Influence, Include, Inform
“Co-production happens when people receiving services work in partnership with the planners, commissioners and providers to imagine, design and deliver better services"
- We promote the need for Parent Carer Participation with service providers for the Wokingham Borough so that we can work in co-production with them.
- We listen to families and gather their views and experiences through surveys and consultations.
- We hold Coffee Mornings and Evening Drop Ins around the Borough to find out what parent carers are most concerned about and how well services are working for them.
- We attend Support Groups and other meetings to hear the views and experiences of local families.
- Our representatives attend regular meetings about the planning and development of services and ensure that the voice of families is taken into account.
- We take part in groups set up to complete a specific piece of work, such as revising a document or devising a diagnostic or care pathway.
- We help partners to produce information that is clearly written, helpful and informative for families.
- We lead the organisation of the Local Offer Live, an annual family information and fun day, bringing together families and services to share information, knowledge and experiences.
- We provide opportunities for parent carers to increase their skills and knowledge by offering regular training events.
- We publish an annual newsletter that you can receive digitally or in printed form as well as send out regular email updates.
Take a look at the UPCOMING EVENTS we currently have planned. Come and JOIN US.
Meetings We Attend
SEND Voices Wokingham attend a number of different meetings representing a range of topics.
- Pan Berkshire SEND Joint Implementation Group
- Pan Berkshire Local Offer
- Local Offer review & development meetings
- EHCP review audits
- Coffee mornings
- CAMHS
- Wokingham SEND Innovation & Improvement Board
- Wokingham SEND Innovation & Improvement Working Groups
- SEND Providers Forum
- Short Break Steering Group
- SENDIASS Steering Group
- Health
- Autism Strategy
Our AGMs
2023 Presentation & Financial Report
WBC/Health SEND Innovation & Improvement Presentation ~ Q&A's SEND Innovation & Improvement Update
2022 Presentation & Financial Report ~ EHWB Presentation (including focus group feedback) ~ Approved Minutes from 2021
2021 Presentation & Financial Report~ Question Time Q&As ~ Approved Minutes from 2020
2020 Presentation & Financial Report ~ 2020 Ofsted 1 Year on Q&A's
Our Newsletters
What We Can't Do
SEND Voices Wokingham works on issues that affect a number of families by representing the views of parent carers in the local area. Unfortunately, we are unable to undertake individual issues that parents and carers have about their own child and are unable to offer a 1-1 advocacy service.
SEND Voices Wokingham is not a campaign group. The role of parent carer forums like ours is to promote parent voice through participation and co-production. We acknowledge the important role that campaign groups have in helping to get parent voice heard. SEND Voices Wokingham are happy to work with campaign groups by providing them information and feeding back the issues they raise.
However, please contact us with any concerns or issues, as other parents may well have the same issues which we can then represent or we will signpost you to other relevant organisations. We can also use your experiences (anonymised and with your permission), as case studies to highlight issues and best practice.
SEND Reforms 2014
What are the SEND Reforms 2014?
The law regarding Special Educational Needs changed in 2014 with the changes to the Children and Families Act 2014. It contains a large section on Special Educational Needs and allowed Government to reform the way support is given to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in England.
The SEND Reforms in brief:
- The (EHC) plan replaced the statement of special educational needs, and covers young people from birth to age 25.Parents and children are at the centre of the outcome driven process and should be much more involved in deciding what works best for the child or young person.
- Parents and young people can have control of a personal budget to buy additional support detailed in the plan.
- Local authorities must produce a 'local offer' of education, health and social care services it expects to be available in the area for children and young people up to 25 years.
- School Action and School Action Plus has been replaced by a single category called Additional SEN Support.
- A greater focus on working together: Local Authorities and health have a duty to commission services jointly with those who are using and providing the services and should include parents in developing and reviewing all aspects of the new requirements.
