You Said, We Did

As part of our commitment to ongoing development of the Local Offer we are always very keen to hear from you. Your feedback helps us to improve the Local Offer website and actual provision for children and young people and families in Sutton.

Below is our ongoing ‘You Said, We Did’, which shows examples of what parents, carers and young people said about the Local Offer website and current provision, and what we did and are doing in response. Please also view the Local Offer Annual Summary 2023. 

You Said:

Provide more consistent support

• We Did: We are communicating across all social media platforms, updating website regularly and promoting for anyone to email the Local Offer. We are striving to support where possible and seeking our different ways to communicate with the community.

You Said:

Needs to be publicised more to families

• We Did: We are currently communicating with schools and colleges to hold coffee mornings for parents to attend, this will allow parents to see how to use the Local Offer website. We will also be holding on online webinar so parents can access this.

You Said:

Have more parent/carer input as well as individuals with SEND have their say in person.

• We Did: We have sent out feedback forms for the current Local Offer website and feedback from this has been taken into account for the update. We have attended Youth groups to hear individuals comments and feedback about the local area.

You Said:

More training for SENCOs around what the Local Offer actually is.

• We Did: We are currently visiting SENCOs in schools to discuss the Local Offer. Once website is updated we will be arranging coffee mornings and online sessions on how to navigate the new website. We attended the SENCO cluster meeting to discuss the expectations from SENCOs and the Local Offer.

You Said:

Help families to navigate the system

• We Did: We are currently meeting with schools and colleges to discuss ways on how to show the Local Offer to parents. We are planning online sessions and coffee mornings when the new Local Offer website is updated.

You said:

Present the information in an easy to find format

• We Did: We are currently updating our website to ensure the website is easier to use. We are also putting all updates onto our Facebook page so those who do not use website can still access this.

You Said:

Found the website complicated and there is not enough information.

• We Did: We are currently in the process of updating our website to make this more accessible. Information on the website is continuously being reviewed and updated to keep relevant and up-to-date.

You Said:

Children to be aware of what they can find on the website.

• We Did: We are currently in the process of promoting the Local Offer on school websites. We are engaging on our Facebook page so young people can locate what is on the local offer through social media.

You Said:

Have a list of all providers.

• We Did: We are currently going through our list of services to ensure they are all up-to-date and relevant.

You Said:

Parents aren't sure about what is on offer for under 5s.

• We Did: We are currently developing under 5 pathways that will help to make clear what is on offer in Sutton for this age group. This will include creating a section in the directory specifically for services for children under 5 and their families.

You Said:

Parent Feedback - It is difficult to find childcare and nurseries within the Local Offer.

• We Did: We have made sure the childcare directory also sits on the Early Years with SEND page and that this is directly linked to the directory of SEND providers.

You Said:

Parent Feedback -  The homepage can be overwhelming, especially if it is your first visit to the website.

• We Did: We are ensuring that only the most important information is on the Local Offer homepage.

You Said:

Parent Feedback - There is a lot of national organisations listed but it would be good to have more local ones.

• We Did: We are currently in the process of reviewing the services listed within our information pages. Once this is complete we will look at how we can include more local organisations.

You Said:

The website does not feel very accessible, it would be good to have more visuals and be able to change the background colour from white.

• We Did: We have heard your feedback and will be looking at how we can improve the accessibility of the website as it develops. You can read our accessibility statement here.

You Said:

Content on information pages is complicated and difficult to understand.

• We Did: We are currently in the process of updating and simplifying the information pages on the Local Offer to make them more comprehensive. This is ongoing but all pages will be updated in time.

You Said:

Information is duplicated across pages and from other websites.

• We Did: Content has been reviewed and duplications identified. We are in the process of streamlining this content to ensure that this is not the case.

You Said:

From a colleague - It would be useful to make parents aware of the Child Trust Funds as many of the children are turning 18 now. 

• We Did: Signposting and information about the Child Trust Funds is now available on the Money Matters and Preparing for Adulthood pages. 

You Said:

From an advocacy group - Verbal bullying around SEND can be a problem.

• We Did: The Preparing for Adulthood pages now have a link to Mencap's bullying advice pages. The advocacy group will be involved in preparing text around bullying for the new Hub. 

You Said:

From Operation Elf - it would be good to invite SENCOs from schools to future events. 

• We Did: This will be considered for future Operation Elf events. 

You Said:

From Operation Elf - more activities needed for young adults. 

• We Did: This will be considered for future Operation Elf events. 

You Said:

Leisure centre SEND activities for school holidays are not promoted on the Local Offer. The Local Offer provides a link to the Leisure centres website but holiday activities are not promoted there. 

• We Did: Leisure Centres now send holiday SEND activities directly to the LO Coordinator and updates are put on the News page. 

You Said:

Preparing for Adulthood event - it is important for services and providers to attend SEND events and network and learn. It was an opportunity to expand services into schools. 

• We Did: Future events for young people will include attendance by banks, supermarkets, electoral services and community services. 

You Said:

Preparing for Adulthood volunteer - I don't go to supermarkets as i am worried that staff will be rude to me. 

• We Did: A Morrisons Community Champion attended the Preparing for Adulthood event and held a shopping experience session. Details about supermarket's 'quiet hours' are now on the Local Offer. 

You Said:

It is difficult to find what I am looking for. 

• We Did: The pages will be labelled clearly and state that they are for SEND families. This will enable the search facility to be more accessible and comprehensive. 

You Said:

The Specialist Services pages are under Health and Wellbeing. Most families would look under Children with Additional Needs first. 

• We Did: There is now a page for Specialist Services under the Children with Additional Needs section. 

You Said:

We would like a glossary of terms. 

• We Did: A glossary of SEND terms is now available as a Quick Link. 

You Said:

We would like to know who the caseworkers are.

• We Did: The SEND ENCP Coordinators school allocations are now available on the Local Offer. 

You Said:

PDFs are not accessible to screen-readers.

• We Did: Word versions of PDFs available. 

You Said:

The Local Offer should be accessible for those without the Internet. 

• We Did: Printed material is now available on request. The phone number for requesting this is promoted on the flyer, website and Facebook page. 

You Said:

The News and Events page does not make it clear as to who the information is for. 

• We Did: The News and Events page is now split into three sections. The sections are For Young People, For Parent and  Information. Images are used to represent the three sections. 

You Said:

It is difficult to find new information/updates. 

• We Did: A News and Events Page has been added to the website which is regularly updated. A Facebook page has been created to update families. 

You Said:

The profile of SLO needs to be raised by increasing awareness and understanding of SLO across communities. 

• We Did: A Communications and Engagement Plan has been put together to raise the the profile of SLO. This includes increasing use of social media and digital channels and using relevant local events, to promote SLO.

You Said:

The Local Area needs to ensure that young people and their carers/parents are aware of Personal Budgets.

• We Did: A Personal Budgets Policy has been made,  explaining the approach taken by the LBS, Cognus and CCG to personal budgets. An Easy Read version is being produced as a user friendly alternative to the policy itself. 

You Said:

There needs to be better communication about how different areas of the council work and transparency about who does what.  

• We Did: An organisational chart outlining the LBS and Cognus is being developed.  

You Said:

Children and young people with physical disabilities need to have access to more Equality Act compliant services and facilities. 

• We Did: A Sutton Local Area Guide has been put on the Local Offer. This includes accessibility information.

• You can view and download the guide on the London Borough of Sutton website [External Link].

You Said:

Transition from CAMHS to Adults Mental Health needs to have a clear Pathway and to be explained to parents/carers and young people.

• We Did: Children’s Health services are currently working on a leaflet dedicated to transitioning health services. There is currently information on the transitions process that is nationally applicable.

You Said:

Disagreement resolution opportunities and support available for families need to be clearly communicated to parents/carers.

• We Did: In April 2019, Sutton’s mediation services were transferred over to Global Mediation. Sutton’s Information, Advice and Support Services (SIASS) is now fully staffed with great feedback from parents and an increase in contacts and request for support. As a result, from January to June 2018 SIASS had 275 contacts and 71 requests for support. From July to December 2018 SIASS had 2020 contacts and 163 requests for support.

You Said:

High Needs users also need pictures and visuals if they struggle with too many words.

• We Did: Pages published on the Local Offer website are reviewed prior to publication to ensure that they meet Accessibility requirements. There are two easy read guides under Getting around for Young People with SEND.  

You Said:

Channels of communication from the SEN Service need to be consistent and clear, particularly regarding decisions.

• We Did: A family friendly guide explaining how the SEN service operates is currently being developed. 

You Said:

Once a plan is agreed, regular monitoring is needed to ensure that agreed provision is being delivered in the education setting to help achieve the agreed outcomes.

• We Did: The draft EHCP template, EHCP process and Annual Review process have been reviewed and changes made. Initial feedback from professionals and parents is positive. We are obtaining early feedback from families about how EHCPs are being put into effect in education establishments. We also monitor EHCPs through the Annual Review process.

You Said:

The Local Area needs to do more to assist those children and young people at risk of exclusion from their mainstream setting, particularly in regard to informal exclusions.

• We Did: The Local Area is making a focused effort to increase capacity to support children and young people at risk from exclusion to remain in school: 

1. An SEMH Steering Group has been developed with an inclusion focus, acting in consultation to support the local area develop policy, practice and provision.  

2. The co-produce Graduated Response to support children/young people at risk of exclusion is now embedded. This means that education establishments will be clear about what they need to do to support pupils at risk of exclusion so that they remain in their school 

3. The Limes College has increased its outreach, training, managed interventions and support for schools to retain learners 

4. Paving the Way is expanding it’s offer to support year 7 pupils.

You Said:

The Local Area needs to ensure that professionals are aware of their statutory duties under current legislation, and that they are being delivered.

• We Did: A SENCO Tab is being developed and will include information on legislation and duties.  

1. The Local Area has recently finalised its Communications and Engagement Plan. A key aspect of the strategy is the work that the Local Area has been doing to develop its knowledge, skills and understanding of the Children and Families Act 2014, and to change the processes to improve the way we identify, assess and meet outcomes for children and young people with additional needs.  

2. Various means of communication are used including the Local Area Education Bulletin (informed by partners), Local Offer Website, Sutton Primary Heads Group/Secondary Heads/Partnership, Special Heads, SENDCo Forum, Sutton Parent Carer Forum meetings, termly Governor briefings and Governor newsletters. 

3. The Local Area issues a quarterly survey to measure the local SEND workforce’s understanding and to target areas for improvement. In the April survey 70% of respondents understood the Vision of the Local Area and 58% of respondents were confident or very confident they understand their role and responsibilities as part of the Children and Families Act 2014.  

You Said:

The Jigsaw image is not suitable to represent EHC Plans as it has a tricky history and autism is not limited to childhood.

• We Did: The image has been changed to the infinity logo.  

To leave feedback on the Local Offer, please fill out our online form [External Link].