Independent Chair's Update from Kathryn Boulton 1 June 2026
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my Chair's Update, as Independent Chair of the Lancashire SEND Improvement Board. At our most recent Lancashire SEND Improvement Board meeting, we carefully reviewed how well services across education, health and care are working together to support children and young people with SEND, and what this means for families day to day.
Overall progress
There are signs of improvement across the partnership, although we know these improvements are not yet having the positive impact we would like on children and families. Most of the actions in our Priority Action Plan are now either complete or on track, showing that services are working hard to make positive changes. We are seeing stronger leadership, better use of data, and improved working relationships between services. Importantly, there is also a growing focus on using feedback from children, young people and families to shape decisions, rather than relying on processes alone.
We are making good progress on Lancashire’s SEND Reform Plan, with a clear plan now developed, shaped by feedback from families, young people and partners, and aligned to our existing improvement priorities. The focus now is on finalising and implementing the plan so that it leads to real, positive changes in how children and young people with SEND are supported for years to come.
The Board recognises that progress on paper must translate into real improvements in families’ everyday experiences, and the partnership will continue to work hard to achieve this consistently across the system.
What is improving
Stronger leadership and clearer oversight
We are now in a much better position to understand what is happening across the SEND system. Governance arrangements are clearer, meaning that issues can be identified more quickly and escalated to the right place. This is helping leaders to take more informed decisions and hold services to account, which is a key part of improving outcomes for children and young people.
Workforce stability
Recruitment has been a major focus, and we are seeing progress in building a more stable SEND workforce. Senior leadership and team manager roles are now largely filled, with further staff joining over the coming months. This should lead to more consistent support for families and improved timeliness in processes such as EHCPs.
Early signs of better practice
There are examples of positive experiences for families, including quicker assessments and clearer communication in some cases. While these examples are not yet widespread, they show what is possible and will be used to improve practice across the system.
What we know families are still experiencing
The Board had honest and open discussions about the ongoing challenges and the impact these are having on families.
Delays and timeliness
Although progress is being made, many families are still waiting too long for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to be completed. Timing is improving in some areas, but delays, particularly in receiving health advice, continue to affect how quickly plans can be finalised.
Increased use of tribunals and mediation
There has been a significant rise in the number of families needing to use mediation or go to tribunal. The Board recognised that this often reflects a lack of confidence in the system and can be a stressful and time‑consuming experience for families. Many appeals relate to school placements, highlighting wider challenges in ensuring that the right provision is available.
Sufficiency of provision
There are still pressures across the system in providing the right type and number of school places. Some children are waiting for specialist provision, and while interim arrangements are in place to support them, these may not always fully meet their needs.
What we are doing to improve
The partnership is taking a number of actions to address these issues:
Improving EHCP processes
Work is ongoing to improve the quality, consistency and timeliness of EHCPs. This includes learning from complaints, mediation and tribunal cases to understand where things go wrong and how to improve. There is a clear focus on getting decisions right first time, reducing the need for families to escalate concerns.
Strengthening health advice timeliness
Health partners have plans in place to increase capacity and reduce delays, including recruiting additional staff and prioritising the completion of outstanding advice. This is a key priority, as timely health input is essential to completing EHCPs on time.
Reducing pressure on tribunals
Additional staff and improved training are being introduced to strengthen early resolution and improve communication with families, helping to reduce the need for formal appeals. The system is also using feedback from tribunal cases to improve practice more widely.
Neurodevelopmental (ND) pathway improvements
The Board received a detailed update on work to improve the neurodevelopmental pathway (including autism and ADHD support). A new approach is being introduced to make it easier for families to access support through a clearer front door into services. Additional investment has been secured to help reduce waiting times, particularly for autism assessments. Work is underway to develop local support hubs, so families can get help earlier without needing a diagnosis first.
The Board recognised that these changes should improve access to support but emphasised that clear communication with families is essential so changes are understood.
Communication and working with families
Improving communication remains a key priority.
There are several ways for families to receive information, including the SEND newsletter and increased engagement with the Parent Carer Forum and young people’s groups such as POWAR. However, many families still feel they do not have clear or consistent information about what support is available or how to access it.
The Local Offer, which should be a key source of information, has faced delays due to changes to the platform. Work is underway to improve it, including making information clearer and written in plain English. The Board agreed that communication must be simpler, more consistent, and shared through trusted channels such as schools.
Preparation for adulthood
There has been progress in planning support for young people as they move towards adulthood, but this work is not progressing as quickly as needed. The Board recognised that preparation for adulthood should start early and be part of a child’s journey throughout their education, rather than something that only happens later on. There is often confusion as to what preparation for adulthood actually means and suggestions were made to change this to be more meaningful to families, suggestions included preparation for life or independence. There is a renewed focus on strengthening this work, including clearer planning and better communication with families.
Risks and continued focus
The Board continues to closely monitor key risks, including:
- Sufficiency of school places and pressure on schools
- Increasing tribunal activity
- Data and system challenges
These are well understood by the SEND Partnership and are being actively managed through the improvement programme.
Looking ahead
The Board is clear that while progress is being made, further work is needed to ensure families experience consistent, timely and high‑quality support.
Our continued focus will be on:
- improving the timeliness and quality of EHCPs
- ensuring families feel confident in decisions made
- reducing the need for tribunals by getting things right first time
- making communication clearer and more accessible
- ensuring there is the right provision available to meet children’s needs
- improving support whilst waiting for assessment and improve timeliness of ND Pathway.
Above all, we remain committed to working closely with families, children and young people, and partners to ensure that improvements lead to real and lasting change.
Communication
The next meeting of the Board will take place on 6 July 2026.
The Independent Chair's update will be written after each board meeting and published on the SEND Improvement Board webpage within 1-2 weeks, before being shared on social media. Formal minutes of the meeting will be written and published after they have been approved at the next board meeting.
Please refer to Lancashire SEND priority action plan and One Year On Report for an update on progress made against the Priority Action Plan since the SEND Inspection in 2024.
A full communications strategy and delivery plan has been published on the Local Offer Lancashire SEND Partnership Communication and Engagement Strategy 2025–2028, which focuses on the principles of participation and co-production through The Lundy model and Four Cornerstones Model of co-production.
Feedback mechanisms include the SEND survey for parent carers and children and young people. Additional feedback mechanisms for children and young people are being developed by our Strategic Lead for Participation and Co-production.
To Give feedback about a SEND service please complete one of the forms for compliments, comments or complaints where we will do all we can to sort the problem out quickly, to investigate it fairly and to explain fully the result of the process. If you disagree with a decision about your EHC needs assessment or plan, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal.
If you are a parent carer and have any thoughts or comments, please contact the parent carer forum Lancashire Parent Carer Forum by emailing secretarylpcf@lancashireparentcarerforum.org.uk
If you have a child / young person interested in POWAR participation group please contact Suliman Hussain at Suliman.hussain@lancashire.gov.uk
If you are a partner, please do feedback through your organisation. Also don’t forget to sign up to our SEND Newsletter if you’re not already receiving it.