We wanted understand the experiences of families, including what is working well, what could be better, and what should be the priorities for our next SEND Strategy.
- We ran surveys for parent carers, children and young people and professionals in Hertfordshire. We had over 900 responses.
- County Councillors heard the views of parent carers and young people at 6 SEND listening events across the county and online.
- The Local Offer team attended family events in Hertfordshire and fed in the listening they did with families.
- Between the listening events and the views gathered by the Local Offer team, over 200 families were heard.
What’s working well in accessing support?
We asked families what has helped them, they told us:
- Supportive schools and settings, when children are accessing the right learning environment they are doing really well
- Proactive SENCOs and Education, Health and Care Coordinators, positively impacting families experiences of the EHCP process
- Accessing charities and community support, such as ADD-vance, Space, SENDIASS and others has been important in many families journeys
- Information shared on the Local Offer is helpful for many families
- Inclusive activities and holiday schemes that provide respite for parent carers are well received, and would like to see more of them
- Listening activities such as the ones held over the summer help families to feel heard.
“Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their personal experiences with us through the listening process. We know that some of you have had tough journeys to get the support they need, and we will reflect upon your experiences during the SEND summit. We will also be drawing on what you’ve told us is working well, as we work together to plan the future SEND services in Hertfordshire.”
- Councillor Mark Watkin