Issue - meetings

Report ED16020

Concerning the Government specified programme to transition SEN statements into Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP), approval was sought to:

·  carry forward and draw-down into the 2016/17 budget a remaining sum of £28k from £148k drawn-down from the non-ring-fenced £176k SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant for 2015/16;

·  carry forward to the 2016/17 budget (i) a £15k under-spend on the SEND Regional Lead Grant 2015/16 and (ii) an £80k under-spend on the SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant; and

·  draw-down to the 2016/17 budget a sum of £180k from the SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant of £201k for 2016/17 with the remaining £21k to stay in Central Contingency for later draw-down if required. 

The total funding of £303k would be used to continue the extra capacity to deliver transitions of statements to EHC plans or pupil resource agreements; review current SEND services and provisions; embed the new policies and practices; develop robust systems for recording and monitoring the EHC process; Personal Budgets; and to ensure the workforce has a clear understanding of policy and practice.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  carry forward and draw-down of £28k grant for 2015/16 to the 2016/17 budget, as detailed at paragraph 4.1 of Report ED16020, be approved;

(2)  carry forward to 2016/17 of the under-spends in 2015/16 of £80k and £15k as detailed at paragraph 4.2 of Report ED16020 be approved; and

(3)  draw-down of £180k to the 2016/17 budget from the SEN New Burdens Grant 2016/17 be approved, with the remaining £21k to stay in contingency, ring-fenced for draw-down at a later date if required, as detailed at paragraph 4.3 of Report ED16020.

Report ED16020

Members considered a report seeking approval for the carry forward of the SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant 2015/16, the London SEND Regional Lead Grant 2015/16, and the SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant 2016/17.  The Committee noted that at its meeting on 24 March 2015, the Executive approved the drawdown of £148,000 of the non-ring-fenced £176,000 SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant 2015/16, with the £28,000 remainder to remain in the Council’s Central Contingency for drawdown at a later date.  It was now requested that this £28,000 be carried forward and drawn-down into the 2016/17 budget.  A second non-ring-fenced grant was received for 2015/16, the SEND Regional Lead Grant of £62,000, which replaced the previous SEND Pathfinder Grant, and which was approved for drawdown by Executive on 14^th October 2015.  Due to the lateness in the grant announcement and the time required to recruit temporary skilled staff, there was a projected underspend of £15,000 on the SEND Pathfinder Grant in 2015/16, and a £80,000 underspend on the SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant.  It was requested that these underspends were carried forward to the 2016/17 budget.  In addition, confirmation of further funding had recently been received, with the Council allocated £210,000 SEN Implementation (New Burdens) Grant 2016/17.  It was requested that £180,000 of this was drawn-down to the 2016/17 budget with the remaining £21,000 to remain in Central Contingency for drawdown at a later date if required.  This would provide a total of £303,000 funding for 2016/17.  The funding would be used to continue the extra capacity to deliver the transitions of statements to EHC plans or pupil resource agreements;  review current SEND services and provisions; embed the new policies and practices; develop robust systems for recording and monitoring the EHC process, Personal Budgets and ensure the workforce had a clear understanding of policy and practice. A total of £32,000 would be provided to third parties, and £271,000 used to employee a total of 7 FTE temporary staff.

RESOLVED: That the Executive be recommended to

  (a)  Approve the carry forward and drawdown of £28,000 grant for 2015/16 to the 2016/17 budget.

  (b)  Approve the carry forward to 2016/17 of the underspends in 2015/16 of £80,000 and £15,000 as detailed in the report.

  (c)  Approve the drawdown to the 2016/17 budget of part of SEN New Burdens Grant 2016/17 of £180,000, with the remaining £21,000 to stay in contingency ring-fenced for drawdown at a later date if required as detailed in the report.

  (d)  Approve the drawdown to the 2016/17 budget of part of SEN New Burdens Grant 2016/17 of £180,000, with the remaining £21,000 to stay in contingency ring-fenced for drawdown at a later date if required as detailed in the report.