Councillors told of progress made in Hertfordshire since SEND inspection

Dame Christine Lenehan, who was brought in to spearhead improvements to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services in Hertfordshire, has highlighted the “progress” made during a council meeting.

Back in 2023 an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission found “systemic failings” in the provision of SEND services in the county.

It found that too many children with SEND in Herts were waiting too long for their needs to be met and for provision to be put in place.

The ‘local area partnership’ - which includes the National Health Service and the county council - was told to address this urgently.

Dame Christine was brought in to chair the improvement board that was set up, in the wake of the inspection.

At the latest meeting of Hertfordshire County Council’s education, SEND and inclusion cabinet panel, Dame Christine told county councillors that progress had been made - with the county now “coming towards the end of that improvement process”.

She suggested that when inspectors returned, they would find sufficient progress had been made.

Speaking to a meeting of the council’s education, SEND and inclusion cabinet panel, Dame Christine said: “In Hertfordshire we are coming towards the end of that improvement process.

“We are waiting – soon maybe, early autumn probably - for another visit back from Ofsted to see if we have made sufficient progress, against the improvement areas laid out,” she said.

“I am totally confident we have made that progress. The board has worked incredibly hard - not just the board but all the things underneath it, all the different teams, to address what we were asked to address.”

Addressing councillors, Dame Christine, the former director of the Council for Disabled Children, said that this was “an emotional passionate area.”

“Families want the very best for their children, the system wants to do the very best for the children,” she said.

“Often they don’t add up together.

“So it is a challenging area to work with. But if you work with the system, a passionate system, there is something about getting it right.

“And I think what is really interesting to me is that however challenging it gets, however difficult it gets, you know that 99.9 per cent of the professionals that work with families of children with SEND and disabilities are people who want the very best for them.

“It doesn’t mean it doesn’t go wrong regularly and you will certainly hear that in your local areas - but that is what we try and do.”

Dame Christine said she was “delighted” to work with Hertfordshire - highlighting executive director of children’s services Jo Fisher and the Herts Parent Carer Involvement (HCPI).

“It’s really, really important to have an open and confident dialogue with parents,” she said.

“What I will say about HCPI is you are able to be constructive and challenging at the same time.

“You never let the authority off the hook or the health service off the hook.

“But you also want to seek solutions all the time, and that’s the way it needs to work.”

Dame Christine said that after coming to the authority in the wake of the inspection it had been important to build strong partnerships - between the local authority, the Integrated Care Board, schools and parents.

She said that one of the real challenges had been the size of the county - which made it difficult to “find a Hertfordshire voice”.

Referring to different practices that had operated in different areas of the county, she said they had worked on that adding: “What’s really interesting about Hertfordshire is actually there are loads and loads of services and support.

“It was about finding a way of making the most of those - finding the way of bringing all those together.”

Dame Christine said they had “benefited strongly” from councillor engagement adding:

“I think having members who are interested and keen and want to know and want to ask the right questions makes a big difference.”

Dame Christine also referenced the work that had been undertaken on data and quality.

• Dame Christine made the remarks at a meeting of the county council’s education, SEND and inclusion cabinet panel, held on June 6. A recording of that meeting can be found at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk