Freedom of information response

1.a) How is provision for children and young people with vision impairment funded in your LA's Education Vision Impairment (VI) Advisory service? Please select an answer using the drop-down menu .
1.a (i) If you answered 'Other' in 1.a, please specify:
1.a (ii) If you answered that your LA's funding is fully or partially delegated in (1.b), please give further details of the funding arrangement:

2.a In the past twelve months, has your local authority made any changes to the way that provision for children and young people with vision impairment is funded, organised and/or staffed? Please select an answer using the drop-down menu.

Section 2: Structuring of services

2.a (i) If you answered 'Yes' to (2.a) please give details of the changes that have been made, otherwise leave blank: 

2.b Are there any current or proposed reviews of the VI service that will affect the way it is organised, managed or funded (including moving to/ from a traded services arrangement), or are likely to affect the way that support for CYP with VI is provided or funded? Please select an answer using the drop-down menu.
2.b (ii) Please provide any additional information on future changes below:

3.a (i) Please provide overall VI service budget (including staff, equipment, and training) for 2020/21
3.a (ii) Please provide overall VI service budget (including staff, equipment, and training) for 2021/22
3.a (iii) Please provide overall VI service budget (including staff, equipment, and training) for2022/23
3.a (iv) Please enter any additional information on the budget below:

3.b If the budget is shared with another service or cannot be separated from the sensory budget, please state what the budget encompasses below:

Section 3: Number of CYP on the VI service caseload and support available

4.a (i) Please give the total number of children and young people of all ages in the VI service active caseload that are on an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
4.a (ii) Please give the total number of children and young people of all ages in the VI service active caseload that are on SEN Support 
4.a (iii) Please give the total number of children and young people of all ages in the VI service active caseload that are not yet assessed/categorised 
4.a (iv) Other totals, please state any other groups which do not fit the above categories 
4.a (v) Total children (all ages and categories)
4.a (vi) Any additional information

5a) Excluding the children and young people with vision impairment counted in question 4a, please give the number of children and young people with vision impairment known to the VI service but not receiving direct support from the LA service.  This could include out of county placements, advice on request, home educated, independent school etc. 
EHCP Total (all ages)
SEN Support total (all ages)
Not yet assessed/categorised total (all ages)
Other totals, please state any other groups which do not fit the above categories in additional information space (optional/ all ages)
Total (all ages and categories)

5b) Any additional information? (optional free text)

6a (i). Does your VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception) within the child's home?
6a (ii) Does your VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception) in pre-school/ early years settings?
6a (iii) Does your VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception) in school settings(e.g. nursery class in mainstream or special school) 
6a (iv) Does your VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception) in settings where the child is cared for by a childminder (outside of their home)

6b) If your VI service support early years children (i.e. children who have not started in reception) in other settings, please specify:

7) What is the total number of children and young people who use (or in the case of EYFS children, are expected to use) braille as their sole or main literacy medium? (please enter numerical value)

8a. (i)Do you use use NatSIP Learner Outcomes Framework for allocating levels of support?
8a. (ii)Do you use NatSIP Eligibility Framework for Scoring Support Levels (2015) for allocating levels of support?
8a. (iii)Do you use Locally developed criteria for allocating levels of support?
8a. (iv) Other arrangement (please give details, free text)

8b (i) Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?:  Decision is made based on the individuals needs
8b (ii)Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?: They must meet a specified level of severity/visual acuity
8b (iii)Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?: They must have additional SEND
8b (iv)Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?: They must be failing to make the expected level of progress
8b (v) Does your LA require a CYP with VI to meet any of the following criteria before they will be considered for assessment for an EHCP?: They are expected to attend a special school
8b (vi)Other, please specify (free text)

9) Are there any groups of children and young people with VI that are NOT actively supported by the local authority VI service?
Specific age groups
Children/YP in specific types of setting e.g. academies etc.
YP in further education settings
Children/YP with complex needs
Other, please specify (free text)

10a) How many CYP with VI have had their service reduced due to service capacity or restructure of the delivery model in the past 12 months? 
10b) Other, please specify (free text)

Section 4: VI service staffing

11a (i)Is a Qualified teacher of pupils with vision impairment (QTVI (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in VI)) responsible for the strategic management of the VI service?
11a (ii) Is a Qualified teacher of the Deaf (TOD) (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in HI) responsible for the strategic management of the VI service?
11a (iii) Is aQualified teacher of pupils with Multi-sensory Impairment (QTMSI (i.e. holds the mandatory qualification (MQ) in MSI) responsible for the strategic management of the VI service?
11a (iv) Is a member of staff with Other qualificationsresponsible for the strategive management of the VI service?  (if yes please give details, free text)

12) Please give the full time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers employed directly by the VI service for the categories that follow. (This includes peripatetic/advisory teachers, school-based teachers, and VI service manager if s/he has a caseload):
Lead QTVI with mandatory qualification (MQ) (VI)
QTVI with mandatory qualification (MQ) (VI)
In training for MQ (VI)
Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) who will begin training within 2 years
Qualified teachers without MQ (VI) not in or due to begin training within 2 years
QTMSI with MQ (MSI)
QTVI and QTMSI MQ (holds both qualifications)
Lead QTVI vacancies currently vacant
QTVI vacancies currently vacant

13) What is the average time from referral to VI service and initial visit? (please give an estimation if exact time is unknown)

14) Please give details of the FTE of any other staff employed by the VI service by category. This includes staff who are employed directly, externally commissioned or bought in from another team within the LA:
Habilitation officers
Specialist Braille support staff
Resource technicians FTE (for production of accessible materials)
ICT support technicians FTE
Dedicated early years staff FTE
Family support workers FTE
Admin/secretarial FTE
Other role FTE
Details of other role(s) if applicable (free text)

15) Please give the FTE staff number of teaching assistants (Tas) employed directly by the VI service who are providing support to pupils with vision impairment. If no Tas are directly employed please write '0': 
Number of Tas by full time equivalent (FTE)

Section 5: Habilitation

16a (i) Habilitation services are delivered by a local authority employed Habilitation specialist
16a (ii) Habilitation services are delivered byan external organisation is commissioned to deliver the service 
16a (iii) If offered by an external organisation please state the name of the organisation: 
16a (iv) Habilitation services are spot purchased
16a (v) No Habilitation services are delivered in the authority
16a (vi)Other, please specify (free text)

16b) If you answered that ‘No Habilitation services are delivered in the authority’ in question 16a, please explain the current situation and how children access Habilitation provision and support? (free text)

17) How many pupils are currently receiving mobility / Habilitation training or waiting to be assessed?
Number of pupils currently on active Habilitation caseload
Number of pupils waiting assessment

18a) Which department is responsible for the commissioning and/or delivery of habilitation services?
Children and family social care services
Education services
We don’t deliver habilitation services
Other (please state) 

18b) If you answered "We don’t deliver habilitation services", please explain what alternative provision is in place.

19a (i) Are habilitation services available to CYP at Home?
19a (ii) Are habilitation services available to CYP at School? 
19a (iii) Are habilitation services available to CYP in Community settings?
19a (iv) Are habilitation services available to CYP during school holidays?
19a (v) Are habilitation services available to CYP in Other settings? (please state)

20a (i) Are referrals for an initial assessment of habilitation accepted fromMedical professionals?
20a (ii) Are referrals for an initial assessment of habilitation accepted from Qualified Teachers of Children with Vision Impairment (QTVIs)?
20a (iii) Are referrals for an initial assessment of habilitation accepted fromOther education professionals?
20a (iv) Other (please provide details)

20b) Upon receipt of a referral, who carries out the initial assessment of habilitation needs?

Section 6: Registers

21a (i) Does the Children’s disability team (or similar), Social Care hold the register for children and young people who are registered as sight impaired (SI) or severely sight impaired (SSI)? 
21a (ii) Does the Education/SEND/sensory team (or similar) hold the register for children and young people who are registered as sight impaired (SI) or severely sight impaired (SSI)? 
21a (iii) Does the Local society for blind people/sight loss or sensory society  hold the register for children and young people who are registered as sight impaired (SI) or severely sight impaired (SSI) (on behalf of local authority)? 
21a (iv) Does another organisation or department hold the register for children and young people who are registered as sight impaired (SI) or severely sight impaired (SSI)? 
21a (v) If another organisation or department please specify (free text)

Section 7: Curriculum Framework for Children/Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) 

22) Do you use an existing framework or curriculum to support CYP with VI? (please tick all that apply):  
Expanded Core Curriculum (EEC) – USA
NatSIP Learner Outcomes Framework
Developmental Journal (DJVI)
Steps to Independence
Quality Standards for Habilitation
Guide Dogs Habilitation programme
Bespoke programme designed in house
Other, please specify (free text)

23) Is the VI service familiar with the CFVI? Y or N?

24a) If you  answered yes to 23, have you incorporated any aspects of the CFVI in your normal working practices. If yes, please give details. 

24b) If you  answered yes to 23 - are you also aware of the CFVI resource hub? 
And if so have you accessed, followed links or downloaded resources from the hub?