What is a Locality Model?

A Locality Model is not a new concept and many Local Areas have adopted the principles in their own locality to support solving the challenges they face SEND in their Local Area.

In the last two years 9, other Local Areas have piloted Locality principles in their Local Areas.  Their pilots had a common cause, collective moral purpose and integrated ways of working which we hope to replicate.

Torbay Locality Model.

Last year, we asked for your thoughts on plans for a locality model in Torbay. A locality model is when decisions about a child’s education are made at a more local level.

Speech, language and communication needs will be the focus of our locality trial this year.

Next year, after the trial has finished, we hope to have a plan for future working.

Our aims

In this pilot we aim to:

• Be needs led – provision without diagnosis or need to progress to an Education, Health and Care Plan
• Make localised decisions, by local stakeholders, about how children and young people’s needs can be best met, removing barriers to identification and support.
• Delivering a system which shares good practice and expertise by design across different services and providers.
• Increase consistency in provision across schools.
• Reduce bureaucracy whilst embedding effective governance; and
• Make better and more effective use of the money available and therefore develop a more financially sustainable needs led school system.

What will it mean for my child?

It could mean your child gets the help they need without a diagnosis or an EHCP.

It also means we’ll make local decisions about how children and young people’s needs can be met. We’ll also share good practice across different services and providers.

We’ll try and be more consistent in the provision we offer across schools and make more effective use of the money available.

We’ll be pooling our expertise and resources so that SEND support and services can be accessed more easily.

The trial will concentrate on a small area of SEND across a selection of Torbay schools.

Over the next few months, we’ll be co-designing this trial alongside our health, social care, Family Hubs and school partners.

We also want to work with young people and parents and carers. If you’d like to get involved, email admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com.

As this pilot develops we will add information to this webpage so everyone can hear about how our pilot project is progressing.