SENCOs can make up to three LIFT referrals at each LIFT group meeting. If a SENCO needs to make more referrals they will need to discuss with the STLS Lead Christine Reveley and may need to attend another meeting in addition to their regular meeting.

 

You and your team have always made me feel welcome at LIFT and not feel stupid for asking questions.

Referral documentation

When referring to LIFT, SENCOs need to complete and send:

• A LIFT referral form
• Parental Agreement to Engage Form
• Two Personalised Plans – the last reviewed and current plans
• Pastoral Support Plan if appropriate
• Any other relevant documentation if felt to be appropriate

LIFT Referral Form

When referring to LIFT please complete the form fully, describing the presenting needs and how the school has used the graduated approach, i.e. Assess, Plan, Do, Review, including the results of any initial assessments. Please ensure the child or young person’s legal name and date of birth are on the form.

Parent or Carer Agreement to Engage Form

Before sending in referrals, please ensure that the referral form has been discussed and shown to the parents or carers and if appropriate the child or young person. Please support and encourage the parents or carers and child or young person to complete the form fully, including the comments boxes before signing the form. This form MUST accompany all paperwork. The original needs to be given in at the LIFT meeting. The school should keep a copy for their records. Please do not send any paperwork without the Agreement to Engage form.

Personalised Plans

In most cases a reviewed personalised plan, as well as the current plan, should be included to demonstrate evidence of how the school has used its best endeavours (Code of Practice 6.2) to support the child or young person with SEN using the graduated approach, i.e. the “Assess, Plan, Do, Review' Process. Provision maps can also be sent but these should also be reviewed.

Schools should have gathered good evidence that they have used best endeavours and that they have followed Kent’s Mainstream Core Standards. Information about the Mainstream Core Standards and the LIFT process is accessible through KELSI.

Pastoral Support Plan

If referring children or young people with attendance or behaviour concerns, please also include a Pastoral Support Plan when possible.

Please refer to the Sevenoaks Inclusion Guidance. This should help schools to check whether they have considered and used all the support available within school before coming to LIFT.

A referral to LIFT should also be made when considering requesting a statutory assessment for an EHCP:

Schools in Kent may also refer to LIFT for advice and support regarding submitting an application for Statutory Assessment. The child or young person should already be known to LIFT, except in exceptional circumstances.

Statutory Assessment Forms

The KCC Criteria for Statutory Assessment Checklist  should be completed and submitted with the Information Sharing Agreement signed by parents or carers. Schools may also send any other relevant information such as reviewed personalised or pastoral support plans and a reviewed LIFT discussion sheet from a previous LIFT meeting, showing how LIFT recommendations have been implemented.

Please ensure when making any referral to LIFT that the information sharing advice for practitioners available on KELSI have been read and understood.

All documentation should be sent to the STLS Business Support Assistant at least a week before the meeting. Please contact the STLS Lead Christine Reveley if you to bring an emergency referral with less notice.

It is advisable to password protect documentation.

I really value my visits to LIFT meetings, not just for support for the cases I bring but also listening to other people's cases and the advice given to them as much of this can be applied to my own school