Local Area SEND Strategy Consultation: A Case Study

 

Westco conducted a comprehensive SEND Strategy Consultation for a Council and its health partners. Our goal? To gather valuable feedback on the draft Local Area SEND Strategy and help shape high-quality services in education, health, and social care for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the region.

 

We set out with a clear mission:

• Exceed statutory consultation requirements by running a thorough, inclusive consultation.
• Publicise the consultation widely to raise awareness and boost participation, ensuring everyone affected had ample opportunity to contribute their views.
• Engage those most impacted – families, schools, and care providers – by keeping them informed and offering them clear and accessible ways to share their views.
• Create multiple engagement avenues, from consultation roadshows to activities in schools and communities.
• Tailor consultation materials to fit the diverse needs of our audience, including children and young people.

 

The consultation process

 

We structured the consultation into two interlinked projects:

• Consultation on the Draft Local Area SEND Strategy, in collaboration with the Council, Clinical Commissioning Group, and an NHS Foundation Trust.
• Consultation on the Council's SEND system reform proposals, focused on expanding local, high-quality SEND education to reduce reliance on out-of-region services and improve educational outcomes.

 

Communications and engagement programme

 

We hit the ground running with strategic early engagement, including:

• Stakeholder Mapping: We identified key stakeholders with a vested interest in the consultation to ensure they were included.
• Parent Carers Forum: We met with forum representatives to understand how best to reach and engage parents and carers across the region.
• Councillor Briefing: We briefed local councillors on the consultation at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (open to all councillors).

 

Publicity and materials

 

To ensure the consultation reached as many people as possible, we took a multi-channel approach:

• We used a range of online and offline communications channels to publicise the consultation, including email, digital marketing, posters and flyers.
• We distributed information through various groups, including the Clinical Commissioning Group, education settings, council officers, and other stakeholders.
• We developed targeted communications for under-represented groups, including children and young people and BAME communities.

 

Gathering insights

 

We made it easy for people to have their say with surveys:

• A single survey collected views on both consultations, allowing participants to respond to either or both.
• The survey was also hosted online using a digital platform and linked to from the consultation website.
• We designed the survey to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, mixing closed and open-ended questions. Respondents were asked to rate their agreement with various statements on a Likert scale and provide comments on specific aspects of the proposals.
• Nearly 1,000 people responded to the online ands offline versions, and we monitored survey feedback weekly to refine outreach for under-represented groups.

 

We also took the conversation online:

• We held seven online roadshows using Microsoft Teams, attended by over 200 people.
• These events introduced the consultations, explained the proposals, and answered questions from attendees.
• Senior officers from the Council’s Education, Adult Social Care, and Children’s Social Care teams worked alongside health partners from the local NHS to present the proposals and took live questions in interactive Q&A sessions.
• Two of these events were tailored specifically for children and young people, using adapted consultation materials developed by SEND teachers and sixth form students.

 

We didn’t just rely on surveys and roadshows, though:

• We received numerous written responses via email from both individual residents and stakeholders.
• Organisational responses also poured in, with letters from various institutions including health groups, primary school governors, Stockham councils in the region, and the Secondary School Headteachers’ Association.

 

What we discovered

 

Our extensive consultation efforts yielded insightful results. With almost 1,000 survey responses as well as written correspondence and roadshow feedback, over 80% of participants agreed that a Local Area SEND Strategy involving all stakeholders would improve support and outcomes for SEND children and young people.

 

The consultation revealed widespread agreement on the importance of the five strategic objectives (with around three-quarters of respondents strongly agreeing and around one in five tending to agree). Key themes from comments included the need for adequate funding, lack of local SEND provision, and the importance of early assessment and intervention.

 

Shaping the future of SEND strategy

 

This Local Area SEND Strategy Consultation successfully gathered valuable feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring that the voices of those most affected were heard and considered.

 

Our findings highlighted the importance of collaboration, adequate resources, and clear implementation plans to ensure better outcomes for children and young people with SEND in the region. Thanks to this comprehensive approach and engagement effort, we helped the Council and its partners shape a more effective and responsive SEND strategy.