Guidance

Thematic reviews of preparation for adulthood arrangements in local areas

Published 8 February 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have jointly published a new framework and handbook for inspecting arrangements in the local area for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

As part of the new area SEND inspection arrangements, Ofsted and CQC will carry out a series of thematic visits each academic year. We will conduct visits to a small number of areas to investigate a particular aspect of the SEND system in depth. In 2023, we investigated alternative provision (AP). Read the ‘Alternative provision in local areas in England: a thematic review’.

Purpose of the 2024 thematic visits

The theme we will investigate in 2024 is preparation for adulthood (PfA). 

The purposes of the 2024 thematic visits are to: 

• find out the extent to which local area partners across education, health and social care are working together effectively to prepare children and young people with SEND for adulthood.^{[footnote 1]} This will include children and young people who are receiving SEND support or have an education, health and care (EHC) plan 
• better understand what support local area partners are providing to children and young people with SEND and their families to achieve their full potential. This could be through educational pathways such as post-16 education, training or employment. Inspectors will also look at how children and young people with SEND develop independence, are made to feel visible and valued in their community, and are supported to be as healthy as possible in adulthood 
• identify factors that enable local area partners to work together effectively to support children and young people with SEND to transition successfully into adulthood. This could include transferring from children’s to adult services 
• identify factors that prevent local area partners from working together effectively to support children and young people with SEND to transition successfully through education into adulthood 
• highlight good practice in preparing children and young people with SEND for adulthood. In particular, we will highlight where transition planning in local area partnerships (LAP) is timely, collaborative and focused on the aspirations, interests and needs of the young person   

These visits will provide insights for Ofsted, the CQC, government, strategic leaders and frontline education, health and social care practitioners that will be used to promote improvement in the sector and update our approach to inspection, as appropriate. Similarly, where we identify good practice on our visits, we will share this with the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to contribute to their policy development through the ‘SEND and alternative provision improvement plan’.  

We will not be making judgements about individual areas during these visits, although we will share our findings in a national report to be published in autumn 2024. The national report will list the local areas visited but will not attribute findings to individual areas.

Focus of the 2024 thematic visits

We will explore how a range of partners in local areas work together to support children and young people with SEND to prepare for adulthood. The visits will explore what support children and young people with SEND receive, from their birth through all phases of their lives and education to 25.  

Ofsted and the CQC look at specific phases of a child and young person’s transition to adulthood across the remits for which they are responsible. But what makes these visits unique is that their focus and scope will cut across all our remits. This will allow inspectors to look in-depth at the impact of PfA arrangements on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND and their families.  

The visits will focus on understanding the impact of the support that local area partners are providing to children and young people with SEND and their families to prepare them for adulthood. The purpose of the visits is not for inspectors to assess compliance with legal duties in relation to children and young people with SEND. If, however, inspectors do identify significant concerns during the visits, it may lead to further activity, including inspection. 

The impact of PfA arrangements on all children and young people with SEND will be in scope of the visits. We aim to understand how local area partners work together to make sure decision-making focuses on children and young people’s interests, aspirations and needs. We will also consider how effectively the needs of children and young people with SEND are met when they transition to adult services. This includes children in care and those with diagnosed or undiagnosed health needs. 

The visits will consider all phases of a child and young person’s transition to adulthood, including: 

• the extent to which early years settings and schools develop the knowledge, skills and independence of children and young people with SEND, to enable them to advocate for themselves, make choices and thrive in their communities as they transition through important phases in their lives 
• the support that schools are offering to help young people to prepare for post-16 transitions, through a variety of routes, such as further education, work with training and/or volunteering 
• the role of post-16 providers in preparing young people for post-19 transitions, such as through pursuing higher education, training, supported internships or employment. Alternative activities could include volunteering, living independently and being visible and valued individuals in their local communities. We recognise, however, that young people with SEND can follow many different routes and at different phases 

Inspectors will gather evidence from a range of stakeholders. They will seek to understand the experiences of: 

• children and young people with SEND and their families, including: 
  • those attending early years, mainstream, special or AP settings 
• strategic leaders, including: 
  • those who commission, or support the commissioning of, services to help children and young people with SEND to prepare for adulthood 
  • those who are involved in area-wide strategic planning for PfA 
• delivery partners, including:  
  • providers and practitioners that deliver education from early years through to post-19 education. This could include careers advice, vocational training and supported internship programmes 
  • health and social care providers and practitioners that support the transition of children and young people with SEND from children’s to adult services

Leaders and/or practitioners may always be accompanied by a colleague of their choice when speaking to inspectors if they wish. However, it is important that they are able to express their views freely to inspectors.

Scope of the 2024 thematic visits

The scope of the thematic visits will be children and young people with SEND who:

• are aged from birth to 25 
• are in early years, mainstream, special, AP or post-16 settings 

• either have an EHC plan or are receiving SEN support 

• live in or are the responsibility of the area visited, including those who are educated out of area. This does not cover those who live in other areas but attend an education setting within the local authority’s boundaries 

All types of education providers are in scope for the visits. Inspectors will seek to understand how local area partners make sure that children and young people with SEND are prepared for the next stage of their lives and meet the 4 key pathways for PfA outlined below.

Themes of the 2024 visits

We will focus on the following 4 key pathways for PfA, based on the SEND code of practice’:  

• employment 
• independent living 
• community inclusion 
• health 

As part of these themes, inspectors will explore: 

• how children and young people with SEND are supported to achieve their full potential, such as through further education, higher education, training, supported internships and employment 
• how children and young people with SEND are empowered to make decisions for themselves and live as independently as possible 
• how children and young people with SEND are supported to participate in society  
• how children and young people with SEND are supported to be as healthy as possible in adulthood 
• how local area partners work jointly in developing and implementing strategies for PfA  
• enablers and barriers to preparing children and young people with SEND for adulthood effectively

Employment 

Inspectors will explore: 

• at what point children and young people with SEND start receiving careers information, advice and guidance about employment pathways 
• what options are available to young people with SEND when they complete their education and how well these enable them to be ready for adulthood 
• how local area partners are making sure that children and young people with SEND receive timely and considered support to plan for transitions 

Independent living  

Inspectors will explore: 

• how children and young people with SEND are supported to develop independence and life skills that enable them to have choice and control over their lives 
• how local partners are working together to help children and young people with SEND to be ready to, where appropriate, live independently, or move into supported living or alternative care arrangements 
• whether adult services are working jointly with children’s services to support transitions that lead to positive outcomes 

Community inclusion  

Inspectors will explore: 

• how local area partners are supporting children and young people with SEND to be visible and valued in the community 
• what local partners are doing to support children and young people with SEND to actively participate in the community 
• whether children and young people with SEND have opportunities to make friends, build supportive relationships and live happy and enjoyable lives 

Health  

Inspectors will explore: 

• how effective the commissioning arrangements are for transition to adulthood. This will include services such as occupational, physio, speech and language therapies; learning disabilities services; and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).  
• whether young people’s needs are met when they have SEND and are known to children’s health services but do not meet the threshold for adult health services 
• whether children and young people with SEND, including those in care and those with a social worker, understand how their health and/or care needs will be met, when reaching adulthood 
• whether primary care health services are making reasonable adjustments to ensure that children and young people with SEND can access primary care services, to support their PfA

Strategic planning  

Inspectors will explore: 

• how effectively local area partners are working jointly to develop and implement strategies for PfA, that meet the needs of children and young people with SEND in their area and place children and young people and their families at the centre of their planning 
• how effectively leaders use data to inform their joint commissioning processes to plan for when children and young people with SEND reach adulthood 
• how effectively local area partners co-produce PfA plans with children and young people with SEND 

Enabling factors and barriers  

Inspectors will explore factors that enable and/or prevent local area partners from working together to support children and young people with SEND to transition successfully through education into adulthood.

The legal context

Ofsted will carry out and lead these visits in response to a request from the Secretary of State for Education under section 118(2) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. Sections 118(5) and (6) allow us to use powers of entry/powers to consider information contained in other statutes to fulfil any such request. This includes section 20 of the Children Act 2004 and the Joint Area Review (JAR) Regulations.

CQC will assist Ofsted under paragraph 9(1) of schedule 4 to the Health and Social Care Act 2008. If the visits involve examining the provision of NHS care or the carrying on of CQC regulated activities for children and young people with SEND, CQC will provide the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care with information and advice about this care, as required by their commission under section 53(1) and (4) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. CQC will exercise powers of entry and inspect documents, as set out in sections 62 to 64 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Composition of the team

The team will usually be made up of 3 inspectors: one inspector from education, one inspector from social care and a CQC inspector. The thematic visits are quality-assured by Ofsted and CQC. Typically, quality assurance is done remotely.

Length and timing of thematic visits

Each visit will typically consist of up to 4 days of off-site activity and up to 4 days of on-site activity. The visits are planned to take place between spring and summer 2024. 

Inspectors will have the flexibility to reduce the number of off-site and/or on-site days when appropriate, such as when we are visiting a smaller local area with fewer children and young people.

How we will select local areas for thematic visits

Ofsted and CQC will select a varied sample of local areas to visit. We will be considerate of other inspection activity when selecting areas to visit.

Overview of visit activity

We are being commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide information and advice about PfA arrangements in local areas in England. In order to provide this information and advice, inspectors will draw together information from across education, health and social care services, as well as from third-sector organisations and children and young people and their families. We have set out the legal powers to request and view this information above. We will share information about how we handle personal data when we contact participants.

The thematic visits will usually follow the structure set out below. The exact timetable will be constructed jointly by the lead inspector and local area leaders in consultation with colleagues in health and social care. 

Adjustments to arrangements and timings, including the notification call, may need to be made if there is a public holiday during this time. 

The surveys referred to in the ‘Activities in week 1’ section will gather stakeholders’ views about PfA arrangements in their area. There will be 2 surveys: one for parents and practitioners and the other for children and young people with SEND. The surveys will go live on the day on which local leaders are notified of the visit (10 days before the on-site visit begins) and will remain live until the last on-site day of the visit.

Activities in week 1 (10 days before the on-site fieldwork)

Activities include:

• inspectors notify local leaders of the visit 10 working days before the on-site fieldwork begins
• inspectors share a link to the surveys for local area leaders to distribute. Inspectors will also notify the parent-carer forum (PCF)
• inspectors and local leaders hold a set-up discussion (this is carried out remotely)
• inspectors request information from the local area and a sample of other partners to support the visit (this information is set out in Annex A)
• local area leaders make reasonable efforts to distribute the surveys to relevant stakeholders
• the local area and other partners share information to support the visit
• inspectors carry out off-site planning and pre-visit analysis. 
• inspectors select individual children and young people for tracking meetings
• inspectors select providers to visit and/or meet with

Activities in week 2 (5 days before the on-site fieldwork)

Activities include:

• local area partners provide further information for tracking meetings
• inspectors work with local leaders to agree a timetable
• a nominated representative (the local area nominated officer (LANO)) arranges the visits and meetings
• inspectors begin off-site evidence-gathering through virtual meetings and calls

Activities in week 3

Activities include:

• inspectors carry out on-site evidence-gathering
• inspectors visit settings and meet with local area leaders, children, young people and their families and frontline practitioners across education, health and social care
• inspectors complete sampling meetings to understand the experiences of children and young people aged from birth to 25 – this will include reviewing the partnership’s approach to PfA in early years, statutory education and further education
• inspectors discuss the findings from the visit with local area leaders at a debrief meeting

Information about the processes before, during and after the visits

Pre-visit activity

Ofsted and CQC inspectors will review relevant information held by the inspectorates about the arrangements for PfA in the local area.

Week 1: notification, set-up discussion, information request and analysis

Notification

Ten working days before on-site evidence-gathering, inspectors will contact the relevant leaders in the local area to notify them of the visit: 

• Ofsted will contact the director of children’s services (DCS) 
• CQC will notify the chief executive of the Integrated Care Board (ICB) 

The lead inspector will work with the DCS to nominate a representative – the LANO – who will act as a single point of contact throughout the visit. The LANO will act on behalf of those involved in PfA arrangements for children and young people with SEND who live in the local area, linking with the identified ICB representative. 

The LANO and ICB representative will liaise with the lead inspector throughout the visit, so that activities can be coordinated effectively. 

Ofsted and CQC will only defer the visit to a local area in exceptional circumstances. If a local area has a concern about the timing of a visit, it may submit a deferral request in line with the principles set out in Ofsted’s deferral policy. 

Set-up discussion 

Once the visit has been confirmed, the lead inspector and the CQC inspector will make an extended telephone call to the LANO and ICB representative. The lead inspector will make it clear that the LANO and the ICB representative are encouraged to have someone present during the call to assist and support them if they wish. This should be at least one other senior leader who typically deputises for them and can understand and discuss the content of the call. The purpose of this call is to:

• check on the leaders’ well-being and whether any steps need to be taken to ensure any issues or concerns are addressed, including that appropriate support is available. The lead inspector should ascertain how to contact whoever is responsible for the leaders’ well-being on a day-to-day basis, so that they can pass on wellbeing concerns when appropriate and necessary
• discuss the local area’s context 
• discuss the arrangements for the visit, including: a proposed timetable of activities; arrangements for talking to children and young people and families; the key officers and representatives to involve in specific meetings; and the purpose of proposed activities 
• discuss arrangements for having regular discussions to confirm the main messages gathered in evidence and check arrangements for the day 
• discuss the arrangements for distributing the surveys (the lead inspector will coordinate with the LANO to ensure the widest distribution of the surveys, which should capture the experiences of as many children and young people as possible) 
• discuss the information requested for the visit (see Annex A) 
• ask that the key stakeholders involved in the PfA strategy and services are made aware of the visit, including providers, parents and carers 

Survey arrangements 

We will make the links to the 2 surveys available to gather stakeholders’ views about PfA in their area. The surveys will go live on the day that local leaders are notified of the visit and will remain live until the last on-site day of the visit. The LANO is responsible for the distribution of the survey to local stakeholders.  

During the visits, the lead inspector will work with the LANO to ensure that – as far as possible – the surveys are made available to: 

• all children and young people with SEND aged between 11 and 25 
• parents and carers of children and young people with SEND aged from birth to 25 
• all settings and services that are involved in PfA in the area 

Inspectors will work with those distributing the surveys to consider accessibility issues. 

We will use the evidence we collect through surveys primarily to inform our final national report. Findings will not be attributed to any specific area. We will also review survey responses periodically. If we identify any significant concerns through this, we will respond as set out in the significant concerns section. 

Off-site analysis 

Inspectors will review the information requested from the local area and other partners listed in Annex A. 

Week 1, Monday 

Inspectors request the information set out in Annex A. 

Week 1, Thursday, by 5pm 

The following should be completed:

• local area provides pseudonymised person-level data to assist inspectors in selecting children and young people to track
• local area provides a list of education, health and social care providers and settings to assist inspectors in selecting the providers that will have sampling visits
• local area provides requested information about PfA arrangements

Week 1, Friday, by 5pm 

Inspectors select children and young people’s cases to be tracked. 

Preparing for evidence-gathering activity 

Inspectors will arrange with the LANO and ICB representative to meet with those involved in area-wide strategic planning (if this exists) related to PfA. This meeting will take place at the end of week 2. 

Selecting children and young people for tracking meetings 

During week 1, inspectors will select approximately 3 children and young people to be involved in tracking meetings, which will take place in week 3. These are meetings with children and young people, their parents or carers (if appropriate) and the practitioners directly involved with them. The meetings are for inspectors to hear directly about children and young people’s experiences and outcomes, particularly those of vulnerable groups of children working with multiple agencies, such as children in care and/or those with health needs. Inspectors will discuss the child or young person’s journey from the early years to their present situation. They will consider their experience of transition at key stages of that journey. 

When selecting the children and young people to track, inspectors will take into account information shared by local area leaders, the demographic make-up of the local area, including protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010, and any contextual issues specific to the local area. 

Typically, inspectors will track one child or young person from each of the following phases: 

• a 14- or 15-year-old in key stage 4 
• a young person aged over 16 in key stage 5 
• a young person aged over 19 in further education or training 

The children and young people we track will also include at least 1 receiving SEN support, at least 1 with an EHC plan and at least 1 with social care involvement. 

Once children and young people have been selected, the LANO will: 

• arrange for a practitioner who knows the child or young person well to approach them, and their parents or carers, to discuss their involvement in tracking meetings 
• share any further information about the child or young person that may be relevant 
• arrange tracking meetings with children and young people, and their parents and carers 
• arrange a multi-disciplinary tracking meeting with the practitioners who are/have been directly involved with the child or young person. This can include practitioners across education, health and social care and any third-sector involvement 

Selecting providers for sampling visits 

During week 1, inspectors will select a number of providers to visit, to review the experiences of a wider group of children and young people. When choosing providers to visit, inspectors will seek to consider a range of services involved in PfA. Typically, inspectors will visit:  

• a further education or training provider
• a health provider that assesses and meets children’s and adults’ needs
• an independent living provider

These sampling visits enable inspectors to gather information about the impact of the local area’s arrangements on a wider group of children and young people. Inspectors will seek to understand children and young people’s experiences and outcomes by talking to practitioners and reviewing documents. While we may include our observations from the visit in the national report to be published at the end of the thematic visits, we will not use the information gathered to make judgements about individual local areas or individual providers.

The lead HMI will provide the LANO with notification letters to send to the chosen providers. Inspectors will identify the settings they want to visit based on the information provided by the local area partnership (see Annex A). The lead HMI will provide the LANO with notification letters to send to the chosen providers. The LANO and identified ICB representative will make the necessary arrangements for inspectors to visit the settings.

Week 2: off-site analysis, creating an on-site timetable, evidence-gathering begins

Creating the timetable

The Ofsted lead inspector will coordinate the creation of a timetable for gathering evidence off site in week 2, and on site in week 3. They will work jointly with the CQC inspector and social care inspector to help create the timetable, in collaboration with the LANO and ICB representative. This will include arrangements for meetings with practitioners and leaders to discuss their work, and with children and young people and their parents/carers to discuss their experiences. Inspectors will also make arrangements for keeping-in-touch meetings and a debrief at the end of the week, to share findings from the visit. 

When creating the timetable, the Ofsted lead inspector and CQC lead inspector will: 

• consider which activities should be carried out in person, and which should be carried out by phone or video call 
• include enough time for inspectors to travel between appointments 
• include time for inspectors to review and analyse the information gathered, individually and together 
• ensure that the timetable is flexible enough to be changed in response to emerging observations 
• work with the LANO and ICB representative to ensure that local leaders and practitioners are aware of the timetable and any changes to it 

Inspectors will meet during week 2 to confirm the plan for the visit and discuss any final arrangements with the LANO. 

Meetings to discuss the local strategic planning 

Inspectors will have discussions with those involved in area-wide strategic planning for PfA, including those who have been involved in: 

• developing plans  
• overseeing plans 
• communicating strategic plans with the local area  
• incorporating strategic planning into performance measures 

Inspectors will also want to understand how local strategic planning is being translated into the work of managers and frontline practitioners supporting children and young people directly. 

These discussions may include any of the following who have been involved in the strategic development of PfA and the commissioning of services for children and young people: 

• representatives from the local authority, education and social care 
• representatives from health 
• representatives from the third sector 
• children and young people with SEND and their families  

Discussions with parents and carers 

Inspectors will meet remotely with parents and carers who have agreed to participate, to: 

• understand their experiences 
• understand the impact of the local arrangements for PfA on their child 
• understand how services in the local area engage with parents and carers, and the impact this engagement has 
• identify any common themes that inspectors may wish to explore further during visits 

Inspectors will meet with parents and carers as part of the tracking meetings in week 3. They may also arrange to meet with or talk to other parents and carers, to discuss relevant themes and their individual experiences, or to seek their views on a specific aspect of the local arrangements for PfA. 

Week 2, Monday, by 5pm 

The lead inspector will ask the LANO to coordinate the sharing of information with the inspection team about the children and young people who are being tracked. This information will include: 

• a chronology of significant events related to the education, health and social care of the child or young person   
• a pen portrait of the child or young person, including information about their needs, aspirations and support 

Inspectors will also ask for further information, including: 

• the most recent assessments, including an early help assessment, if applicable 
• the most recent plans, including an EHC plan, annual reviews, personal education plan or pathway/care plan, where relevant 
• the current AP commissioning agreement 

Inspectors will not keep a written record of the identity of the children and young people they speak to.

Week 3: tracking meetings, sampling visits and discussions

Discussions with children and young people 

Inspectors will meet with children and young people to: 

• understand their experiences and outcomes 
• understand how services in the local area engage with children and young people, and the impact of this engagement 
• identify any common themes to explore further during sampling visits 

Inspectors will speak with children and young people as part of the tracking meetings in week 2. They may arrange to meet with other children and young people to explore relevant themes, discuss their individual experiences or seek their views on a specific aspect of local arrangements for PfA. Children and young people and their parents and carers can opt out of meetings at any time. 

Inspectors will not keep a written record of the identity of the children and young people they speak to. 

Tracking meetings with children, young people, parents and carers 

Inspectors will use tracking meetings to gather information about the impact of the local strategy and commissioning of services to support children and young people with SEND to be prepared for adulthood. Tracking meetings enable inspectors to understand specific children and young people’s experiences and journeys through different phases of their transition into adulthood. Inspectors will consider how decisions have been made, how children, young people and their families have been involved, and the extent to which the needs of children and young people have been met. 

Tracking meetings will help inspectors to establish themes they wish to explore through further on-site activity. The information provided by the local area and other partners, and from meetings with leaders, practitioners, parents and carers, and groups of children and young people, will also feed into the themes that inspectors choose to explore further during on-site activity. This further on-site activity may include meetings with stakeholders and sampling the experiences of more children and young people with a range of education, health and care needs and across a range of ages. 

Inspectors will discuss the child or young person’s experiences of the services that help prepare them for adulthood, and the professionals involved. They will ask the LANO to work with practitioners and families to understand how inspectors can best support the child or young person to share their experiences. Inspectors may also discuss children and young people’s experiences with their parents and/or carers, either with or separately from their child, depending on the age of the child or young person and the family’s preferences. 

Multi-agency tracking meetings with practitioners 

Inspectors will have a multi-agency discussion with education, health and social care professionals who work with the child or young person. The lead inspector will ask the LANO and ICB representative to ensure that the professionals involved in the discussion include staff who have the greatest awareness of the child or young person’s support plan. 

Inspectors may discuss children and young people’s records with practitioners, using their knowledge of the child or young person, file structure and recording systems. They may also consider any case supervision notes. Where case records are held wholly or partly electronically, the service should arrange for identified inspectors to have secure access to the electronic system. 

Inspectors will base their findings on recent information that has an impact on the child or young person’s current situation. However, inspectors may ask for historical information to understand children and young people’s pathways into adulthood. 

Sampling meetings 

Inspectors will have sampling meetings with education, health and social care professionals involved in particular aspects of PfA. These aspects will include, for example, careers information, advice and guidance, services for disabled children and adult health services.  

Inspectors will discuss the partnership’s strategy for PfA and ask questions to better understand the impact on children and young people with SEND. Inspectors will also review records relating to children and young people to identify enabling factors and barriers. 

Sampling visits to providers and services 

During sampling visits, inspectors will visit a specific provider or service and ask for information about children and young people’s experiences. 

Inspectors will choose the children and young people to speak to during sampling visits, where this is possible. These may include children and young people who have a specific need, who are receiving a specific service and/or who are at a particular point in their care or education. 

They may choose the children and young people before the visit, using the information provided by local area partners. Alternatively, they may ask practitioners to show them records based on certain criteria established from emerging themes and will choose the children and young people to speak to in that way. Inspectors may or may not invite the child or young person to meet with them. 

Inspectors will look at any other relevant documents relating to the children and young people. They will discuss their experiences and outcomes with the practitioners in that provision or service and/or those who are directly involved in the commissioning, decision-making and oversight of the provision and support. Inspectors may also look at case supervision notes. Where case records are held wholly or partly electronically, the provider should arrange for the inspectors to have secure access to the electronic system. 

Findings will be based on contemporary practice and on practice that has an impact on the child or young person’s current situation. However, inspectors may ask for historical information to understand children and young people’s pathways into adulthood. 

Discussions with leaders and practitioners that support children and young people in preparing for adulthood 

Inspectors will hold meetings with leaders and frontline practitioners working with children and young people. They will want to understand the provision and services available to children and young people to help them prepare for adulthood. 

Visit team meetings 

The team will meet at different points during the visit, either remotely or in person. In particular, the team should, as far as is practicable, meet each day to discuss and record observations and ensure that the lead inspector has the most recent information to reflect on with the LANO and ICB representative. 

During the final team meeting, inspectors will discuss what they observed and what they were told in preparation for a summary conversation with local area leaders. 

Regular discussions 

At the heart of our visits is a professional dialogue between inspectors and leaders. The lead inspector will establish arrangements for regular discussions at key points during the visit. This will enable the inspection team to share their observations with the DCS, the ICB representative and the LANO, identify any additional information required, answer any questions and make changes to the timetable if necessary. 

Inspectors may work with the LANO and ICB representative to arrange additional meetings with leaders and/or practitioners throughout the on-site visit. This will enable inspectors to further explore emerging themes identified through tracking meetings or sampling visits.

After the visit

We will not make or report judgements about local areas based on evidence gathered during the visit.

Debrief with local area leaders

We will share our observations with local area leaders verbally during the visit, at appropriate points, and at the end of a visit during a debrief meeting.

The debrief meeting with local area leaders will include a summary of observations and reflective discussion.

The lead inspector will liaise with the DCS and the ICB representative, through the LANO, to agree who attends this meeting. This may include local area leaders involved in commissioning education, training and services, and overseeing and/or delivering PfA strategies.

Additional members of staff may attend at the discretion of the lead inspector.

Summary note

Following the debrief with local area leaders, the local authority will receive a summary note with a record of the activities carried out (see example). The note will not be evaluative, and there will be no judgements or recommendations.

Reporting

Ofsted and CQC will share the observations from these visits in a single national report. The national report will list the local areas visited. Findings will not be attributed to individual areas unless the areas agree to be identified. No report will include any personal information about an individual child, young person, parent or carer.

Significant concerns

Inspectors should follow the principles set out in Safeguarding concerns: guidance for inspectors. If they are concerned about a child or young person, they should follow existing procedures.

If inspectors remain concerned, Ofsted and/or CQC will consider whether it is appropriate to take further action. This could include, if appropriate, inspectors referring individual children’s or young people’s cases to the local authority or requesting an inspection of the individual service or provider in line with Ofsted’s or CQC’s statutory and regulatory duties and powers. 

If inspectors identify other serious concerns, they will also notify a senior officer from the local authority as soon as possible. Ofsted and CQC will consider this information, and it may lead to further activity, including inspection.

Conduct and complaints

During the visit, inspectors will need to speak to a range of people. They will do so in line with our code of conduct, and act at all times with professionalism, courtesy, empathy and respect. Inspectors should take careful account of the well-being of leaders and staff and adjust their approach or activity, as appropriate, as they go about their work during the visit. If inspectors see or suspect that a staff member (including all leaders) is upset or distressed at any point during the visit, inspectors should respond sensitively. Where appropriate, inspectors will consider suitable adjustments to enable the staff member to continue. Where appropriate, inspectors will inform those responsible for the person’s well-being. The lead inspector should contact the duty desk to discuss what action to take. There may be exceptional occasions where a pause to the visit needs to be considered. We will consider these on a case-by-case basis.

The great majority of our work is carried out smoothly and without incident. If concerns do arise during the visit, they should be raised with the lead inspector as soon as possible in order to resolve issues before the visit is completed. Any concerns raised, and actions taken, will be recorded in the evidence collected during the visits. If an issue remains unresolved, the local area partnership can contact a senior Ofsted leader the working day after the visit using the number provided at notification.

If it is not possible to resolve concerns during the visit, through a phone call the working day after the visit, or through submitting comments in response to the draft summary note, the local area partnership may wish to lodge a formal complaint on receiving the final report. The lead inspector will ensure that the local area is informed that it is able to make a formal complaint, and that information about how to complain is available on GOV.UK.

Annex A: information request

We are being commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to provide information and advice about PfA in local areas in England. In order to provide this information and advice, inspectors will draw together information from across education, health and social care services, as well as from third-sector organisations and children and young people and their families. We have set out the legal powers to request and view this information above. We will share information about how we handle personal data when we contact participants. Annex A sets out the information inspectors will request for sharing information. Inspectors will provide details on accessing an online system that local area leaders can use to share the information. 

The information inspectors will request includes: 

• pseudonymised person-level data of children and young people with SEND, aged between 14 and 25. Inspectors will use this data to select the children and young people whose experiences they will evaluate as part of case tracking. This should include: 
  • their age  
  • their gender 
  • their ethnicity 
  • any special educational and/or health and social care needs they have 
  • whether they have or have had an EHC plan, or are in the process of assessment 
  • whether they are looked after 
  • all education setting(s) they are attending and have attended previously 
  • whether these settings are state maintained, independent and registered, or independent and unregistered 
  • whether these settings are in/out of area (include journey times in case of the latter) 
• information about PfA services in the area, as set out in the published local offer 
• information about the local area’s strategic planning and/or evaluation for PfA, including transition arrangements 
• information about commissioning arrangements for PfA, in particular for post-16 education and training 
• information about oversight and governance arrangements for PfA 
• information about outcomes for children and young people in relation to employment, independent living, community inclusion and health. In particular, inspectors will ask for not in education, employment or training (NEET) data for young people with SEND aged between 16 and 25  
• information on the numbers of young people with SEND in supported or independent living in the local area 
• annual health check data for young people with SEND aged 14 and above  
• the number of initial health checks for young people aged 14 and above 
• the number of annual health checks for children and young people who are looked after 
• service specifications and/or standard operating practice for health services in relation to PfA
• local area learning related to PfA, which could include ‘learning from lives and deaths’  

Inspectors may also request information from other agencies that are involved in commissioning and providing PfA services, such as health and social care services, schools or multi-academy trusts. This is so they can build a comprehensive understanding of the local arrangements for preparing children and young people with SEND for adulthood across the local area. 

Inspectors will gather personal information, including some sensitive personal data, that is necessary to help them evaluate local PfA arrangements for children and young people with SEND.

Inspectors may, at any time, ask for additional information not set out in Annex A and may agree to look at additional information that agencies provide. Any additional information must be: 

• necessary for an accurate understanding of children and young people’s experiences and outcomes in relation to the scope of the visit 
• not already available through the request in Annex A 

We do not necessarily expect local areas and other partners to have all the information set out in Annex A available. If the local area or any other partner does not hold the information listed in Annex A, they should not produce new documents solely to meet the request for information. Instead, partners should share all the information they have that is relevant to this request. Inspectors will want only the most recent information that relates to the scope of the visit. Inspectors will not review information that they deem to fall outside the scope of the visit. 

If information is shared that is relevant to more than one of the requests, it does not need to be replicated in each section, but the lead inspector should be made aware of it. 

Inspectors may not be able to review all the information provided by the local area. If this is the case, inspectors will select the information they judge to be most relevant to the purposes of the visit. 

When local area partners share the lists, they should indicate what date(s) the data in each list represents as far as possible. 

If certain data is unavailable, the lead inspector may wish to discuss how the local area monitors those areas.

1. For the purposes of these visits, ‘local area partners’ refer to those in education, health and social care who are involved in the strategic planning, commissioning, delivery and/or evaluation of services for preparing children and young people for adulthood. A local area is the geographic footprint of a local authority. ↩