Haringey Safety Valve Programme
The Department for Education (DfE) has asked the council to take part in a national programme called the Safety Valve intervention programme. This programme is designed to help local authorities tackle overspending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services.
Haringey Council will receive £29.9m in funding to deliver 18 projects that directly reflect the priorities outlined in the Haringey SEND strategy (PDF, 1.2MB). These projects were chosen based on feedback, thoughts, and ideas from the SEND community and will help shape the service going forward.
- Overview: Haringey Safety Valve programme overview presentation (PDF, 488KB)
- Monthly progress report: Safety Valve Programme Progress Report September 2024 (PDF, 908KB) – this presentation is updated every month
Haringey Safety Valve Programme Impact Report 2023-2024
This document provides an update on the progress and achievements of the Safety Valve Programme, which aims to enhance the provision and efficiency of SEND services across the borough.
This report covers:
- Progress and achievements of the programme
- Outlines the status of 18 key projects, each designed to deliver significant improvements to meet the needs of our children and young people, making the best use of our resources efficiently.
- This highlights the successful completion of several milestones in the past year, including the development of new early intervention resources, the establishment of additional specialist teaching roles, and the implementation of a new capital programme to increase education places for children with SEND.
These initiatives have collectively contributed to a net saving of £1.577 million for the first year, demonstrating our commitment to fiscal responsibility and educational excellence.
We're currently making changes to our SEND services through our SEND transformation programme, guided by the SEND Strategy
- To develop the SEND strategy, we consulted with children and young people with SEND, parents, carers, partners, and schools through a series of meetings and forums. The feedback from these consultations shaped the SEND strategy, which will improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Haringey for years to come.
- The 18 projects funded by the Safety Valve programme align with the priorities identified in the SEND strategy.
- The Safety Valve programme will allow the council to fast-track the implementation of these changes and transformations based on the direct feedback and experiences of the SEND community.
You can learn more about the Safety Valve programme by reading our blog post: Department for Education invests in our SEND service.
Timeline and next steps
- On 13 September 2022, Cabinet approved the Safety Valve agreement proposal.
- The final decision and signing of the agreement were delegated to the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Finance, and the Executive Director for Children, Young People and Families in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, and the Leader of the Council.
- Substantial work has been underway to prepare for implementing the proposals, which include 18 projects across three work streams to manage demand and ensure effective commissioning, leadership governance, and shared ownership across the SEND system.
- On 16 March 2023, the Department for Education confirmed the Secretary of State's approval for the Safety Valve agreement with Haringey Council, based on the council's existing SEND Strategy and SEND Transformation Programme co-produced with the SEND community.
- This programme runs for 5 years until 2028.
Our commitment to transparency and communication
By being open and transparent about how we're implementing the Safety Valve Programme, we hope to build trust and engagement with the SEND community and ensure that all stakeholders are informed and involved in the process.
The Haringey Safety Valve Steering Group oversees the programme to ensure effective implementation. The group is chaired by the Director of Children's Services and includes key stakeholders such as Schools Health and parent and carer representation via SEND Power, the Haringey SEND Parent Carer Forum.
For clarity and transparency, we are also the following resources:
- Safety Valve programme project summaries (PDF, 320KB) – this presentation outlines the 18 projects funded by the Safety Valve Programme
- a communication and engagement plan will be published once it is finalised
We will continue to work with the SEND community as projects evolve, making refinements as the programme develops.
Additional resources, such as the cabinet report, the Schools Forum presentation (PDF, 1MB), and the Department for Education's Safety Valve agreement document (external link), are available for those who wish to learn more about the programme.
In addition, regular progress updates will be published in our monthly SEND newsletter.