Early Years Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team

We are part of Sefton’s Early Years’ Service, we work in close partnership with wider services across Sefton including the Special Educational Needs Inclusion Service (SENIS). The Early Years SEND Team support children from birth to 5 years. The team support early years settings and schools to follow and implement the Graduated Approach in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice.

We provide advice and guidance on inclusion for children aged 0-5 years who have, or may have, Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).  We work closely with families, early years settings and schools in helping to understand young children’s early development, strengths and needs and finding ways to promote all aspects of their learning.

 Our work includes:

• contributing to the assessment of children’s needs e.g. through observations, direct work and discussions with those who know the child best
• helping to plan and review interventions and monitor progress
• working with other agencies including speech and language therapists and community paediatricians
• supporting children’s transitions
• signposting families and settings to other services
• developing and delivering training

• Providing bespoke advice for individual children, practitioners, and parents through a weekly advice line service

Early Years Team Leaflet            

• Responsible for the oversight, co-ordination and leading the Early Years SEND Team
• Supporting schools, settings, parents and children
• Work across services, including Early Years Quality Team and the wider inclusion services
• Support with the strategic planning of the Early Years Service and Inclusion
• Responsible for supporting positive outcomes for all groups of young children with SEND

• Responsible for the oversight, co-ordination and leading the Early Years SEND Team
• Supporting schools, settings, parents and children
• Work across services, including Early Years Quality Team and the wider inclusion services
• Support with the strategic planning of the Early Years Service and Inclusion
• Responsible for supporting positive outcomes for all groups of young children with SEND

Portage promotes children’s development through play.  Portage Advisors work directly with young children aged 0-3 years usually in the child’s home and where appropriate, their early years setting, modelling effective interventions to those who know the child.

Their role involves;

• An initial developmental assessment to decide whether Portage is the most appropriate service for a child.
• Ongoing assessment and regular reviews of a child’s progress.
• Structured play activities with a chart for families to record their child’s achievements.
• Advice on further play activities for families to try at home.
• Signposting and information about other services that may be able to offer help or advice to a family.
• Liaison with other professionals in order to ensure a joined-up approach to meeting a child’s needs.
• Support in looking at nursery settings and the ‘next steps’ after Portage.
• Stay and Play sessions for families of children with Special educational needs or disabilities that have recently been referred to the Early Years SEND Team

Leaflet

The SEN and Inclusion Officers provide practical advice to settings, schools and families about ways of supporting children up to 4 years of age.  

Their role involves;

• Providing assessment and advice around evidenced-based interventions through a cycle of Assess- Plan-Do-Review.
• Supporting children’s transitions into early years settings.
•  Working with newly appointed Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs).
• Advise on appropriate activities and techniques, providing example resources where appropriate, and modelling and evaluating their use.
• Contribute to the multi-professional assessment of children’s needs, including children with complex learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental needs.
• Help monitor SEN policy and practice within Early Years settings and support settings in implementing the statutory requirements as set out in the SEND Code of Practice.
• Deliver SEND training for Early Years Settings

Inclusion Consultants are specialist teachers. Their work is informed by knowledge of teaching approaches, including effective strategies and interventions for children with SEND, and by knowledge of the early years curriculum and development.

Their role involves;

• Providing assessment and advice around evidenced-based interventions through a cycle of Assess- Plan-Do-Review.
• Promote and develop good inclusive practice in early years settings and schools
• Provide an allocated amount of time to individual schools/settings to support them in the identification of SEND priorities and actions required to improve outcomes for children.
• Support Early Years Practitioners and Teachers in their understanding of why a child is not making progress and the approaches that may enable learning and development
• Monitor the progress of identified children, especially at important transition times between classes and schools.
• Advising and working in partnership with parents and carers.

• Sefton Parent Carer Forum
• Health Visitors
• Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Occupational Therapy Service
• Physiotherapists
• Early Help Team
• Speech, Language and Communication, Sefton Early Years

The Early Years team work closely with specialised Educational Psychologists. Educational Psychologists have qualifications in psychology and educational psychology.  They are interested in how children learn. They use knowledge of child development and psychological theory to help find solutions in relation to a child’s needs.

Educational Psychology local offer page

Anyone, including a parent who has concerns about a young child, can request our  involvement by completing a ‘Request for involvement’ form. Parental consent must always be obtained before we can become directly involved. Signed parental consent must always be obtained before we can become directly involved.  Unfortunately, we are unable to accept verbal consent only.

Where a setting or professional identifies that a child continues to make less than expected progress, despite carefully planned adaptations and interventions, consideration should be given to involving the Early Years SEND Team and/or other external agencies.  They must work in partnership with parents to establish the support the child needs.  We can accept referrals made by parents if the parent feels support or advice is needed. 

Settings should follow a Graduated Approach when making decisions about who to involve and at when

For children starting Reception, requests for our involvement should be made at least one term prior to starting school for us to be able to contribute to transition planning.

The amount of involvement we have depends on the nature and purpose of the work.  It may be that only short term input is required.  Alternatively, we can remain involved with a child until the end of the first term in their Reception year of mainstream school.  This means we are able to help support a child’s transition into school.

• The graduated approach
• The graduated approach tool kit

Resourced nursery places are a small number of Early Years settings who receive additional funding from the Local Authority in order to  support children with SEN or disabilities within their setting.  

Leaflet

In line with the SEND Code of Practice, where health services anticipate a child under school age has, or is likely to have SEND when they start school they are required to have a discussion with the parents and then make a notification to the local authority. This duty is Section 23 of the Children and Family Act 2014.

This applies where, in the course of exercising functions in relation to a child who is under

compulsory school age, a clinical commissioning group, NHS trust or NHS foundation trust form the opinion that the child has (or probably has) special educational needs or a disability.

The group or trust must—

(a) inform the child’s parent of their opinion and of their duty under subsection (3), and

(b) give the child’s parent an opportunity to discuss their opinion with an officer of the group or trust.

(3) The group or trust must then bring their opinion to the attention of the appropriate local authority in England. Children and Families Act 2014 (c. 6) page 20

As part of this duty, Health professionals will share information about the named child with the Early Years SEND Team, who will then consider how supported early education will be provided.

The purpose of the SEND Early Notification is to ensure that the Local Authority is aware of children with SEND and can ensure that the child has access to the right support arrangements at the right time.

• The threshold for an SEND Early Notification is generally agreed to be that the child has severe, complex and enduring special educational needs which may require support arrangements which are in excess of those through reasonable adjustments.
• There is no generally accepted right time for a SEND Early Notification to be made. Health colleagues will notify the LA at a time that is considered to be appropriate.
• In addition to evidence about the nature of a child’s SEN, the SEND Early Notification will outline the outcomes that parents are seeking for their child. The LA can then ensure that the support arrangements necessary to enable the child to make progress towards achieving their outcomes are in place.
• It is not the function of the SEND Early Notification to serve as a recommendation for a specialist setting, although in some cases a specialist setting may be the most effective way of providing the arrangements a child

The SEND Early Notification is not in itself a request to undertake an Education, Health & Care Needs Assessment

The Early Notification Process, Flowchart

Forms

Early Notification Form (Word Document)

Early Notification Form (PDF Version)

If you would like any further information or to contact a member of the team please email:

SENDEarlyNotification@sefton.gov.uk

Please note Early Notification does not replace Request for Involvement. If a family/child requiring immediate intervention from the Early Years SEND Service. In this case a Request for Involvement form must be completed, Request for Involvement form.

For further enquiries please contact the Early Years Team as follows:

Tel: 0151 934 2347

Email: SENIS@Sefton.gov.uk

Dates for:

Advice line

• Do you work with children aged 0-5?
• Do you have concerns about a child’s development?
• Are you unsure whether to refer a child to our service?
• Are you a parent with concerns about your child or would you like an informal chat about what to expect from our service?

If you answer YES to any of the above, please contact us to book onto one of the half hour advice and support helpline sessions below. Sessions will run from 9.00am-12.00pm and 1.00pm-4.00pm. Please contact the relevant member of staff for the date you require, and they will contact you with an allocated time slot.

April                                                                 May

June                                                                 July

Allocation Meeting 

The Early Years SEND Team meet each month to allocate children that have been referred to our service.  We accept referrals from Early Years PVI and Maintained nurseries, Childminders, Professionals from other services and Parents.  For your information, the meeting dates for 2023-24 are as follows:

19^th September 2023

17^th October 2023

14^th November 2023

12^th December 2023

9^th January 2024

6^th February 2024

12^th March 2024

16^th April 2024

14^th May 2024

11^th June 2024

16^th July 2024

Please ensure that your requests for involvement forms are sent to the correct address:

Sefton Professional Development Centre

225 Park Road

Formby

Liverpool

L37 6EW

Once a child is allocated to a member of the team, they will get in touch.

High Needs Panel

EY HNF DATES – September 2023 to July 2024

Page under construction

• SEN Support in the Early Years

• Top Up Funding (High Needs)

• Education, Health and Care Plans

• Transition planning

• Learning and development plan

• Working with Parents/Carers

• Helpful resources and links for SENCOs

• Top tips and interventions for supporting young children with SEND

• CPD and training

• National legislation

• Training dates for SEND training from January 2024

• Sefton Parent Carer Forum
• Health Visitors
• Speech and Language Therapy Service
• Occupational Therapy Service
• Physiotherapists
• Early Help Team

Where a setting or professional identifies that a child continues to make less than expected progress, despite carefully planned adaptations and interventions, consideration should be given to involving the Early Years SEND Team and/or other external agencies.  They must work in partnership with parents to establish the support the child needs.  We can accept referrals made by parents if the parent feels support or advice is needed. 

Settings should follow a Graduated Approach when making decisions about who to involve and at when

For children starting Reception, requests for our involvement should be made at least one term prior to starting school for us to be able to contribute to transition planning.