Minutes:
NH confirmed that he had prepared a presentation for the SEND Partnership Board with some background information which would provide additional detail for these headlines and would be sent to the Chair for distribution.
NH reminded Forum members of the predicted High Needs deficit of £27m at the end of 22-23 on which entry into the safety valve agreement with the DfE was predicated. The DfE had agreed to pay £27 million pounds of additional funding over a 5 year period subject to certain conditions and the elimination of the in-year deficit.
The key year is 2024-25, with an expectation of a balanced in-year budget. The safety valve agreement then suggests a positive balance and a surplus of £400,000 in 2025-26 which will contribute to the cumulative deficit reduction. Additional funding from the DfE would then eliminate the cumulative deficit by 2026-27. The LA received the first tranche of funding £10.8 million; looking forward, further payments are expected following a defined schedule. The conditions within the safety valve agreement focus on dealing with demand for EHCP provision, independent special school places, post 16 provision, ARPs in schools and all alternative provision. Progress in these areas against the agreement is RAG rated – all five areas were rated green following reviews in September and December.
There are then 5 identified risks which are around escalating cost pressures, workforce, reputation, legal and economic. The only area where the LA is currently not RAG-rating as green is legal because of the risk of a backlog of complaints about timescale of EHCP approval escalating to tribunal level.
The Chair thanked NH and commented that it is encouraging to hear that things are progressing according to plan. There were no immediate questions from Forum members.