Consultation and engagement
Local Offer consultation and engagement
We all need to work in partnership to ensure that the changes we are implementing in Telford and Wrekin will make a real difference in the lives of all the children and young people with SEND.
With such a wide range of people and organisations involved it may be a real challenge to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate but we are doing our best to give you different means to engage and have your say in shaping the reforms.
Please find our current and historical consultations below.
2023
SEND & Alternative Provision Consultation Workshops
Telford & Wrekin Local Area SEND Partnership invited representatives including: parents, carers, children, young people, partner services and professionals to attend workshops that would share ideas and develop an exciting new SEND & Alternative Provision Strategy for the local area.
Bringing together all partners, workshops were held in December 2022 and January 2023 to provide an opportunity for partners to share their vision and shape the future of SEND & Alternative Provision. The aim of the workshops included sharing innovative ideas on how the local area partnership can provide one seamless system that meets the needs of children and young people across mainstream school, alternative provision and specialist placements.
Discussion areas covered:
- Localised provision
- Making sure that the needs of children and young people are met early
- Children, young people and their families having the opportunity to participate in decision making about their individual plans and support
- Leading improvements and working together with families
- A preventative AP Offer
- Providing a system that makes sense
- Inspiring aspirational outcomes for young people
- Being data informed and intelligence rich, listening to the lived experience of children, young people and families.
- Having a preventative Alternative Provision offer
Making sure that children and young people are valued, visible and included in their community.
2022
The SEND Review - Green Paper for discussion and consultation
Have your say on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) system in England.
Share your views on the government's proposals for the SEND and alternative provision system by midnight on Friday 1 July 2022. Click the link below for more information.
2021
Short Breaks Consultation 2021
The Short Breaks Statement consultation period has run from 18 October 2021 to 10 December 2021. As of 5pm on 10 December 2021, the survey is closed and all feedback has been logged. Thank you to all who have made their voice heard throughout this process, your responses are so valuable in co-producing the new Short Breaks Statement. Please click the link below to find the consultation results, draft statement and more...
https://www.telfordsend.org.uk/info/1/home/116/short_breaks_consultation_2021
We hope to release an updated Short Breaks Statement in the Winter of 2022, which will respond to the development suggestions and feedback you have given.
Local Offer feedback is always ongoing - You Said, We Did page.
Continual ongoing discussions with our parent carer forums POD’s, IASS and IS through the SEND task and finish groups.
We have also started a new group specifically looking at suggested changes from parent carer forums. This started in June 2016 and meets approx every 8 weeks. To get involved please contact POD’s
We are very keen to hear the views of young people and their parent and carers. Please provide us with your comments by contacting our team.
Parent and Carer Local Offer consultation
The Local Offer process for Telford and Wrekin started in September 2013 with an initial focus group that included PODS Parent Carer Forum, parent groups and IASS
We developed an initial survey to gather feedback on the following:
- what is most important information to see in Local Offer - assessment/referral process, support and involvement for parent carers, leisure activities
- where most likely to see information - website and leaflets
- where best to put Local Offer information - online, schools, GP surgeries.
We continued to work together, meeting on a monthly basis developing the Local Offer collaboratively to include headings under age ranges and education, health, social care and leisure. In addition a section that covers information relating to all age ranges was also included. Throughout the process we have included the voice of parent carers and gathered their views through participation, feedback and involvement at family groups, events, conferences and workshops.
The new SEND logo was transposed from a national presentation and we felt that it demonstrated the SEND process with the family/child in the centre.
Since September 2014, we now meet quarterly. The changes and migration of the website have been managed internally by the Local Authority and we are continually providing feedback and suggestions for additions and improvements, alongside direct contact from parent carers via the feedback button. Information that has been shared with us from parent carers is also added to the website and this has enabled the Local Offer to grow.
We continue to share the Local Offer information links and details of how this can be accessed, showcasing via our
iPads at events and family groups. Information is also shared via social media, newsletters and at our SEND Workshops.
The wider SEND Reforms, including the Local Offer are now reported upon to the SEND Steering Group (Chaired by PODS Parent Carer Forum) and in turn report directly to Aiming High for SEND (0-25) Strategic Group.
Information about Parent/Carer support