Lancashire Joint Commissioning Strategy 2025–2028

This strategy explains how education, health and social care partners in Lancashire will work together to plan, commission and deliver services for children and young people aged 0–25 with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).

It applies to:

• Children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

• Children and young people with SEND who do not need an EHCP but still require support

The strategy supports the Lancashire SEND Strategy 2025–2028 and reflects national duties set out in:

• The Children and Families Act 2014

• The SEND Code of Practice (0–25)

• The Care Act 2014

Joint commissioning helps services work together, improves experiences for families, reduces duplication and makes better use of shared resources. This is a living document and will be reviewed regularly using feedback from children, young people, parents, carers and partners.

Through engagement with families, children, young people and professionals, the following priorities were identified:

• Identifying needs early

• Clear and effective communication

• Strong collaboration across services

• Co production with children, young people and families

• Meeting needs consistently

• Working together across education, health and care

• Supporting preparation for adulthood

These priorities guide commissioning decisions and service design.

• 13,402 children and young people in Lancashire have an EHCP

• 35% have Autism as their primary need

• 21% have Speech, Language and Communication Needs

• 20% have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs

• Around 50% attend mainstream schools

• 39.6% of Lancashire’s SEN population are eligible for Free School Meals

Pupils with SEND experience higher rates of absence than their peers, particularly those with EHCPs. Speech, Language and Communication Needs and Autism account for around two thirds of new EHCPs.

Local data, the SEND Strategy 2025–2028 and the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) identify the following areas for action:

• Increasing specialist and alternative provision

• Addressing disproportionality and inequality

• Strengthening speech, language and communication support

• Improving access to flexible short breaks

• Responding to rising social, emotional and mental health needs

• Embedding Preparation for Adulthood from Year 9

• Redesigning neurodivergent pathways to be needs led

• Improving access to occupational therapy and sensory support

• Strengthening inclusive practice and reducing exclusions

• Developing early help and early years support

• Improving access to specialist health services

All children and young people with SEND in Lancashire will thrive in nurturing, inclusive environments from birth into adulthood. They will be safe, happy and healthy, achieve their potential, and receive the right support at the right time.

Our commissioning approach is:

Personalised
Support builds on strengths of children, young people, families and communities.

Integrated
Education, health and care services work together so support is joined up and local.

Local
Services are shaped by local communities and lived experience.

Success will be judged by children, young people and their families.

Children and young people want:

• To enjoy activities in their communities

• To feel happy and supported in education

• To be listened to and taken seriously

They want to feel:

• Safe and emotionally well

• Able to communicate in ways that work for them

• Included and optimistic about their future

• Treated fairly with equal opportunities

Joint commissioning in Lancashire is shaped by lived experience and focused on fairness, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood.

We will:

• Embed lived experience in commissioning decisions

• Promote equality and inclusion

• Support emotional wellbeing and communication needs

• Champion preparation for adulthood

• Co produce services with families

• Use feedback to improve services

We are committed to co production as a core principle. Co production means working in equal partnership with children, young people and families to design, deliver and evaluate services.

The Lundy Model of Participation

Children and young people are supported to have:

• Space – safe and inclusive opportunities to share views

• Voice – support to express their views

• Audience – decision makers who listen

• Influence – real impact on decisions

Our approach is based on:

1. Welcome and care

2. Value and include

3. Connect and share

4. Work in partnership

These principles guide all engagement, governance and service design in Lancashire.

Joint commissioning works at three levels:

Strategic

Setting shared priorities, aligning resources and using data to understand need and impact.

Operational

Reviewing and improving services within the Local Offer to address gaps and improve outcomes.

Individual

Personalised support through EHCPs, personal budgets and multi agency planning.

This strategy covers children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND, including:

• Pupils receiving SEND support

• Children and young people with EHCPs

• Children in care and care leavers with SEND

• Young carers with SEND

• Children with medical needs in education

• Children eligible for continuing care

Joint commissioning is supported by clear governance arrangements across Lancashire and the wider ICB footprint. A Joint Commissioning Group will oversee local commissioning activity, supported by SEND partnership boards, parent carer forums and youth engagement groups.

We will measure impact through:

• Outcomes for children and young people

• Feedback from families

• Ofsted and CQC inspection findings

Progress will be reviewed quarterly and reported annually.

We will see:

• Improved access to local provision

• Reduced waiting times

• Better support during assessment periods

• Stronger transitions into adulthood

• Increased co production in service design

This strategy will be reviewed every January. Feedback from children, young people, parents, carers and partners will shape future priorities and commissioning decisions.