SEND Improvement Board Independent Chair's Update from Kathryn Boulton 9 February 2026

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my Chair's Update, as Independent Chair of the Lancashire SEND Improvement Board.

I welcomed everyone to the meeting and reminded the Board that our role is to work together, hold each other to account, and keep improving support for children and young people with SEND. I emphasised the importance of reading papers in advance.

I invited Clare Smith, Strategic Lead for Participation and Co-production and Olly Moores, SEND Young Advisor to give us an update on behalf of POWAR, the SEND youth forum.

POWAR SEND youth forum feedback

We heard about the great progress being made by POWAR, including a nearly final version of the children and young people SEND survey, plans for a Board Take Over Day and work with schools.

The Board were reminded that participation isn’t optional, it’s a requirement. We must involve children and young people from the start, not as an add‑on at the end. We also discussed how to ensure survey findings are fully analysed and used.

Action:

  • POWAR and the Participation Team to bring an update in March.

Next on the agenda was an update from Miranda Hyman, co-chair and Laura Evans, Parent Participation Lead of the Lancashire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF).

Lancashire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) feedback

LPCF shared positive developments such as increased engagement and relationship building with partners, enabling more timely and detailed information sharing. LPCF are developing outreach work in family hubs and increasing their social media presence.

The Board discussed early identification, as families still say support comes too late. Some families are reporting that when their child receives the right school placement and their needs are met, they see significant improvements in their children’s wellbeing and mental health. These changes are showing signs of improvement in the SEND survey results and enabling clearer priority‑setting.

The Board acknowledged the improvement but emphasised that we need to know whether this is leading to lasting, system‑wide change, not just isolated improvements.

Action:

  • The partnership to bring a themed review on Best Start and Family Hubs and their role in early SEND support.

ICB update

Peter Chapman, ICB Associate Director for SEND and Complexities shared that the NHS is undergoing significant restructuring, which is impacting capacity, especially around SEND commissioning and health advice for EHCPs.

The Board stressed that there is an urgent need to avoid delays escalating, and that risks must be formally tracked and escalated when needed.

Action:

  • A clear plan to be brought next month, including a redesign of panels and learning from other areas.

Priority Action Plan highlight report

Paul Turner, Director of Education, and Inclusion shared an update about the priority action plan (PAP). We reviewed progress and risks. Some areas are improving, especially digital systems and structural changes, but pressures remain, particularly around children not in education and neurodevelopmental pathways. We discussed the need for evidence of impact experienced by families, not just activity.

The Board challenged the reprofiling of PAP milestones and highlighted the fragility of EHCP timeliness. We also discussed the pause in ND referrals in some areas and the impact this may have for some families.

Actions:

  • ICB to share outcomes of provider meeting and issue communications.
  • Request to be drafted for a formal risk and quality impact assessment of the pathway pause.

Governance review

Dave Carr, Director of Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health shared a review completed to strengthen governance structures and the recommendations for how we do this.

The Board challenged the idea that an individual should own milestones, as it should be group ownership with clear reporting by the Senior Responsible Officer. We agreed children and young people must be meaningfully included, and we need a clearer reporting structure. The Board also stressed that now is not the time to reduce meeting frequency, given system fragility.

Actions:

  • Review ownership of milestones and reporting structures.
  • Review membership and assurance mechanisms.
  • Review workforce development strategy links to adulthood.

Performance and data

Grace Westwood, SEND Senior Manager and Peter Chapman, Associate Director for SEND and Complexities shared an overview of EHCP timeliness, health advice delays, and long waiting times.

The Board asked for clearer trend data, more detail on waits, and correct partnership branding.

Actions:

  • Update EHCP Recovery Plan with clearer risks and assumptions.
  • Improve reporting of longest waits and bring provider‑led deep dive back to the Board meeting in March.

EHCP quarterly audit update

Hayley Smith, SEND Auditor shared the audit results for September-December 2025. Audit numbers have increased and quality is improving modestly. However, many EHCPs still have gaps in health and social care sections.

The Board stressed the need to use audit findings to drive practice change and ensure the EHCP Improvement Group is using the information effectively.

Children not in school update

Sapphire Murray, Interim Head of Inclusion, presented an overview of actions taken since the children not in school paper was brought to the board in November 2025. We reviewed the rise in children coming off school rolls, linked to unmet needs and system pressures.

The Board raised concerns about insufficient investment for early support and the need for strong leadership across the system.

Actions:

  • Updated paper to High Needs Block to seek full funding.
  • Updated dataset to come back next term with SEN breakdowns.

Inspection readiness

Amber Burton, SEND Consultant presented an overview of actions taken so far to prepare for the SEND Inspection re-visit. Partners were reminded to provide feedback on the Self Evaluation Form. We discussed the maturity assessment is planned for later in February.

Action:

  • All partners to review SEF before the assessment session.

Risk register

The risk register was reviewed by the Board as a standing item. Some risks remain red even after mitigations, reflecting national pressures and system fragility.

The Board emphasised the importance of clear escalation pathways and honest assessment of what risks cannot be reduced locally.

Action:

  • Review all mitigations to ensure they are robust and determine where escalation is needed.

Communication

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.

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 for children and young people are being developed by our Strategic Lead for Participation and Co-production.

Thank you again for your engagement, your partnership and your continued focus on improving the experience and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in Lancashire. I hope this update is useful. We next meet as a board on 2 March 2026 for a face to face meeting.

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.