SOMERSET parents with vulnerable children will have their say this month over how resources can be best delivered to ensure they can stay in mainstream schools.

Support Services for Education (SSE) is a not-for-profit “traded unit” of Somerset County Council, which allows schools and colleges to ‘buy in’ services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Physical Impairment and Medical Support (PIMS) team, which is part of SSE, ensures children are able to attend mainstream schools and communicate with their parents, carers and friends through technology.

Parents who use the service protested in April against plans to cut this service’s budget and lose several members of staff – a protest which forced an apology from the council’s head of children’s services and a promise of further consultation over the summer.

An update came before the council’s children and families scrutiny committee on Friday morning (September 14), with officers stating that the service was moving in the right direction towards meeting children’s needs.

Annette Perrington, the council’s assistant director of inclusion, said that council officers would be engaging with parents through the reminder of September to get their input into the new shape of the service.

She said: “That is focussed specifically on how any new service will look. We have minimised any disruption to parents who were in receipt of those services up to July, and will do the same up to when the new service is implemented.

“The process going forward from those consultation events will determine what the service will look like.”

Ms Perrington admitted that a number of staff had left the PIMS team since the originally planned changes were paused in April, but said that their workload had been “re-allocated” to other staff members within SSE.

Of the 11 original staff members on the PIMS, two technical assistants chose to take voluntary redundancy. The team leader and one of the teachers involved have also left.

Ms Perrington said: “There is a difference between the body of the staff and the work being offered.

“There is no net reduction in the support that is being received by parents and children. A change doesn’t necessarily mean a cut.”

When changes to the PIMS service were paused in April, the service had 472 open cases.

As of September this has been reduced to 302 cases, comprising 272 existing customers and 30 new referrals.

Ms Perrington said that the number of cases had reduced in light of some people requiring one-off support which was now no longer needed, or the schools being able to cater for SEND pupils within their existing resources.

She added: “Any new cases that are found can be referred to the team as it is – there is no change to the referral route.

“There is a significant amount of work proposed with schools, including tools which make schools evaluate themselves and make improvements.

“We are very keen to move away from blanket support, because it doesn’t allow us to target the support where it’s needed. We need to identify young people from a very early age, and target those services.”

Ms Perrington went on to say that five children who were already served by the PIMS service have had their support increased through referral to other services to ensure a curriculum that meets their needs.

Emily Walters, the council’s lead SEND advisor, said in her written report that the authority would be looking to Cornwall, Derbyshire and Liverpool for inspiration about how services for children with complex educational needs could be delivered in the future.

Liverpool City Council offers an Augmentative and Alternative Commission service (AAC) to children who are not served by the regional SEND hub, which comprises speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and teaching staff.

In Cornwall (a unitary authority), there are two dedicated staff members for physical and mental needs, as well as an advisor for AAC and their technical officers.

Derbyshire County Council has a joint team of physical and sensory impairment (which includes visual and hearing problems), with a single service manager overseeing monthly referral meetings with parents and children.

Ms Walters said: “These models will form the basis of a proposed service design, to be considered at the parent-carer engagement events. 

“Initial discussion with the commissioners for the CCG and service managers for integrated therapy services have taken place to investigate the input of community therapists; these may well be progressed once the views of parents are clear.”

Councillor Martin Dimery, who had raised concerns at the previous round of changes, praised the work of officers and expressed hope that the new service would meet children’s needs.

He said: “We were always going to be in a situation of damage limitation on this issue. I hope no-one will come back and complain about the new services being provided.”

A further update on the shape of the PIMS service will come back before the scrutiny committee once all the parent consultation meetings have been held.