ACT: Hertfordshire's SEND Communications approach

We have a shared vision in Hertfordshire for communication. It is a joint commitment to a culture of accurate, compassionate and timely (ACT) communication. We recognise that effective information sharing has a huge positive impact on the experience of everyone in the system.

Accurate

All the information we provide to families in relation to their child is correct.

Compassionate

Our communication with families is kind, considerate and empathetic, even when difficult messages need to be shared.

Timely

We communicate with families within our specified timelines.

Information:

The ACT guidance is for professionals - setting out our commitment to improve our communication with families. We coproduced the guidance with parent representatives from Herts Parent Carer Involvement, in response to our Ofsted priority and improvement areas.

How to put ACT into practice
Why we use ACT - get to know our unique service users

How to put ACT into practice

Accurate

Be relevant.
Think about what the person needs to know, not just what you want to tell them. Identify the questions the parent, child or young person may have, and answer those upfront.
Communicate clearly and plainly.
It's not as easy as it sounds, especially with some of the complex processes we have to explain. But avoid jargon, explain acronyms (if you're going to use them), and choose easier words. The average reading age in the UK is 9. Simpler language benefits people with higher literacy levels too by speeding up comprehension time.
You can use software like Copilot to check your writing, or bring the reading age of your information down.
It's okay not to know the answer. Keep your messaging accurate. It's better not to guess at an answer. It's okay to say 'I'll find out and get back to you'. Just make sure you do follow up.

Compassionate

Write or speak professionally, but conversationally. Families need you to convey messages professionally so they trust your expertise, and delivering this with a friendly rapport will cement a strong working relationship. It will help you to work in partnership and remind families that you are on the same team, especially when you might have to share difficult messages.
Get to know people. As you learn more about your families, you will know what is appropriate with them in terms of communication style. Take time to understand their communication preferences, too i.e. would they prefer a phone call or an email?
Write in first person. We are all working together towards the same goals - improved lives for children and young people. Writing as "I", "we" and "you" gives us agency and accountability. Writing as "Hertfordshire County Council" or "The XX service", creates the "invisible wall" feel that we are trying to break down between families and our professional colleagues.

Timely

Meet the response timescales outlined in your service's communications policy.
If you have said you will call back, or email by a certain time, make sure you can.
Be proactive where you can. If there are things it may be useful for a family to know, make the first move and tell them, or simply check in with them where you can.
If you can no longer attend a meeting, make a callback, or meet a deadline, let the person know ahead of time, and rearrange.

Why we use ACT - get to know our unique service users

Parent carers

Families we come into contact with are dealing with a unique set of challenges which we should all be aware and respectful of. They:

might be coming to terms with their child's additional needs and be processing that emotionally
are likely to be stressed or upset
are short on time - they could be very tired too
may have a learning difficulty or disability themselves.

We also have an audience with a very varied knowledge of the world of SEND, ranging from:

Parents/ carers who think their child might have an additional need, but don't know what, or where to start
Parents/ carers who are new to SEND and learning as they go
Parents/ carers who are experienced with SEND and expertly know the services in Hertfordshire and their rights.

Consider the levels of detail you need to share, and how you intend to do that, should it be requested.

Children and young people

Children and young people require a high level of trust and security when being communicated with. They:

may prefer to be communicated with by trusted and known adults - their family, or a key worker/ carer
may not engage with some forms of communication and need a choice i.e. WhatsApp instead of a phone call.
may not also want to share their real thoughts and feelings with you. Think about how you would have responded as a child or young person to an organisation like the council or the NHS!
may have a lot of anxiety, especially as this can be more prevalent in young people with neurodivergence.
may have communication needs which require adaptations.

The frontline colleagues who work with our children and young people every day are expertly equipped to communicate with them, including having the skills to adapt to different communication needs. If you want to communicate with children and young people, tap into the expertise of these colleagues, or an expert by experience (a young person with SEND who is employed to contribute to service design through sharing their lived experience).

If you look after documentation for children and young people, for example information within an Education, Health and Care Plan, consider the way you use language by referring to The Power of Language in Children′s Services. (please note: this page is only accessible to HCC staff).

Professionals

Professionals benefit from having the same accurate, compassionate and timely messaging that we use with our families.

We all know how it feels to work within an area of SEND, and the pressure that sometimes puts us under (being short on time, frustration with the complexity of things etc). Your professional colleagues are likely experiencing similar challenges to you. Communicate in the way you'd like to be spoken to - in a way which makes your day better, not harder.

You may be able to speed things up by using some acronyms or internal terminology that works for us - just make sure you can guarantee the colleague/s you are speaking to will know what you mean.