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Lancashire SEND Improvement Board Terms of Reference 2026 to 2027

Version: 1.4

Date: 14 October 2026

Chair: Kathryn Boulton

Council Lead: Jacqui Old, Executive Director, LCC

ICB Lead: Jane Scattergood, Chief Nurse, LSC NHS ICB

Contact: Jenny Ashton, Manager of the SEND Partnership

1. Purpose

1.1 The Lancashire SEND Strategic Improvement Board will provide strategic system and partnership leadership, assurance, and oversight of the five improvements detailed in the priority actions identified in the November 2024 Local Area SEND and AP Inspection, across the local area system in Lancashire for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.

1.2 It will use its influence and accountabilities to drive forward improvements, at pace, across the Local Area, identifying any barriers, consolidating what is working well and improving what is not.

1.3 The Board will provide transparent visibility of progress, constructive and robust challenge as well as celebrating what is working well and improving. It will be self-critical and escalate appropriately where sufficient sustainable progress is not made.

1.4 The Board’s primary focus is on driving partnership-wide and system-wide improvement and monitoring the impact of activity across the three priority areas and two areas for improvement. In addition, the Board will provide oversight and assurance of wider improvement activity across the Local Area SEND system, including delivery of the SEND Strategy, SEND Reform Plan and Experts at Hand programme.

1.5 The Board will use its authority to agree the necessary actions that are needed at a partnership and system-wide level on improvement priorities. The Board Members will need to be empowered with sufficient delegated authority to agree actions in principle on behalf of their organisation or partnership body, in order make swift and decisive progress. If necessary, decisions will be taken through appropriate organisational governance arrangements (for example Executive key decision by the Local Authorities Cabinet Member, or NHS decisions through the Integrated Care Board and The NHS Trust Board).

1.6 The Board will be focused on ensuring partnership actions make a difference in improving impact and outcomes and ensure that the voice and lived experience of children, young people, carers and families with SEND is heard. It will champion extending participation, reach and engagement and ensure that children, young people, carers, and families have an opportunity to provide direct input to the work of the Board and inform the development of improvement activities through co-production.

1.7 The Board will receive assurance reports on a monthly basis from SEND Partnership operational boards and focus groups, supported by high quality, robust multi-agency data, monitoring and quantitative and qualitative analysis of impact. The Board will interrogate this data and be supported in this by expert advisers from DfE, Local Authority and Health systems.

1.8 The Board will consider partnership/system level risks, issues and performance monitoring, including a partnership Risk Register and Action Log and collectively agreed Key Performance Indicators, Impact/Outcome Measures and Key Risk Indicators.

1.9 The Board will provide oversight and assurance for the partnership delivery of the SEND Strategy and Action Plan, and the SEND Communications and Engagement Strategy which contains additional and complementary work to ensure delivery of improvement priorities.

1.10 The Board will also maintain oversight of key transformation activity in relation to improving services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND across the local area.

2. Governance and accountability

2.1 Governance arrangements diagrams are provided in Appendix A

2.2 The Board is independently chaired by Kathryn Boulton, with administrative and business support provided by Jenny Ashton.

2.3 The relevant Cabinet Member, or councillor with responsibility for Children’s Services will be a Member of the Board.

2.4 Wherever possible, the Board will seek to resolve and mitigate risks and issues within its remit. Where necessary, the Board will escalate risks and issues directly to the Council’s Chief Executive as the responsible Local Authority for SEND transformation and improvement and to the Senior Responsible Officer in the ICB. They will advise on appropriate escalation.

2.5 Via its membership, the Board will also agree appropriate sharing or escalation of issues into partner agency governance arrangements which will include a range of arrangements such as:

  • Health and Wellbeing Board

  • Adult and Children's Safeguarding Boards

  • Joint Commissioning Therapies Board

  • Education Board

  • Best Start in Life Board

  • LCC cabinet

  • ICB Board

In addition to:

  • Parent Carer Forum

  • Early Years, Special School, Mainstream School and further Education Forums

  • Health Providers

2.6 Representatives from the DfE and NHS England will attend Improvement Board meetings to receive insight into progress made against delivery of actions and improvement outcomes as identified in the Inspection process.

3. Responsibilities and behaviours

All Board members are expected to:

3.1 apply and agree to the ‘Principles of Board Membership’

3.2 ensure that the partnership improvement and transformation activity is delivering the required impact for children and young people with SEND, at pace

3.3 provide opportunities for children and young people’s participation, including to contribute to the work of the Board

3.4 ensure that co-production is embedded in the culture of SEND services

3.5 offer advice, challenge and support to secure sustainable improvement in a respectful manner

3.6 support the resolution of escalated risks and issues and remove all barriers to agreed activity, pace and performance

3.7 take a solutions-focused approach to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people

3.8 maintain confidentiality on specific issues, if required in order to enable the meetings to be productive

3.9 provide regular communication about the work and impact of the Board to all stakeholders

3.10 individual board members to refrain from speaking publicly on behalf of the board unless agreed by the partnership

4. Board meetings

4.1 The Board will meet on a monthly basis, with clear minutes, actions log, and Risk Register, with a review/evaluation every 6-12 months. There is a commitment to transparency for minutes and actions. Minutes and actions should be recorded and published within 2 weeks of the Board on the LA website.

5. Review of Terms of Reference

5.1 The Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually by the Board.

6. Membership

6.1 Board members are identified in the table below.

6.2 Additional attendees may be asked to attend Board meetings for specific agenda items or to update on the progress of actions, including Participation Leads, the SEND Transformation Programme Team, Designated Clinical Officers, Leads of Operational Groups etc.

SEND Strategic Improvement Board members

Governance structure

Organisational lead:

  • LSC ICB Board

  • LCC Cabinet

Executive:

  • ICB Quality Committee

  • Scrutiny

Oversight:

  • ICB SEND Oversight Group

  • LCC DLT/ELT

SEND Improvement Board

Associated boards:

  • Education Board

  • Pan Lancashire Therapies Board

  • Adult and Children's Safeguarding Boards

  • Health and Wellbeing Board

  • Best Start in Life Board

Transformation Board

SEND Operations Board

PAP/EAH workstream:

  • Joint Commissioning

  • Data and Performance

  • EAH model and mobilisation

  • EHCP Improvement

  • ND Delivery Board

  • Communication and Engagement

  • Preparation for Adulthood and Transitions

Stakeholder:

  • Lancashire Parent Carer Forum

  • POWAR SEND Youth Forum

Workforce Development and Training