Early Years SEND and Inclusion Handbook

Relevant Legislation and supporting documents

• Children and Families Act 2014
• Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014) revised (January 2015)
• The Special Education Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
• Children Act 1989
• Equality Act 2010
• Care Act 2014
• Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework
• Managing medicines in schools and Early Years settings
• Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions April 2014
• Working Together
• Safeguarding Disabled Children - practice guidance

Information can also be obtained from:

• Gov.uk
• North Lincolnshire Council
• North Lincolnshire SEND Local Offer
• Children’s MARS Board
• Council for Disable Children

• SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities EYFS - Early Years Foundation Stage
• SaLT - Speech and Language Therapy
• EYIT - Early Years Inclusion Team (Portage)
• CDC - Child Development Centre
• SCP - Social Communication Pathway
• EP / Ed Psych - Educational Psychologist
• HV - Health Visitor
• OT - Occupational Therapy
• PT - Physio Therapy VI - Visual Impairment HS - Hearing Support
• BST - Behaviour Support Team
• REACH - Resolve, Enable, Aspire: Child-Centred and Holistic (Approach)
• EHCP / EH&CP - Education Health and Care Plan
• EH - Early Help
• FaSST - Families are Safe Supported and Transformed
• SENDIASS - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Advice Service
• EMTAS - Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service
• CAMHS - Child Adolescent Mental Health Service
• FIS - Family Information Service
• ASET - Autistic Spectrum Education Team
• LAC - Looked After Child
• CiN - Child in Need
• CP - Child Protection
• EAL - English as an Additional Language
• EHE - Elective Home Education

There is not one way of measuring vulnerability. Research draws on the available information to calculate the number of vulnerable children and families living in a wide range of circumstances.

Key risk factors include¹:

Some of these factors can result from other risk factors of vulnerability. For example, poor language and communication skills may lead to lower educational development.

The definition of a vulnerable child

Public Health England, for the purposes of this report, 'vulnerable children' are defined as any children at greater risk of experiencing physical or emotional harm and/ or experiencing poor outcomes because of one or more factors in their lives.¹

The Department of Education define vulnerable children as 'those who have a social worker and those children and young people up to the age of 25 with education, health and care (EHC) plans.' Children who have a social worker include those who have a child protection plan and who are looked after by the local authority.²

In the Early Years there are a wide range of factors which may cause a child or young person to be considered vulnerable. The Code of Practice does not just refer to children with identified Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.

¹ No child left behind A public health informed approach to improving outcomes for vulnerable children: Public Health England; September 2020

² Children of critical workers and vulnerable children who can access schools or educational settings: Department of Education; March 2021

What is the criteria for a funded childcare place for two year olds?

Parent/Guardian is in receipt of:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit - if a parent is entitled to Universal Credit and they have an annual net earned income equivalent to and not exceeding £15,400, assessed on up to three of the parent's most recent Universal Credit assessment periods.
• Tax Credits and have an annual gross income under £16,190 before tax
• Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Or if the child:

• has a current Education, Health and Care Plan
• attracts Disability Living Allowance
• is looked after by their local authority or
• has left care through special guardianship or through an adoption or child arrangements order.

From September 2019, there are new groups of children who will be entitled to a free place. These are:

• Children of Zambrano Carers;
• Children of families with no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private/family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights;
• Children of a subset of failed asylum seekers (supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 - 'the 1999 Act').

This is the only qualifying criteria. If parents/carers are applying under the child led criteria they will be required to submit additional evidence to support their application.

Children who meet the above criteria will only be able to commence their place the term after their second birthday. Applications can only be processed during the term of the child's second birthday:

Child's 2nd Birthday	When to apply?	Funded place can start
1 January - 31 March	After 19 February	After Easter holidays(April)
1 April - 31 August	After 1 June	After Summer holidays(September)
1 September - 31 December	After 1 November	After Christmas holidays(January)

How do parents apply?

Online

Visit northlincs.gov.uk/TYOF and click on 'Apply for Two Year Old Funding'. Click 'Register' and fill in your details. Scroll down and click 'Funded Early Education for Two Year Olds'.

Visit a childcare provider

Parents can visit a local childcare provider. They will be able to complete an assisted application for them and then to determine if they are eligible. Remember their national insurance number.

Visit a Family Hub

Parents can drop into their local Family Hub either for a stay and play session or to apply for two-year-old funding. They will be able to complete an assisted application there to determine if they are eligible. Remember their national insurance number.

Family Information Service (FIS)

The FIS will be able to complete an assisted application over the telephone to determine eligibility. They can also give details of childcare providers in the local area.

If parents are in receipt of Universal Credit they may receive a 'not eligible' result. In this instance, click 'request help' and this can be investigated further.

What does the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021 Statutory Framework state?

Practitioners should:

• Review of child's progress between the age of 2-3 years
• Provide parents /carers with a short summary of child's development in the prime areas of learning
• Identify child's strengths and areas where progress is less than expected
• Provide targeted plan to support future learning and development
• Involve other professionals as appropriate.

Practitioners must:

• Agree with parents/carers when it is the best time to complete the summary
• Discuss with parents/carers how the summary can support home learning
• Have consent of parents/carers to share information with other relevant professionals as appropriate.

Practitioners should also:

• Where possible hold an integrated assessment with the Health Visitor
• Encourage parents/carers to share information with other relevant professionals (including the health visitor or teacher where a child enters school based provision at age 3yrs)
• Ensure information identifies any developmental delay and any particular support required by the family
• Information needs to reflect ongoing, regular observation of the child's development.

The assessment should:

• Reflect the developmental level and needs of the individual child.

Summary must highlight:

• Areas in which a child is progressing well
• Areas in which some additional support might be required
• Focus particularly on areas where there is concern there may be a
• developmental delay
• Describe activities and strategies used to address issues or concerns
• Where a child attends two provisions the check should be undertaken by the one a child spends most time in.

Completing the 2-year assessment it will be helpful for practitioners to:

• ensure regular contact with the health visiting team to enable completion of a physical integrated health check where possible
• review and reflect upon each child's development referring to the Development Matters/Early Years Outcomes materials as necessary; identify if you have any specific training needs or concerns around carrying out the progress check;
• speak to the parents of each child, invite their contributions and arrange the most appropriate time to talk;
• prepare for discussion with parents possibly drafting some comments or making initial judgments for the progress check;
• seek parents' views on their child's development;
• seek support from your setting leader or manager if/as appropriate
• ensure all relevant sections of the form are completed fully and that a senior staff member quality assures the form before it is shared with the parent/carer.

Principles for the progress check

To get a clear picture of the child you need:

• Practitioner's knowledge of the child
• Ongoing assessment information gathered overtime
• Views and information gathered from parents
• Observations based on what the child can do consistently and independently
• Children's participation in their own learning and development
• The views of other practitioners and professionals who know the child well.

North Lincolnshire Process for Integrated 2-YearOld Assessment Physical Model - Guidance for early years settings and childminders

For use from April 2023

The physical model provides an opportunity for the child, their parent/carer, their key person and their health visitor or community nursery nurse (CNN) to meet together for one joint meeting. This is the most effective way to carry out the assessment and should take place wherever possible.

1. By the end of term, early years setting / childminder to contact the health visitor / community nursery nurse (CNN) to inform them of ALL the children who will be 2 within the next term.

Early years setting / childminder and Health visitor / Community Nursery Nurse to arrange physically integrated 2-year-old assessments for the following term for all identified children between the parents, HV / CNN and early years key person. Assessments should be physically integrated wherever possible.

If this is not possible to arrange a joint meeting with all parties, the key person should contact the HV / CNN to dis-cuss child's progress and follow guidance for the virtual model.

2. Early years setting / Childminder to contact parents/carers to share details of the integrated 2-year-old assessment (venue, date and time). Please share a copy of the parents' information leaflet and a blank copies of the ASQ and ASQSE for the parent to complete prior to the meeting (supplied by HV/CNN)

3. Early years setting / childminder to provide parent/carer with a completed paper copy of the EYFS 2-year-old assessment prior to the integrated 2-year-old assessment meeting.

4. An integrated 2-year-old assessment meeting takes place, with the child, parent/carer, HV / CNN, and early years key person. Information is shared including the child's learning and developmental progress, their next steps and any additional support that may be needed.

Parent/carer (with Parental Responsibility*) to give signed, written consent to share the assessment including per-mission for the sharing of information as outlined on the EYFS 2-year-old assessment and in line with the Early Years privacy notice.

Any follow up discussions to take place with the health visiting team and other professional agencies for example, Family Support, Social worker, SALT, Portage etc. (*Please note that for LAC PR may vary, please discuss with child's social worker)

The CNN will forward a copy of the ASQ summary sheet to the early years team, which will them be securely forwarded to the provider through the EEF portal.

5. Early years setting / Childminder to digitally forward a signed copy of the Integrated 2-year assessment securely as an attachment through their provider EEF portal. Please label the attachment: Integrated 2-year-old assessment [child initials]. Information from the assessment will be securely recorded and shared as outlined on the assessment and within the Early Years privacy notice. This copy of the assessment will then be forwarded by the Early years Team and then on to the Health visiting team.

This should be done within one week of the check being completed.

One copy along with the ASQ summary sheet should be retained securely in the child's individual file in the provision and should follow with the child when their move to another early years provider or in to school. Another copy should be given to the parents/carer to be placed in the child's personal health record ('red book').

6. Please use the North Lincolnshire digital Integrated 2-year-old Assessment form wherever possible (attached with this guidance)

Please call the early years team AND health visitor / community nursery nurse if any child aged between 2 and 3 years either leaves or begins at your setting within 14 days.

You must not send the progress check to parents via email unless you can guarantee that both email addresses or they system used is secure.

North Lincolnshire Process for Integrated 2 Year Old Assessment Virtual Model - Guidance for early years settings and childminders

The physical model provides an opportunity for the child, their parent/carer, their key person and their health visitor or community nursery nurse(CNN) to meet together for one joint meeting. This is the most effective way to carry out the assessment and should take place wherever possible.

The physically integrated model may not be possible for a number of reasons, for example:

• The child is over the age of 2 years, 6 months
• The ASQ, ASQSE and ELIM have been completed separately in the family home by the Health visitor / Community Nursery Nurse (CNN) for a specific reason.
• Parents have not been available to attend the provision at the required time period, after several attempts to organise a meeting.
• For specific practical reasons e.g. use of a confidential meeting space, a physically integrated assessment has not been able to take place.

By the end of term, early years setting / childminder to contact the health visitor / community nursery nurse (CNN) to inform them of ALL the children who will be 2 within the next term.

Key person / childminder to contact the HV / CNN to discuss the child's learning and developmental progress, their next steps and any additional support that may be needed , including information about the child's learning and development, their next steps and any additional support that may be needed.

Early years setting / Childminder to provide parent/carer with completed paper copy of the completed EYFS 2 year old assessment.

Parent/carer (with Parental Responsibility*) to give signed, written consent to share the progress check including permission for the sharing of information as outlined on the EYFS 2 year old assessment and in line with the Early Years privacy notice.

Any follow up discussions to take place with the health visiting team and other professional agencies for example, Family Support, Social worker, SALT, Portage, etc.

(*Please note that for LAC PR may vary, please discuss with the child's social worker)

Early years setting / Childminder to digitally forward a signed copy of the Integrated 2 year assessment securely as an attachment through their provider EEF portal. Please label the attachment: Integrated 2 year old assessment [child initials]. Information from the assessment will be securely recorded on the child's capita record and shared as outlined on the assessment and within the Early Years privacy notice. This copy of the assessment will then be forwarded by the Early years Team and then on to the Health visiting team.

This should be done within one week of the check being completed.

One copy should be retained securely in the child's individual file in the provision and should follow with the child when their move to another Early years provider or in to school. Another copy should be given to the parents/carer to be placed in the child's personal health record ('red book').

The HV / CNN will forward a copy of the ASQ / ELIM summary to the Early years team. The Early years team will securely forward a copy of the ASQ and ELIM to the provider/childminder through the provider portal. The ASQ and ELIM should be retained by the provider and the whole EYFS assessment should move with the child to their next setting /school.

Please use the North Lincolnshire digital Integrated 2 year old Assessment form wherever possible (attached with this guidance)

Please call the early years team AND health visitor / community nursery nurse if any child aged between 2 and 3 years either leaves or begins at your setting within 14 days.

You must not send the progress check to parents via email unless you can guarantee that both email addresses or they system used is secure.

This is obviously a very sensitive issue, which needs to be well discussed with all staff; a very clear process decided upon and adhered to.

There are no hard and fast rules on how to make these approaches, as every family is different. Again it will come back to the strength of relationships and trust between setting and home.

Ask to have:

• an informal 'chat';
• a 'word' at the end of a session
• 'Have you got a minute - there's something I'd like to ask you?'

These approaches are better than immediately saying you are worried also start the conversation by saying something positive about the child.

Ask the parents:

• how they feel their child is getting along
• what they see as strengths as well as any difficulties that the child may be experiencing
• if anyone else has noticed or had any discussions regarding your child's development

If they say they are not aware of any difficulties then try to be more specific. Positive observations and information will enable more constructive communication.

If parents do not appear to share any difficulties then try to be more specific, e.g. 'I've noticed that T seems to need/be struggling with/isn't always able to... What happens at home?'

You could then say something like 'I'd expect most children of this age to be doing.... it looks like he needs a bit more help to get there'.

If the parents continue to resist acknowledging the difficulty you may say, 'Well, I'll just kept an eye on him and see how he gets on for a few weeks, and then I'll let you know'. You then have the opportunity to set up a review meeting.

Ask if anyone else has mentioned difficulties to them, you may feel able to ask for permission to contact their health visitor or other involved professionals for information.

Other parents may in fact be quite relieved that their own worries are being clarified. They may welcome the opportunity to share their concerns and pleased to know that there is something being done.

Such conversations need to be noted and recorded.

It is always good to end a meeting with a plan, even if its simply gathering more information, to find out more about how the child is doing in specific situations or putting in a minor intervention such as having the child sit close to an adult at carpet time.

A review meeting a few weeks on will ascertain whether there is a concern that requires more substantive assessment or support. Ask how the parents feel their child is getting along, what they think his/ her strengths are as well as the difficulties he / she seems to be experiencing.

Partnership with parents requires workers to be:

• non-judgemental
• have a high level of sensitivity
• pay attention to processes as well as the content of communication

It requires not only interpersonal skills but also organisational structures and policies which ensure that good practice for SEND and home-school partnership is part of the whole early years ethos.

S - SPECIFIC

The identification of the emerging difficulty will enable a summary of the child's needs to be formulated.

M - MEASURABLE

To ensure the child makes progress, the outcome set should be able to be measured in terms of the child's achievements.

To ensure outcomes are measurable, the answers 'Yes' or 'No' should be able to be answered to the question:

'Has the child achieved the outcome?'

If this question cannot be answered, it may be that the outcome was unclear.

It may need to be simplified or changed.

If the answer is 'Yes', then a more challenging outcome may need to be set.

A - ACHIEVABLE

It is important to remember when writing outcomes that the aim is to ensure the child achieves success. This means the outcome set may be very small for some children; this will be essential to them achieving success.

A task that is too complicated would inevitably result in failure. The child would not complete the task and would therefore lose concentration.

R - RELEVANT / REALISTIC

Outcomes should be written for the individual child, taking account of their development, abilities and interests.

The outcome must also be manageable within the provision.

T - TIME RELATED

When setting outcomes it is important to set a time scale.

This ensures that outcomes can be evaluated for their success.

The Graduated Approach is the way early years settings, schools and post-16 providers support children and young people who have Special Educational Needs. For more information view the html document below.

The Graduated Approach HTML

What is the Disability Access Fund?

Some children in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) could be eligible for some funding through the Disability Access Fund (DAF).

The Disability Access Fund (DAF) supports providers to make reasonable adjustments to their setting and/or help with building capacity (be that for the child in question or for the benefit of the children attending the setting).

Childcare providers could receive a one-off payment of £910 per calendar year for each eligible child that could aid in making reasonable adjustments at the setting and improve accessibility to funded places.

Eligibility

A child will be eligible for the DAF if they are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and receive one of the following:

• the universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds
• from April 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds
• from April 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for children aged 2 years of working parents
• from September 2024, the 15 hours entitlement for children aged 9 months to 2 years of working parents

Four-year-olds in primary school reception classes are not eligible for DAF funding.

Entitlement

Childcare providers could receive a one-off payment of £910 per calendar year for each eligible child.

The lump sum payment can only be made to one setting. The parents of children who are splitting their entitlement across two or more providers are responsible for nominating the provider who should receive the DAF payment.

If a child receiving DAF moves from one setting to another within a year of receiving the money, it will remain in the original setting. The new setting is not eligible to receive DAF funding for this child within the same year.

Children do not have to take up the full 570 hours of early education to be entitled to receive the DAF.

Identifying eligible children

Early years providers are responsible for identifying eligible children. Providers should speak to parents to find out if their child is eligible for the DAF.

The Isle

Mel Simmonite - Early Years SENCO Manager

• melissa.simmonite@northlincs.gov.uk
• 07554 565001

Scunthorpe South, Barton & District

Katie Jordan - Early Years SEND & Inclusion Officer

• katie.jordan@northlincs.gov.uk
• 07817 872878

Scunthorpe North

Sonia Grady - Communication & Language Development Officer

• sonia.grady@northlincs.gov.uk
• 01724 296650

Where a child with a disability or additional need (that are known to specialist services or agencies) attends for less than the 15 hours free early education funding for two, three and four year olds the provider is able to claim for the maximum 15 hours of funding. Providers must discuss claiming additional hours with The Early Years Area SENCO Manager or Early Years Practitioners PVI SEN and complete the relevant paperwork to submit to the Early Years Inclusion Funding Panel. An action plan is required that will demonstrate how the additional funding will be used to support the needs of the child to ensure the practice is fully inclusive. When funding is approved by the Early Years Inclusion Funding Panel it will be paid along with your early education funding. If a parent chooses to increase the hours their child attends or wishes to split the funding with a second provider this cannot be refused based on the child's educational/additional needs. In this instance additional funding may be sought from the Early Years Inclusion Funding Panel.

Deprivation Funding

This is one of the supplements of the Early Years Single Funding Formula. The additional funding is payable termly. The amount of funding is based on an additional 5p per hour per child and is identified on the termly summary of payments. The funding is based on Free School Meal eligibility and matches the Early Years Pupil Premium criteria. Deprivation funding is paid to providers to assist them to meet the needs of children that require additional support. This may be due to a disability, language/communication barrier or other need. The funding must be used to enhance provision or staffing. Providers are expected to be able to demonstrate how the funding has been spent during an annual financial audit and when applying for Inclusion Funding to support children with an additional needs

Early Years Pupil Premium

Early Years Pupil Premium is payable to children whose families are eligible for free school meals. The funding is paid at 53p per hour per child. As with the deprivation funding for new children it will be paid in the second termly instalment of funding and will be identified on providers termly financial statement. The Pupil Premium is to help providers raise the attainment of disadvantaged children and close the gap with their peers, providers will be advised of the children for which the pupil premium is payable.

To be eligible for Pupil Premium, children are either looked after by the council for at least one day or the family income is within the earnings and benefits criteria used to determine eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM). A child will also be eligible if the child has left care through special guardianship or through an adoption or child placement order (formerly known as a residence order).

In England, children are eligible to receive FSM if their parents are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seekers' Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit-if the household income must be less than £7400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits)

Providers should discuss how to claim the funding with the Childcare Sufficiency Team.

The Government are placing no conditions on providers in relation to how the pupil premium is spent. However, providers must use it to improve the quality of early education for disadvantaged three and four year olds. The Government are encouraging providers to use the pupil premium funding to contribute to pay for reconfiguring the nursery to be teacher led (QTS/EYPS/EYTS). Providers are expected to be able to demonstrate how the funding has been used to meet the needs of disadvantaged children during the Ofsted inspection and the annual financial audit.

North Lincolnshire Child Development Centre Early Years Assessment Pathways

Within North Lincolnshire there are two Early Years assessment pathways that are coordinated from the Child Development Centre (CDC) and managed within the Children's Therapy Team, as part of the Children & Young People's Service. Both assessment pathways are supported by the CDC Early Years assessment Coordinator who will help and support families in accessing and understanding the pathway. The assessment pathways offer specialist coordinated multi-disciplinary support and assessment for children up to the age of 5 years, identified as having complex developmental needs.

North Lincolnshire Communication & Interaction Assessment Pathway

This pathway offers a specialist multi-agency assessment of the developmental needs of children referred in with difficulties around communication and social interaction. In particular, children referred in for assessment commonly exhibit behaviours suggestive of a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Key professionals involved in the assessment can include: Speech and Language Therapy; Clinical Psychology; Paediatrician, Play Specialist and other relevant support agencies dependent upon the individual needs of the child being assessed.

This pathway offers a time limited, targeted assessment for children under the age of 5 and makes recommendations to universal and targeted services, to ensure the child's developmental needs are met. Children referred onto this pathway will already be in receipt of support through the Early Help system, and assessment findings and recommendations are fed back in to this forum. Additionally, there is representation from the pathway team in the Emotional Health & Well Being Early Years triage meetings, where children known to early years educational and support provision are monitored.

North Lincolnshire Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway

This pathway joins together community and acute paediatrics and children's therapy clinicians to offer an assessment around the child's developmental needs. Children who may access this pathway will present with significant and/or complex health and medical needs. This assessment will involve paediatricians and community nurses alongside professionals from Children's Therapy services as appropriate: Physiotherapy; Occupational Therapy; Speech & Language Therapy; and Nutrition & Dietetics.

To access this pathway, children will need to be referred by a local Consultant Paediatrician, or from a consultant from within an out of area specialist hospital. Children will need to have significant and complex health needs and have referrals made to 2 or more health clinicians in order to be eligible for acceptance on the pathway. An Early Help Assessment will also need to be completed alongside the assessment pathway. On completion of assessment, findings are agreed and shared within the wider group of professionals involved with the child's care, through the Early Help system. Plans for future intervention needs for the child are also identified and shared.

Early Years Multi Agency Triage Panel Request for Involvement - 2024

Early Years Triage Panel – Team Overview [172KB] PDF

Early Years Multi-Agency Triage Panel Terms of Reference a 2024

The Early Years Multi-Agency Triage Panel enables professionals with strategic or management responsibilities from Virtual Schools & Inclusion, Speech and Language therapy, Health, One Family Hub & EY SEND to come together to work as a collective group to ensure that the needs of preschool children are met.

The focus of the meetings are to consider referrals to the following teams:

• Early Years Inclusion Team / Portage
• Behaviour Support Team
• Autism Spectrum Education Team (ASET)
• Educational Psychology
• Family Support Team
• 0-19 (25 SEND) Health and Wellbeing Service, RDaSH

The Multi-Agency Early Years Triage Panel is administrated through the Virtual School & Inclusion.

Background to the Early Years Multi-Agency Triage Panel

To support the process a one form system has been developed to access the Virtual School & Inclusion specialists. This enables referrers to reduce time spent completing numerous forms therefore reducing duplication. The process enables a multi-professional approach to take place and

• Respond to the individual needs of the child
• Provide equity of expectation, access and support
• Provide the right support at the right time
• Promote understanding of services and referral pathways
• Promote joined up working

Purpose of the Panel

• The Panel is multi professional with representatives from Virtual Schools and Inclusion, Health, Speech Therapy Services, Early Years SEND/Inclusion team, Family Support Team.
• The Panel considers referrals to Virtual School and Inclusion to support children with special educational needs, disability, social emotional and behavioural developmental needs.
• The Panel makes decisions as to whether allocation will be agreed for consultation/ advice/ support/ interventions, based on the evidence presented or determine that alternative support is appropriate through other routes such as Family Support, Health, Community Nursery Nurses, parenting support, etc. and signpost accordingly.

The following principles apply

• Early identification, assessment and intervention
• Outreach focused
• Outcomes focused
• Smooth transitions
• Child and parent focused
• Empowering parents and families
• Wider workforce is developed in order to guarantee effective practice.

Referral Process

a) Parents or Professionals working with children are able to refer using the "Early Years multi-agency Triage Panel Request for Involvement Form" form which must:

• Describe the child's needs/presentation and relevant background information
• be signed by – referrer and parent/carer.
• be accompanied by the appropriate supporting evidence as outlined on the request form.

b) All requests must be sent to EYMAT@northlincs.gov.uk or where this is not possible a paper copy can be sent to Virtual School and Inclusion – EYMAT, Church Square House, Scunthorpe, DN15 6NL. All requests for involvement are discussed on a fortnightly basis during term time and as needed during school holidays.

c) Panel members have access to the relevant paperwork in advance of the Panel meeting.

d) The Panel discussions and subsequent recommendations are based on the submitted request and supporting written evidence. However, there may be occasions where additional information is sought from professionals involved with the child to assist clarity and decision making.

e) The Panel makes consistent and transparent decisions which are recorded on an action log. Decision making is reviewed regularly.

f) There is the facility through the panel for one professional to request the involvement of another professional in the case, this eliminates the necessity to complete additional referral forms.

g) The referrer is notified, in writing of the decision of the panel within 14 working days, term time, or a request is made for additional information. It is the referrers responsibility to notify parents/carers of any outcomes of the request.

h) Where allocation is agreed a member of the relevant team will contact the family/setting directly to agree initial steps.

i) This process does not replace any teams existing protocols and procedures. Following decisions made at panel it will be individual team's responsibilities to respond to any actions/next steps.

j) Submissions for consideration need to be received by midday on the Thursday, prior to the panel meeting.

k) If there is insufficient information to make an informed decision, the referral will be declined. A new request can be made at any point once further information is available.

Frequency of meetings: Meetings will be held on a fortnightly basis during term time and as needed during the school holidays, however, meetings will be cancelled in the event of no referrals being received or insufficient professional representation.

Membership

• Lead Educational Psychologist or Educational Psychologist with a special interest in early years
• A member of specialist teaching teams (BST, ASET and CoBe) with a special interest in Early Years
• A member of Portage
• A member of the EYFS Area SENCO Team
• A member of the Health Visiting team 0-19 (25 SEND)
• Family Support team
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Members from other specialist teams when required.

Core representation of at least 5 people in order for meeting to go ahead.

Chair: Meetings will be chaired by senior staff from Children and Families. In the event of where there is no majority decision the chair will have the deciding view.

Accountability

All staff represented are accountable to their own organisations. Decision making is conducted in the spirit of joint working and in line with principles of North Lincolnshire Council, RDaSH, and NLAG.

Quality Assurance:

• Regular review of documentation.
• Regular audit of cases across the year.
• Monitoring of deadlines for issuing of letters to referrers.

Reviews of terms of reference take place on a 3 year cycle.

Resources and budgets

Teams involved in the early years multi-agency panel are resourced through their own organisations.

Wendy Holmes Head of Virtual School and Inclusion

Review of Terms of Reference is due in January 2027

Please Note: Any decisions in respect of support will have no bearing on decisions regarding requests for Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments.

The Family Information Service (FIS) has been providing free, impartial information and advice to families in North Lincolnshire for over 20 years.

We aim to provide an efficient, accessible information service to support parents, carers and families in North Lincolnshire.

Information we provide

We have a wide range of information for children and young people aged 0 to 20 and their families including:

• contact details of Early Years and Childcare providers
• advice on how to choose high quality childcare
• information on help available with meeting the costs of childcare
• statistical data on the childcare sector
• an online children and young people's activity guide
• a directory of local and national services to support families
• signposting to parenting/family support

The Association for Young People's Health have released a toolkit for school nurses, designed to improve young people's health literacy.

Produced with support from Public Health England, the toolkit is designed to help school nurses improve the health literacy of children and young people using simple and cost-effective methods.

Health literacy is important for young people, providing knowledge and capacity to make informed and balanced choices about their health and wellbeing. There are a wide range of methods schools and school nurses can employ to improve the health literacy of pupils.

Definition of Bilingualism

'Individuals or groups of people who acquire communicative skills in more than one language. An individual should be regarded as bilingual regardless of the relative proficiency of the languages understood or used.'

Facts

1. Over 50% of the world's population is estimated to be bilingual.
2. There are 30 times as many languages as there are countries.
3. Bilingualism does not cause communication disorders and in fact has many advantages.
4. A 'silent period' is a normal phase when children are immersed into a new language environment and can last for several months.
5. 'Code-switching': alternating languages between or within the same sentence is a completely normal pattern of talking used by all bilingual speakers

Routes to bilingualism

1. Simultaneous: a child is exposed to both (all) languages from the beginning of language acquisition. This is the least common route to bilingualism.
2. Sequential: a first language is acquired and an additional language is then acquired (often on school entry). This is the most common route to bilingualism.

Role of the Speech and Language Therapist

To find out whether the child is acquiring English normally as an additional language or if he has an underlying communication difficulty. We do not focus on trying to make the child learn English over the development of their home language. We treat both languages' acquisition equally as this is respectful to their linguistic diversity and recognises that there are advantages to being bilingual.

Referral Guidance

1. Ask parents about the child's speech and language skills in their home language.
2. Use an interpreter if the parents are not able to convey this information in English.
3. If the parent expresses concern regarding the child's speech and language development in their home language, complete the appropriate checklist that is nearest to the child's age together with the parent.
4. Follow the action guidelines to determine whether or not a referral is indicated.
5. Children should not be referred if they are developing normally in their home language.

• Words Count
• Makaton
• Speech and Language UK
• Words for Life
• Talking Point
• Bercow 10 Years On
• NSPCC
• Hungry Little Minds
• Tiny Happy People

A wide range of information and resources for professionals to share with parents, families and communities are available below:

• Imagination Library
• Book Trust
• NHS Start4Life Learning to Talk resources

Children's communication and language underpins all of their learning and development. The earliest years of a child's life, starting even before a baby is born, are crucial in how children's communication, speech and language develops. Parents, carers and families have a big impact on this – talking with your baby and child, taking turns in conversations, sharing books and rhymes, and giving them new words all helps them learn to communicate and talk well.

Our Best Start Communication Counts posters have been developed by a range of North Lincolnshire professionals across health, speech and language therapy and early years education. They are based on evidence and research to support your baby and child to have the Best Start in communication. Each poster has important messages and tips that will support your baby and child's healthy brain development, communication, speech, language and learning.

If you would like these posters in an accessible format, please contact us.

Our Communication Counts strategy works closely with the Imagination Library.

All children under five in North Lincolnshire can receive a free book every month from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Each month a new, carefully selected book will be delivered to your home and addressed to your child. Best of all it is a free gift! There is no cost or obligation to your family.

The programme is available across the whole of North Lincolnshire. All children from birth to five years who live in North Lincolnshire are eligible to register. Sign your child up from birth and they'll receive 60 books in total to help start a lifelong love of books and reading.

Communication and Language Development is one of the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage for children from birth to the end of the reception year in primary school. This includes children's:

• listening
• attention
• understanding
• speaking

The development of children's spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children's back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial.

By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.

For further information please see the following links:

• Early Years Foundation Stage Framework
• EYFS: Resources, activity ideas and advice for teaching communication and language to early years children
• Foundation Years website (DfE)
• What to expect in the EYFS – A guide for parents

All professionals working with your child such as health professionals, Children's Centre staff and early years practitioners can provide you with information on supporting Communication and Language and how to access support, as part of the North Lincolnshire Communication Counts strategy.

These professionals also play an important role in working with parents and carers to identify when children have an emerging need. All children will have an assessment of their development, including their communication and language development, at age two. This will be carried out by your health visiting team and your child's early years provider if they attend one. If your child needs some additional support, they will talk to you about this, help you to implement strategies and activities to promote communication and language, and monitor your child's progress. If concerns continue and it is deemed more specialist advice is required, they will, after agreement with you, discuss this with an Early Years Speech and Language Therapist or make a referral to the team. You will be kept up to date about this at all times.

In some instances, an Early Help Assessment will be required to gain further information to ensure the right support is put in place.

Speech and Language UK is a charity that helps children and young people with speech and language difficulties. They work with parents, carers and other professionals to give children the skills they need to communicate and face the future with confidence.

Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are allied health professionals who provide the services for the charity.Speech and Language UK have advice on their website, a progress checker and an advice line to receive support from a Speech and Language Therapist.

Definition of Bilingualism

'Individuals or groups of people who acquire communicative skills in more than one language. An individual should be regarded as bilingual regardless of the relative proficiency of the languages understood or used.'

Facts

1. Over 50% of the world's population is estimated to be bilingual.
2. There are 30 times as many languages as there are countries.
3. Bilingualism does not cause communication disorders and in fact has many advantages.
4. A 'silent period' is a normal phase when children are immersed into a new language environment and can last for several months.
5. 'Codeswitching': alternating languages between or within the same sentence is a completely normal pattern of talking used by all bilingual speakers

Routes to bilingualism

1. Simultaneous: a child is exposed to both (all) languages from the beginning of language acquisition. This is the least common route to bilingualism.
2. Sequential: a first language is acquired and an additional language is then acquired (often on school entry). This is the most common route to bilingualism.

Role of the Speech and Language Therapist

To find out whether the child is acquiring English normally as an additional language or if he has an underlying communication difficulty. We do not focus on trying to make the child learn English over the development of their home language. We treat both languages' acquisition equally as this is respectful to their linguistic diversity and recognises that there are advantages to being bilingual.

Referral Guidance

1. Ask parents about the child's speech and language skills in their home language.
2. Use an interpreter if the parents are not able to convey this information in English.
3. If the parent expresses concern regarding the child’s speech and language development in their home language, complete the appropriate checklist that is nearest to the child’s age together with the parent.
4. Follow the action guidelines to determine whether or not a referral is indicated.
5. Children should not be referred if they are developing normally in their home language.