About Us
The Southwest Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance (SW RIIA) is a group of networks that collaborate across the region to provide and support improvement work in the Children’s Services sector. We are linked across all 15 local authorities and the 7 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in the Southwest and support the sharing of practice examples and delivering programmes of development.
The South West Children’s Services website is a central regional space where we can share information and resources to interested parties. Some of the information is informative about the organisation and our networks, such as objectives, areas of work, people involved, agendas and minutes. Some of the information is more generic about children’s social care, health and SEND such as key reports, changes in legislation, or articles. The website includes a restricted member areas protected by a login process to provide a space for work in progress to be shared.
It is intended that the website will reduce the number of emails sent to officers in boxes and will provide an organisational memory of important work and developments over time. The website will improve regional communication, facilitate collaboration and sharing best practice.
Latest News

Children’s Commissioner – Neurodevelopmental conditions
October 21, 2024New research from the Children’s Commissioner shows around 400,000 children in England were still waiting, at the end of 2022/23, to receive their first appointment after being referred to Community Health Services and Children’s Mental Health Services. This equates to around 3% of England’s total child population.

School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024
August 27, 2024School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 is now in force, meaning that it is now statutory that LAs hold regular meetings with schools to discuss attendance concerns, absence fines and thresholds have become standardised, and schools must share attendance figures with government. This has also resulted in updates to a number of existing guidance […]

DfE: an analysis and summary of SEND data sources August 2024
August 19, 2024The Department has published its latest analysis and links to data sources on children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability in England.

Staying Put: Leaving Care and the Risk of Homelessness
August 14, 2024Staying Put is a scheme that enables young people to remain with their foster carers, if both parties agree, from the age of 18 to 21. We evaluated how this reduces the risk of homelessness in care leavers.

Arranging Alternative Provision: new guidance
February 18, 2025February 2025: new guidance for Local Authorities and Schools

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has been published
December 18, 2024This is a public bill presented to Parliament by the Government. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons and given its First Reading on Tuesday 17 December 2024. This stage is formal and takes place without any debate. What happens next? MPs will next consider the Bill at Second Reading. The date for […]

OFSTED & CQC thematic review of Preparation for Adulthood in local areas published
December 16, 2024A report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) finds that local areas are working hard to improve support for young people with SEND, but systemic challenges are limiting their ability to prepare these young people for adulthood.

Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) Triennial Review Report
November 25, 2024England’s Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) issued a triennial review report. Every three years, LGSCO surveys its complaints caseload and makes recommendations to central and local government about what it sees The report states that it sets out a series of low cost, low intervention changes that would increase access to, and awareness of, […]

Keeping children safe, helping families thrive (November 2024)
November 19, 2024DfE publication of the policy statement setting out their plans for whole service reform of Children’s Social Care

DfE – Use of Teaching Assistants
October 21, 2024The DfE has published new research about the use of TAs in state funded primary, secondary and special schools. It explores use and deployment of TAs as well as roles, motivations and barriers and enablers to usage

Children’s Commissioner – Neurodevelopmental conditions
October 21, 2024New research from the Children’s Commissioner shows around 400,000 children in England were still waiting, at the end of 2022/23, to receive their first appointment after being referred to Community Health Services and Children’s Mental Health Services. This equates to around 3% of England’s total child population.

School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024
August 27, 2024School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 is now in force, meaning that it is now statutory that LAs hold regular meetings with schools to discuss attendance concerns, absence fines and thresholds have become standardised, and schools must share attendance figures with government. This has also resulted in updates to a number of existing guidance […]

DfE: an analysis and summary of SEND data sources August 2024
August 19, 2024The Department has published its latest analysis and links to data sources on children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability in England.

Staying Put: Leaving Care and the Risk of Homelessness
August 14, 2024Staying Put is a scheme that enables young people to remain with their foster carers, if both parties agree, from the age of 18 to 21. We evaluated how this reduces the risk of homelessness in care leavers.

Arranging Alternative Provision: new guidance
February 18, 2025February 2025: new guidance for Local Authorities and Schools

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has been published
December 18, 2024This is a public bill presented to Parliament by the Government. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons and given its First Reading on Tuesday 17 December 2024. This stage is formal and takes place without any debate. What happens next? MPs will next consider the Bill at Second Reading. The date for […]

OFSTED & CQC thematic review of Preparation for Adulthood in local areas published
December 16, 2024A report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) finds that local areas are working hard to improve support for young people with SEND, but systemic challenges are limiting their ability to prepare these young people for adulthood.

Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) Triennial Review Report
November 25, 2024England’s Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) issued a triennial review report. Every three years, LGSCO surveys its complaints caseload and makes recommendations to central and local government about what it sees The report states that it sets out a series of low cost, low intervention changes that would increase access to, and awareness of, […]

Keeping children safe, helping families thrive (November 2024)
November 19, 2024DfE publication of the policy statement setting out their plans for whole service reform of Children’s Social Care

DfE – Use of Teaching Assistants
October 21, 2024The DfE has published new research about the use of TAs in state funded primary, secondary and special schools. It explores use and deployment of TAs as well as roles, motivations and barriers and enablers to usage

Children’s Commissioner – Neurodevelopmental conditions
October 21, 2024New research from the Children’s Commissioner shows around 400,000 children in England were still waiting, at the end of 2022/23, to receive their first appointment after being referred to Community Health Services and Children’s Mental Health Services. This equates to around 3% of England’s total child population.

School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024
August 27, 2024School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 is now in force, meaning that it is now statutory that LAs hold regular meetings with schools to discuss attendance concerns, absence fines and thresholds have become standardised, and schools must share attendance figures with government. This has also resulted in updates to a number of existing guidance […]

DfE: an analysis and summary of SEND data sources August 2024
August 19, 2024The Department has published its latest analysis and links to data sources on children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability in England.

Staying Put: Leaving Care and the Risk of Homelessness
August 14, 2024Staying Put is a scheme that enables young people to remain with their foster carers, if both parties agree, from the age of 18 to 21. We evaluated how this reduces the risk of homelessness in care leavers.
Get in touch…
If you’ve any questions, or would like to reach out to the SW RIIA team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page.