Leicester Children’s Trust
Multi-Agency Disabled Children and
Young People’s Strategy/Workplan
2012 – 2014
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1. Background and Introduction
The Multi-Agency Disabled Children and Young People’s Programme Board (DCYPPB) has
been in existence for 12 years and was established alongside the Council Disabled Children’s
Service at that time.
With the impetus and funding that the Aiming High for Disabled Children’s Programme (200811) provided, services for disabled children have expanded and now have a broader remit.
This revised strategy has been developed to reflect these changes and other developments in
the City delivered on a multi-agency basis.
Leicester City has a long established partnership with multi-agency professionals and parents
in Leicester. They meet at the Disabled Children's Programme Board as the strategic lead on
local developments for disabled children and young people.
2. Vision
Within Leicester City all partners will work together so disabled children and young people,
and their families, receive information, support and opportunities for fulfilling healthy lives
To improve outcomes by ensuring partners are accountable for their plans.
3. Priorities
The strategy has six priorities relating to participation and consultation; short breaks;
information/planning and commissioning; transition; workforce development; and health. These
are based on 12 pledges in the NHS Leicester City and Local Authority Disabled Children’s
Joint Charter (appendix 1). The charter was signed by the City Mayor, Assistant City Mayor
(Children’s Services) and Associate Director for Children and Families form NHS Leicester City
in July 2011. These same pledges have been adopted by the Disabled Children’s Programme
Board as the principal priorities for all partners.
The strategy also builds on the Leicester City Children and Young People’s Plan 2011-2014
stating we will ‘Improve outcomes for particularly vulnerable groups of children and young
people: Looked after Children; children and young people with special educational
needs/learning difficulties and/or disabilities, young offenders and children and young people
who are carers for others. An action is to produce this strategy for disabled children and young
people and develop a new set of actions. This will feed into the Vision for Adult and Social Care
to enable a seamless transition for young people to take control and have the support and
services they need whilst developing greater independence across all areas of their lives.
(The Children’s Plan 2011 – 14 and Raising Achievement Strategy can be found at http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/social-care-health/young-peoplefamilies/supportservices/childrenstrust/childrensplan/)
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Priority 1 (Lead: Sandra Holyoake)
Participation and consultation - ensure participation and consultation are embedded in
all the work undertaken with or on behalf of Disabled Children and Young People and
their parent/carers.
Leicester City’s delivery of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme embedded the
principle of participation and consultation in all the work that is undertaken with or on behalf of
disabled children and their parent/carers. This principle worked on the basis that all disabled
children and their parent/carers be supported to be involved in the planning, design, delivery
and evaluation of services that affect their everyday lives. Involving service users in this way
ensures better outcomes for families and much more effective and efficient use of resources.
The delivery plan for the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme was based upon a wide
consultation held in 2008 that included parents, carers and disabled children and young people.
Current position:
 There are two very successful Forums – Big Mouth Forum and the Leicester City Parent
Carer Forum. Each forum meets monthly and is involved in many aspects of Council
business that affects them including giving their views on policy and procedures, feeding
back on services, recruitment and training of staff, saying how budgets should be spent.
 Big Mouth membership has increased from 9 – 50 since it began December 2008.
 Removing Barriers has developed a Participation Strategy called “Removing Barriers 2
Participation” with an Action Plan that is based on:
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Policy and action planning
Information and practice to support participation
Disabled children and young people being involved in service design and evaluation
Participation being integral to professional development including recruitment, induction,
training, consultancy and mentoring.
What we are aiming to do:
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Increasing participation of service users.
Consulting relevant voluntary sector groups.
Review parent’s forum and Big Mouth Forum.
Recruit Parents/children to be involved with all aspects of the SEND pathfinder.
Priority 2 (Lead: Julie Kazakevics/Pete Coopey)
To develop short break opportunities for disabled children and young people so they
have access to positive activities and give their parents a break.
Current position:
 Following the end of the Aiming High Programme in Leicester City which achieved a
substantial increase of short breaks over a three year programme, it would now be
beneficial to have a working knowledge of current short break opportunities for disabled
children and young people, to inform future direction.
 The coordination of accurate data and statistical information again is required to inform
the development of appropriate further short breaks that meet the needs of the children
and their families.
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What we are aiming to do:
To continue partnership work, to develop and extend regular short breaks particularly for those
with complex needs, and implement the Short Breaks Duty.
The initial 4 aims are:
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To have a knowledge of existing short break opportunities in Leicester City
To improve data collection and statistical information to inform short break requirements
To continue to identify and reduce barriers for young people to access short breaks
To further develop a range of positive activities.
Priority 3 (Lead: Steve Parker/Sam Little)
Information: Information on services for disabled children and young people and their
families will be accessible, available, accurate, joined up and user focussed.
Planning and commissioning will be outcome focused with a clear link between strategy
and disabled children/young people and their families.
Current position:
Following national data collection through NI 54 we are aware of the need to:
 improve information sharing with service users and partners.
 All agencies in Leicester City continue to improve and provide prompt and effective
provision of easily accessible information in a variety of formats using diverse methods
of communication.
 Commissioning will continue to be informed with evidenced based data/outcomes to
ensure the correct services are provided for the Leicester’s population.
 All partners will endeavour to inform their commissioning through service user
involvement.
What we are aiming to do:
Develop a work plan including the steps we needs to take to ensure priorities are realised,
listing targets/outcomes that can be monitored. This will include:
Information
 Encourage new methods of technology to communicate information.
 Continuing to improve data collection and analysis systems including promoting and
encouraging the registration of disabled children.
 Working to ensure all information is produced in accessible formats.
 Develop websites/service directories
 Ensure links exist to the Family Information Service Plan and the Family Information
Directory.
 Standards and quality assurance for staff and services (see DCS plan standards
issues).
 Identify who will keep information updated.
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Planning and commissioning
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Monitoring and evaluating services.
Develop audit and feedback systems.
User involvement in planning and developing services.
Continue to work with/audit providers who received money
Reporting on activities
Work on the personalisation agenda in Children’s Services, including the SEND
Pathfinder and joint work proposed with Adult Services for schools, young people and
their carers, and partner agencies.
 Develop an ‘Information Strategy on Personalisation’ including briefings for
schools/colleges; provision and support. This will include information on the Right to
Control programme, the emphasis on employment and opportunities for developing
independence and access to opportunities for young people to develop friendships and
social inclusion in their communities.
 Family Leadership course.
 Multi-disciplinary Transition Planning training for partners.
Priority 4 (Lead: Pat Taylor/Yasmin Surti)
Transition: We will ensure transitions are well managed and timely with agencies clear
about roles and responsibilities.
Current position:
The Leicester City Transition Partnership has agreed this year’s priorities for Transition Support
developments. The priorities can be found in the Leicester City Council Disabled Children’s
Services Plan.
What we are aiming to do:
Develop a work plan including the steps we needs to take to ensure priorities are realised,
listing targets/outcomes that can be monitored. This will include:
 Developing an advocacy service for disabled young people in transition to help them
take control of planning for their future lives.
 Working with young people and their families to ensure their engagement in the
development of future policy and practice.
 Completing a Transition Protocol outlining the roles and responsibilities of all Children's
and Adult Services who are engaged in the transition process, supporting young people
and their families as they move into adult life.
 Working with schools to continue the development of a person-centred approach to the
statutory annual review arrangements for Transition Planning from age 14 years.
 Developing an annual action plan of priorities, informed and agreed by the multi-agency
transition partnership. Reporting to the Disabled Children's Programme Board and the
Adult Learning Disability Partnership Board.
 Working with the 13 - 19 Partnership, schools, young people, parents and carers. To
link this work with the developments in Adult Social Care Services to enable young
people with Learning Disabilities to move into work.
 Ensuring that transition planning arrangements dovetail into adult social care
arrangements for support planning and personal budget arrangements.
 To develop a programme of transition planning training for parents and carers
 To develop multi-disciplinary transition planning practice, using person-centred
approaches across children’s and adult services.
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Priority 5 (Lead: see below)
The workforce will be developed and supported to improve outcomes for disabled
children and their families.
Current position:
This priority will link via the SEN CPD group
What we are aiming to do:
Develop a work plan including the steps we needs to take to ensure priorities are realised,
listing targets/outcomes that can be monitored. This will include:
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Supporting and encouraging compliance with all equality law.
Disabled young people’s involvement in recruitment and training.
Promoting role of direct payment worker.
Training for short break providers.
Personalisation agenda (see priorities 3 and 4)
Priority 6 (Lead: Emma Bailey/Sam Little)
Health
Current position:
NHS Leicester City is working with all partners to strive to guarantee the prompt and effective
commissioning of services for disabled children and young people, through joint planning with
all multi agency partners taking into account strategic requirement, local need and patient and
user involvement.
What we are aiming to do:
Develop a work plan including the steps we needs to take to ensure priorities are realised,
listing targets/outcomes that can be monitored. This will include:


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Work on personalisation agenda
Increase health capacity within adult transition team.
Monitoring and evaluating services provision.
Develop audit and feedback systems.
Develop user involvement in planning and developing services.
4. Implementation and Monitoring
The aim of the strategy is to improve outcomes/targets for disabled children and their families in
Leicester, with partners needing to be accountable to the DCYPPB. The main way of
monitoring the strategy at the board is via work plans which will then report through the relevant
Leicester City Council structures which feed into the Children’s Trust.
Work Plans will be based on the six priorities above. Priority leads will produce a work plan that
will be updated and reported at for each DCPB (Appendix 3). The work plans will be based on
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updates on achievements and problems (i.e. what is thought relevant for particular meetings)
and information provided by board members. An update report template can be found in
Appendix 4).
A part of each meeting will also be dedicated to an organisation attending the board, or
someone who does not sit on the board, to talk about their work. These will be timetabled in
advance.
This strategy will be reviewed in autumn 2012 at the end date of the current charter.
5. Contact
We want to hear what you think of this strategy.
 Have we missed anything out?
 Is it working?
 Do you have any ideas to help us improve it?
Sandra Holyoake /Steven Parker, Service Managers
Disabled Children's Services,
New Parks House,
Pindar Road,
Leicester.
0116 2294233
39 4233 (Internal)
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APPENDIX 1 – Disabled Children’s Charter
Leicester City: Joint NHS Leicester City & Local Authority Disabled Children’s Charter
By 1 July 2013 we will ensure that in our area…
• We know how many disabled children live in our area and all agencies in our area are working
together to plan services based on this knowledge.
• We have an identified leads with specific responsibility for services for disabled children and
families.
• We are providing clear information to support choice and control for parents that explains how
we provide specialist services and also make all universal services accessible.
• Parents and carers in our area have access to transparent information on decisions made about
their child, and have access to mechanisms for providing feedback.
• Disabled children and their families are involved in the planning, commissioning and monitoring
of services in our area, including both specialist and universal services.
• Our Parent Carer Forum is instrumental in developing and reviewing services in our area and
promoting choice and control for parents.
• We actively include disabled children and young people in any decisions made about them and
the services that they access, that might affect them.
• Parents in our area benefit from our Parent Partnership Service, which is able to provide
impartial advice and support to parents of disabled children and young people.
• Our staff receive both disability equality training and training to ensure that they have core
competencies to work with disabled children.
• We have produced a short break services statement that has been drawn up in partnership with
disabled children and their parents and have made it widely available.
• We have regard to the provision of services suitable for disabled children, when assessing the
sufficiency and supply of childcare in their area.
• We are working together with disabled young people and adult service providers in our area to
ensure a smooth transition to adult services for disabled young people preparing for adulthood.
Signed
Signed
Signed
Rachel Dickinson
Strategic Director, Children
Leicester City Council
Councillor Vi Dempster
Assistant City Mayor
Children’s Services
Mel Thwaites
Associate Director
Children’s and Families
NHS Leicester City
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APPENDIX 2 - DCPB Governance/Accountability
Children’s Trust (linking to Health and Wellbeing Board)
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Strategic Board
Disabled Children’s Programme Board
Multi Agency Disabled Children’s Strategy
Partnership
and
Consultation
Short
Breaks
Information
Transition
Workforce
Development
/Health
Partner’s Work Plans
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APPENDIX 3 - Priority work plans template
Multi-Agency Disabled Children and Young People’s Strategy/Workplan
2012 – 2014
PRIORITY (Number and name)
Eg Information: Information on services for disabled children and young people and
their families will be accessible, available, accurate, joined up and user focussed.
Action
Target/outcome
Lead
Timescale
(Eg) Planning and commissioning will be outcome focused with a clear link between
strategy and disabled children/young people and their families.
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APPENDIX 4 – Priority update report to DCPB
Priority:
Date:
What do you want to tell us about?
What is going well?
(Please refer specifically to the ‘targets’ in your priority.)
What are the major issues?
(What would help to manage them.)
Other news
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