Experts at Hand Q&A
We recently caught up with Sarah, CFHD’s Head of Pathways for Therapies and Nursing to find out more about Experts at Hand.
What excites you most about being part of Experts at Hand, and what do you think this new approach could mean for children and young people with SEND in Devon?
What excites me most is the opportunity to do things differently by bringing specialist knowledge and support closer to the children and young people who need it. Too often, support can feel difficult to access or come too late. Experts at Hand gives us the chance to work alongside education settings in a much more proactive way.
For children and young people with SEND in Devon, this approach has the potential to make support more timely, more accessible and more joined up. Ultimately, that means children getting the right help earlier, enabling them to thrive, participate and achieve their potential.
Experts at Hand is about bringing healthcare and education expertise closer to settings and communities. From your perspective, why is earlier and more accessible specialist support so important?
We know that early support can make a significant difference to a child’s development, confidence, and overall wellbeing. When concerns are identified early and specialist advice is available at the point it is needed, we can often prevent difficulties from escalating and help children remain engaged in learning and everyday activities.
Making specialist support more accessible also helps reduce barriers for families and schools. It enables us to respond more quickly, build capability within settings and ensure that children receive support in the environments where they spend most of their time.
How will working as part of a multi-disciplinary team help you understand and respond to children and young people’s needs?
Children and young people don’t experience their needs in separate professional categories, so it makes sense that we work together to understand the whole picture. By bringing together different professionals we can develop a better understanding of a child’s strengths, challenges and aspirations.
Working as a multi-disciplinary team allows us to share expertise, learn from one another and provide more coordinated support. It means families and education staff can benefit from a joined-up approach rather than navigating multiple services independently.
What difference could having easier, more timely access to Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy expertise make for schools and other education settings?
Having easier access to Occupational Therapy and Speech & Language Therapy expertise can make a real difference to both staff confidence and student outcomes. Schools often need quick advice and practical strategies that can be implemented straight away within the classroom environment.
By making specialist expertise more readily available, we can help education staff identify and address needs earlier, adapt learning environments more effectively and support participation, communication and independence. This benefits not only individual children but also helps build knowledge and capability across the whole setting.
A key part of Experts at Hand is working alongside education staff and families. Why is this important?
Families and school staff know children and young people best. They see them every day, understand their strengths and are often the first to notice when something isn’t quite right. It is vital that we listen to and learn from those experiences.
Working alongside families and school staff helps us build shared understanding, shared goals and shared solutions. When everyone is working together, support is more consistent, more meaningful and more likely to make a positive difference in a child’s life.
The model is being ‘tested and learned’ across urban, coastal and rural communities in Devon. What are you hoping to learn from this first year, and how could that shape the future of SEND support across the county?
One of the things I’m most interested in learning is how this model works across Devon’s very diverse communities. The needs of children, families and education settings can vary significantly depending on location,
This first year provides an important opportunity to understand what works well, what challenges we need to address and how we can adapt the model to meet local needs. The learning we gain will help shape a more sustainable and responsive approach to EAH support that can benefit children and young people across the county.
If Experts at Hand achieves what it is designed to do, what would you hope a child, young person, family or education setting would experience differently as a result?
My hope is that children and young people feel understood, supported and able to participate fully in school and everyday life. I would want families to feel confident that they can access advice and support when they need it.
For education settings, I would hope they feel empowered and equipped with the knowledge, confidence and specialist support needed to meet a wide range of needs. Ultimately, success would mean that support feels more joined up, more accessible and more focused on helping every child and young person achieve the best possible outcomes.