief delivery officer for NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “We're pleased the inspectors saw the strengths and improvements in the work of the local area, and this is a testament to the hardworking teams across the area and the families we work with. Our partnership is aware of the particular challenges for neurodevelopmental pathways, and it is reassuring that the report recognises that those children and young people on a neurodevelopmental diagnostic pathway are being identified and their needs met at an early stage while they are awaiting a diagnosis. We know there is further work needed to develop the diagnostic service offer. Every day our health, education and care teams work hard to make a difference in the lives of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Our young people, each with their own strengths and needs – along with their families, are at the heart of everything we do."

You can read the full OFSTED inspection report [PDF document]

 

Let's talk SEND

Darlington Council runs regular termly "Let's Talk SEND" events as part of our local offer. Parent/carers can book places online and submit questions in advance of the sessions.

Questions are submitted prior to the meeting to ensure that the discussion is based on issues that parent/carers wish to raise and that current concerns are being addressed.

The events are an opportunity to hear from Local Area leaders on current projects and future plans.

 

News

Education Secretary @bphillipsonMP [external link] visited Mount Pleasant Primary in Darlington to see how their fantastic support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can be a blueprint for support, for children with SEND and their families, across the country. pic.twitter.com/2qwyt6s3s3[external link]

— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) October 25, 2024[external link]

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