Early Years ConsortiaView all services

The Early Years Consortia provides PVI practitioners with the opportunity to access support and guidance when they have concerns about a child’s learning and development. Practitioners are encouraged to attend their monthly Consortia meetings to discuss their concerns with the other practitioners in the group. A plan of action is then developed.

There are currently 6 different Consortia across the Liverpool area. A setting’s location determines which Consortia they are in. To see which Consortia you are a part of please see the map above.

The monthly Consortia meetings are chaired by a local childcare provider and are supported by a member of the SEND Early Years Development Team from the Local Authority. One or two representatives from every setting in the Consortia also attends each meeting along with  a SEND Link Worker from the local Children’s Centre and representation from the local Health Visiting Team.

Practitioners are encouraged to access support from the Consortia at the earliest opportunity to ensure that any support necessary for the child is in place as soon as possible. Practitioners are encouraged to do this as part of the ‘Graduated Approach’ identified within the SEND Code of Practice 2015.

Under the SEND Code of Practice 2015, all educational settings are required to use their best endeavours to meet the needs of children and young people identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as part of the ‘Graduated Approach’ (see diagram below and the 'Early Years Consortia Graduated Approach and Supporting Guidance' document in the documents list on the right of this page).

This means that settings should identify needs early. They should then start by offering support at the lowest level (stage 1) so as to meet the child’s needs before they escalate. Settings may then need to increase the level of support given to the child over time as part of the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ cycle.

Any support given should be based on the individual needs of the child; this means that not all children will require support in stages 2-4. Instead, only some children will require this support and only a few will require support from stage 4.

• Access to the SEND Early Years Development Team.
• Peer support.
• Monthly meetings.
• Specific case related discussions.
• SEND updates.
• SEND specific training opportunities.
• A designated budget for needs-led support and intervention.

• Access to external agency support such as support from SENISS (Special Educational Needs Inclusion Support Service) or EP (Educational Psychology) via an appointment based Practitioner Advice Session (see SENISS/EP Practitioner Advice Session process flowchart in the documents list on the right of this screen for further details).
• Access to support from local Children’s Centre SEND Link Workers.
• Access to advice and support from the local Health Visiting Team.

To access support from the Early Years Consortia it is necessary to attend the monthly Consortia meetings. Meeting dates, times and venues are all available on the individual Consortia pages of this site which can be accessed using the buttons or map above. On these pages, you will also find the contact details of your Chair and Deputy Chair of Consortia and the Health Visitor/s linked to your Consortia.

To access any financial support from the Early Years Consortia, you must complete the relevant Consortia application form (with signed parental permission where needed) and submit it to the Chair of your Consortia 7 days prior to the date of your next meeting. The setting must present their signed application form at the Consortia meeting. If a member of staff from the setting is not present, the application will not be considered.

All current application forms are available in the documents list on the right hand side of this page. Please note, any applications that are submitted on any outdated forms will not be accepted. This may delay the allocation of support.

The most effective discussions at Consortia meetings take place when established members of staff who know the children well are able to attend. The majority of professionals who attend the meetings are Nursery SENCOs, Nursery Managers or the Key Person to the child/ren being discussed.

Due to the sensitive nature of the discussions held at Consortia meetings, all attendees need to be respectful of confidentiality. For this reason, practitioners are asked not to invite anyone such as students, parents or external agencies into the meetings without first consulting with the SEND Early Years Development Team and the Chair of the Consortia.

No more than two representatives from each setting should attend any one Consortia meeting to ensure that meetings remain timely and effective.

If you would like any additional information around the Liverpool Early Years Consortia please contact us:

Dot Harrison - Early Years SEND Coordinator:                                                                    07921 403 004                                                            dorothy.harrison@liverpool.gov.uk

Sarah Sweetin-Jones - Early Years SEND Development Officer:                                           sarah.sweetin@liverpool.gov.uk