SEND  survey and consultation page

Consultation conducted between September and October 2021 – 51 responses were received.

The strategy sets out how children with disabilities and their families / parent carers will be supported post COVID-19, and at a time of increased resource pressure across the SEND system.

Thank you to everyone who gave us their views on our priorities over the next three years which are confirmed as:

• Improving communication and coproduction with families.
• Improving access to provision and support.
• Improving timeliness and quality of annual reviews of education, health, and care plans.
• Further developing an effective and supported workforce; and
• Ensuring an effective Covid-19 recovery response.

Read more about the approved Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Strategy here

Survey conducted during January 2021 – 345 responses were received.

Download the "Parent carer views of the EHC process" 2021 full report (PDF, 464KB).

Report conclusions:

This is the second year running that this survey has been conducted, and it is extremely pleasing to see not only a significant increase in the number of respondents, which indicates more engagement of parents and carers in the process, but also an apparent increase in the level of satisfaction among respondents with many aspects of the process.

The aspects of the process which achieved the lowest levels of satisfaction are the same as last time the survey was conducted – with the clarity of the process, and with the needs assessment being completed within 20 weeks still seemingly being the areas where further improvement is needed, despite the fact they have both improved significantly since 2020.

Finally, there is some evidence that satisfaction with aspects of the EHC Plan review process has dropped slightly for plans issued in 2020 and 2021 (although results are still at a reasonable level) – this may need looking into. However, it is also extremely positive to see that many aspects of the assessment process have increased in satisfaction for plans issued in 2020 and 2021 – this points to a definite improvement in the processes put in place.

Survey conducted during January 2021 – 345 responses were received.

Download the "Parent carer views of the autism process" 2021 full report (PDF, 488KB).

Report conclusions:

This is the second year running that this survey has been conducted, and it is extremely pleasing to see not only a significant increase in the number of respondents, which indicates more engagement of parents and carers in the process, but also an apparent increase in the level of satisfaction among respondents with many aspects of the process.

The aspects of the process which achieved the lowest levels of satisfaction were related to the waiting time to get an appointment for an autism assessment, and then the waiting time to get the results back from this assessment.

However, it is also positive to see that many aspects of the assessment process have increased in satisfaction for assessments conducted in 2020 and 2021 – this points to an improvement in the processes put in place.

Survey conducted during January 2020 – 181 responses were received.

Download the "Parent carer views of the EHC process" 2020 full report (PDF, 464KB).

Short summary of results:

High proportions of those completing an assessment had received an EHC Plan, and good proportions felt the EHC Plans described their needs, that the right people were involved in the process, and felt they had been involved in decision making.

However, there are some areas of concern highlighted within the survey, most notably around the clarity of the process. There also continue to be concerns around the time taken to complete assessments and plans.

Survey conducted during January 2020 – 181 responses were received.

Download the "Parent carer views of the autism process" 2020 full report (PDF, 488KB).

Short summary of results:

Positive feedback was received throughout the survey about the autism assessment process, and it is positive to note that large proportions of respondents feel they understand autism, and how it affects their child/young person.

However, it is a concern that almost two thirds of respondents (65%) felt they needed something further from EHC services, to help them understand and support their child/young person.

There are also areas of the process which seem to require improvement, including lowering the waiting times for assessments and results, providing clear points of contact, and providing clear explanation of certain aspects of the process.

Consultation conducted during November 2019 – 123 responses were received.

Download the "Short Breaks for Disabled Children Parent Carer Consultation" full report (PDF, 302KB).

Short summary of results:

A majority of respondents had accessed short breaks in the past 24 months (77%), and the most frequently used providers were Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust, Everybody Sport and Recreation, and Space4Autism.

A small proportion of respondents were not accessing short breaks (24 out of 123, 19%), and required further information on where and what they were able to access them.

For those respondents who were accessing short breaks a number of them expressed how beneficial they were: having time to themselves /ability to recharge.

Based on responses to this survey, ideally future short break provision should be provided during school holidays, ensure staff have awareness of the individual child or young person’s needs, be active and simulating, and involve holiday or sport based activities.

Above all else, an understanding of the individual needs of the child or young person was felt to be paramount for the success of the service.