We’re improving how we communicate and listen
Families and partners told us we need to do better at two things:
- Communicating clearly and consistently
- Gathering and responding to feedback effectively
We’ve listened:
Together, we’ve created guiding statements for our improvement programme.
Throughout 2026, we’ll be checking to understand if these changes are making a real difference.
What families should experience – our guiding statements
Accessing information and support
- I know who to speak to and where to get information
- I understand how to get support
- I understand the reasons for any decisions made about me, my child or the child I'm working with
Communication and engagement
- I get answers to my questions
- I get regular updates
- I understand the reasons for any decisions made about me, my child or the child I'm working with
Feedback and participation
- I’m heard, understood and valued
- If I choose to, I can give feedback and participate in improving the service for myself and others
Impact
- I understand what’s happened as a result of feedback from families and partners
- The information or support provided has made a positive difference to me, my child or the child I’m working with
What we’re doing
To measure progress, we’re improving how we gather feedback and involve families.
We will continue to:
- Offer participation opportunities for children and young people via ßÙßÇÂþ» Youth Voice
- Work with Family Voice ßÙßÇÂþ» so parents’ voices shape services
- Embed family and partner voices in new projects
We will introduce:
- Quick “temperature checks” focusing on a maximum of four questions at key points in the family journey, for example when applying for and reviewing an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
- Regular check ins to gather feedback from schools.
- A more detailed ‘lived experience’ interview with a small proportion of families as part of our new Partnership Quality Assurance framework.
- Enable parents and carers to easily sign-up for participation and engagement activities via our User Voice and Participation Team.
- Further develop space on the Local Offer website for feedback and updates
Improving our communications
Families want more transparency about improvements. We’re proposing a Communication Group with parents, carers, young people, partners, and service teams to make sure communications:
- Embed the voices of those with lived experience
- Are trauma informed, using language which is compassionate and resonates with the readers
- Are tailored to reach a wider range of audiences, including consideration of cultural and accessibility needs
- Support the development of the Local Offer website
Other changes to support improvements in how we communicate:
- Introduction of an interim engagement group to improve tone and voice
- Regular updates to the SEND Improvement area
- Incorporate more feedback opportunities in our communications
- Work with partners to cross-promote updates and activities
Next steps
We’ll share updates as these changes roll out. Your feedback continues to shape our journey, thank you for helping us improve.
Please also sign up to our so you can be updated when new improvements are launched, or check back on this page