Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): speaking up report
Download (PDF 1.23 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Slough has gathered the views and experiences of local children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and their parents and carers. We asked the question: “What is it like for families in Slough seeking SEND information and support?” This report aims to speak up on their behalf to the organisations involved: Slough Borough Council (SBC), Slough Children’s Services Trust1 , local health services and the voluntary sector. This feedback and our recommendations will help them identify gaps in services and information, and shape future changes.
Healthwatch Slough undertook three tasks: They tested out for ourselves what it is like for new enquirers seeking information about SEND and the Local Offer (see below) in Slough via an online search. They made contact with children and young people with SEND, their parents and others involved in supporting them, and asked for their views and experiences. They studied SEND feedback already reported to us (stored on our database).
As Healthwatch Slough carried out this project, they learnt about the information, resources and services to support SEND families in Slough. Healthwatch Slough have uncovered hidden treasures and scope for improvement, both online (in our webpage review) and in people's feedback about the benefits and limitations of the services available in our borough. Overall, the challenge we are most keen to address is a recurring sentiment we heard again and again during our engagement with SEND families. It is captured here in the words of one parent: “We speak to people, we highlight the problem, information gets noted, and that’s it - you don’t hear anything else, nothing changes, we are left to get on with it. You can only speak so many times and then you just get by on your own.” Healthwatch Slough invites the organisations and groups involved in supporting and providing information to SEND families to take up this challenge - firstly in response to our recommendations, and secondly whenever individuals speak up in the future.