Local Inclusion Forum Teams

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Ashford  District has been recognised as having a particularly effective LIFT process and the most integrated approach to supporting Primary and Secondary schools by KCC Education and Young People’s services.

 

The Specialist Teaching Service support can be accessed by Early Years settings and mainstream schools through the Local Inclusion Forum Team meetings (LIFT) which is chaired the Inclusion Coordinator for the STLS, and attended by a multi-agency partners, including Early Help, speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and SENCos.

An expected prerequisite for taking a referral is that early years settings and schools demonstrate that they have used their resources and best endeavour’s to meet the child/young person’s needs, the role of these meetings is then to offer advice and support though solution focus discussions If a referral is accepted expected outcomes are agreed to form the basis of the STLS work.

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Full details of the Local Inclusion Forum Team Request (LIFT) process can be found on the Kelsi website www.kelsi.org.uk 

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In the first instance, settings should refer to the Early Years Best Practice Guidance and schools should refer to the Mainstream Core Standards to identify what can be done to support the pupils access to the curriculum and ability to make progress from within the school’s own resources.

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If it is considered that additional advice, training or support is needed then the LIFT referral form should be completed and a request made for the issues to be discussed at the next LIFT meeting.

https://www.kelsi.org.uk/special-education-needs/special-educational-needs/local-inclusion-forum-teams

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Referral requests are made via the weekly LIFT meetings. SENCOs, STLS team, KEPs and Early Help attend LIFT meetings.

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There are four main outcomes from a LIFT discussion:

 

• Advice, support and ideas from the discussion at the meeting to take back and try 

• Access to training programmes or the opportunity for bespoke training 

• Support from another school 

• Specialist Intervention from a specialist teacher, special school outreach teacher, Educational Psychologist (through the core discretionary offer or commissioning), Early Help involvement or other district based SEND provider.