How should the Toolkit be used?
Many local areas (LAs) will have existing transformation programmes and ongoing initiatives to tackle challenges they are facing within the SEND & AP system.
The Toolkit is intended to provide guidance on the diagnostic approach used during the Delivering Better Value programme and how it could be adapted to support other approaches that you have come across or used in the past. It is a collection of exercises and activities that can help form a strong foundation for a programme aiming to make changes in a local SEND & AP system.
Each section of the Toolkit will look at a different diagnostic activity, explain what the exercise is, what the potential benefits are, and some example outputs from LAs that have participated in the DBV programme, so that you can learn from their experience.
There is significant local variation across various aspects of the SEND system, including:
The way data is collected and stored
Relationships with key stakeholders
The way services are set up
Therefore, the Toolkit covers the key principles of diagnostic activities with examples of where this has been applied successfully, rather than intending to be a detailed step-by-step guide. This works best when you put the appropriate time and effort in; the examples shown throughout are the result of dedicated resources and a big focus on engaging local area senior leadership.
