Surrey’s Local Area SEND Inspection Update

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the parent carer survey to help the inspectors understand more about the help and support that children and young people with SEND in Surrey receive. Inspection Survey link

We have been receiving emails and comments on social media from parent carers. Some of the feedback includes that they do not feel the survey gives space for them to talk about the journey they have been on to get their child’s needs met. I know that many of you are also eager to meet directly with the inspectors to ensure your voice is heard and we have been looking into how this could be facilitated.

We have been in contact with the lead inspectors and they have advised that they will gather the views of a range of families and children and young people with SEND throughout their activities. For example, they will meet with the child or young person, parent/carer and practitioners for the case tracking. Unfortunately, they are not able to have a separate parent carers meeting or contact individual parents and carers on request, so FVS will bring the themes that are being raised to the meeting we will have with the inspectors.

The inspection team will select individuals to contact following information gathered through inspection activities. They will also sample cases of children and young people with SEND through visits to providers and meetings with key teams in the local area partnership to gain a wide view of their and their families’ experiences in education, health and care.

We will be meeting with the inspectors next week to:

·        identify any common themes that contribute to developing lines of enquiry for the inspection

·        discuss our views on effective practice and how the local area partnership could improve its arrangements for children and young people with SEND.

During the inspection, inspectors will also meet with parents and carers to:

·        understand the impact on their child of the local area’s SEND arrangements

·        understand the impact on the wider family

·        identify effective practice and how arrangements could be improved

·        gain more information about specific lines of enquiry.

To help ensure the voice of parent carers is heard it is really important that you complete the survey in the link above.

We are also inviting you to email us at inspection@familyvoicesurrey.org with anything you would like known, in addition to your survey answers (you might find it helpful to think about the four bullet points above). We will use this information to draw out themes and inform the discussions we have with the Inspectors at our meeting.

If you have any questions please do get in touch by emailing us as above.