You said, we did

You said:

More opportunities for meaningful interaction needed

Following the agreement from senior leadership to recommission the all age unpaid carers contract and all age unpaid carers strategy, Wiltshire Council commissioned an independent arts organisation Rosetta Life to enable unpaid carers of all ages to express their voices, experiences, and challenges of caring in Wiltshire to help develop the next 5 years of unpaid carers support.

To read about what carers said and what Wiltshire Council will do visit: Carer Engagement Report

You Said

There are out of date documents on the Local Offer

We Did

We are actively working on revising and replacing the documents that are due revision. These are tracked and teams regularly reminded where revisions are needed. We are also incorporating in this work our drive to change documents into more accessible and searchable document webpages. This has made the process slower but will deliver better results long term.

You can see an example of this with our conversion of the SEND school transport policy which is now revised for 2024 and a web document, visit: SEND Transport Policy

We are currently working on the SEND Strategy for Wiltshire which will be updated Autumn 2024. You can find this by visiting: SEND services reviews and strategies

You Said:

Communication with Parents and Carers needed to improve at Canons House

We did:

The Canons House team researched a number of communication platforms, completed security checks and approved the use of Padlet. As of 2023 Parents and Carers are regularly accessing this new communication method and are part of an ongoing feedback process to improve and develop Padlets use.

Comments from parents are incredibly positive, with families sensing the enjoyment, achievement and experiences their children and young people benefit from when staying at Canon's House.

The team have also been part of a national action project called 'Language that cares' to transform the language used within the Canons House. Using words offered by young people as alternatives they considered more appropriate to their personal circumstances and life experiences.

You said:

It is hard to find out if you are eligible for short breaks

We did:

The Children's and Families commissioning team worked with the Local Offer to produce a clearer guide about the Short Breaks scheme. This includes the eligibility criteria.

For more information visit: Short Breaks

Families also commented that they did not like the name Short Breaks however this is a nationally named scheme, you can read more about this by visiting: GOV.UK: Press release - Disabled children to benefit from funding for short breaks (opens new window)

You said:

SEND education information needs to be clearer

 We Did:

In 2024 we have published the SEND education guide which is starting to replace a lot of the education information on the Local Offer. This guide sets out in one place the levels of SEND support available in Wiltshire, how to access it and context about the support or settings.

For more information visit: SEND Education Guide

You said:

Young Carers paying for transport to attend support makes it harder to access 

We did:

 Our Young Carers service now removes barriers, providing one-to-one support through outreach and free transport to and from all face to face session.

For more information visit: Young carers

 You said:

Universal Support information needed to be easier to find

We Did:

We have taken a number of steps to help improve the signposting of support that does not need an assessment to access and should be universally available.

• We have recently produced our 2024 edition of the Ordinarily Available Provision for all Learners which now includes Early Years guidance OPAL Introduction
• The new All Together features a wide range of community support - Wiltshire Together: All Together (opens new window)
• Many of our pages have been revised to make clearer the stages of support and that universal support is listed first.
• Our Advice and Support sections now feature direct links to Family Hubs who can offer support to find and access universal services e.g. Advice and support 0 to 5.

You Said:

There is not enough info about timelines 

We Did:

The Send Service has updated the Education Health and Care Needs Assessment page of the Local Offer to include clear information about the 20 week timeline. You can find the updated information under 'What happens once an EHC Needs Assessment is received. This sets out what should happen and when in the statutory SEND assessment process.

For more info visit: EHC assessments

Last year a survey went out to unpaid carers by Carer Support Wiltshire as to what unpaid carers would like to be trained on, from the results of this Wiltshire Council would like to offer a range of training to support what unpaid carers have asked for. This includes:

• Stress awareness training 
• First aid training 
• Mental capacity act training 
• Manual handling training
• Virtual courses on Autism, Dementia, building Personal Resilience, and understanding the Mental Capacity Act

For more information visit: Unpaid Carers training or Carer support.

You said:

The Local Offer is improving and its responses have been helpful

We did:

• Thanked the individuals for their comments
• Created this entry to say thank you to all those who have, and continue to, engage with the Local Offer. The improvements are the result of community members and workers from across Wiltshire making suggestions, raising issues and helping create the content
• We will continue to work to co-produce this resource with our community and for our community with even more improvements to come
• As always to suggest improvements please email localoffer@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window), visit Submit feedback or visit Getting involved

You said:

It was not always obvious or easy to navigate from a reference to a policy to the relevant policy or quotes from it

We did:

• We have amended our Resource section pages to make it easier to navigate and ensured key policies are at the start of the page.
• As we rework content across the Local Offer we will stay mindful of referencing as a key area to improve. Linking as simply as we can to supporting information for further reading, to improve the users flow to the information they require.
• We will also include supporting information about the legislation around the Local Offer in the materials to support the Local Offer Reference Group 2024, this will help the community engaged with improving the Local Offer to understand their legal rights on what to expect from it in a supported way.

You said:

Wording is not always clear and amount of text in SEND processes can be a barrier

We did:

• We have a new tool that helps develop the Local Offer website called Silktide (opens new window) which includes evaluation of average reading age of pages and flags areas we can improve
• We have and will continue to respond to specific incidences submitted to us where people think we can improve
• Many of our pages and processes have recently been through a co-production process to help us improve written communications with the SEND service. For example Annual Reviews which includes details of the new forms designed in partnership with young people, parent/ carers and SENCOs.
• Our What is Local Offer about? page is a start of our journey to explore using media to promote different ways to make information more accessible on the Local Offer
• Training is also being shared with our staff around best practices for person centred writing in statutory processes by the SVPP
• The area of work around accessibility of text is a key ongoing objective for the Local Offer to improve on as we continue to revise and augment the resource.

You said:

The online Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) form sometime breaks

We did:

• Our technical team has made some improvements to aid stability
• We have added additional information to ensure users are fully aware of the support available when thinking of submitting a form, "If you are considering requesting an EHC Needs Assessment, you should contact the SEND Team to discuss the request on 01225 712620. SEND Lead Workers can help and advise you on next steps."
• We have also added, "Use the 'report this page' feature if you have issues as this will help us develop and improve this system. To discuss the process before making a referral you can call the SEND team by phoning 01225 712620."

You said:

More information was needed about Education, Health and Care Needs assessments (EHCNA) and who to talk to about them

We did:

• We have recently updated the EHCNA section with clearer information
• We have added a 'Who to talk to' section and made clear links to how to contact the SEND team
• The page dedicated to contacting the SEND team has been improved to provide more direct contact information to different teams

You said:

You wished you had heard about the Local Offer sooner

We did:

• We started an increased effort to market the Local Offer in 2023
• In-person presence at a range of public events across the county over the year
• Social media campaigns with a reach of over 50,000 between April and November
• Starting a SEND newsletter which has gained 820 subscribers in the first year
• Partnership working with a wide range of services across the county
• Stakeholder group visits to share the Local Offer, answer questions and get feedback
• The Local Offer is included in SENCO training from the School Effectiveness team

You said:

Community members suggested a range of acronyms we should add to our Jargon Buster

We Did:

• We have added the suggested acronyms like WAAS, SALT, ELSA and continue to develop and expand this resource.
• We are improving the plain English writing of pages and ensuring acronym use is minimised or explained at the instance of use. Improving the readability and accessibility of text is an ongoing objective for the Local Offer.

You said:

SEND parenting courses covering the age of adult transition would be helpful

We did:

Highlighted our courses on our Advice and support 11 to 16 pages. We also added the 'Time out for Parents' which is delivered in partnership with the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council and 'SWAPP' courses both which cover the ages of transition for those with additional needs.

 You Said:

The information about DSR/ CETR was not on the Local Offer website

We Did:

• Contacted the ICB and relevant involved stakeholders to arrange for the Wiltshire DSR information to be drafted
• Published the information and supporting policy which can be found by visiting, Dynamic Support Register.

You Said:

We need more information on Mental Health

We Did:

• Added Mental Health information to our Advice and support 16+ sections.
• Added Mental Health information to our 0 to 16 health sections and 16 + adulthood health sections.

You Said:

There should be more information on local clubs for the SEND community

We Did:

• Increased the links to Wiltshire Together (opens new window) community activities and support site
• Worked with the Ability Sports team to update information about their offer across the county
• Continue to update our Leisure pages as we are made aware of new clubs on offer
• The Small Grants Scheme hub page which can be found through Getting involved highlights a scheme to support the development of activity provision in the community

You Said:

It was not always clear how to capture the evidence you wanted to give in annual reviews

We did:

We have recently reviewed the annual review process and co-produced a new set of documents and guidance in line with the views of young people, parent carers and professionals to ensure the right information is captured and the process is easier to use. We also added lots of supportive information about the process to the Local Offer.

• Annual Reviews
• EHCP 0 to 5
• EHCP 5 to 11
• EHCP 11 to 16
• EHCP 16+

You said:

It is not always easy to get in touch with the SEND service team

We did:

Our SEND team has reviewed the way the service works and come up with a new way for the community to access the service.

• The team can be contacted directly via a new direct number
• The team is now working in areas so you will be talking to service members familiar with the schools and services in that part of Wiltshire
• The information about how the service operates and contact information for the service has been published on the Local Offer along with a supporting list of schools broken down by area

You Said:

You wanted to know what it was like for children and young people using SEND Service transport for the first time going to school.

We did:

• we asked the children at Silverwood School to tell us about their experience
• we added their comments to the Travel pages
• we added an info banner to let parent/ carers know they can contact the SEND transport team to arrange 'meet the driver' sessions to help minimise anxiety
• we added the comments, from all the children, in full to the primary and secondary age voice sections

You said:

We are missing information on opportunities for post 16s

We did:

• ​​we have added information about lots of new leisure opportunities in Wiltshire
• we have linked the Local Offer to Wiltshire Together (opens new window) to help promote opportunities offered by the wider community
• we have expanded the information on our education and employment page to cover more pathways

You said:

Travel information for those 16 to 19 years of age and post 19 policy was not clear

We did:

• ​​consulting with the Travel Coordinator we updated the information we held on the Post 16 Travel page
• the most up-to-date policy guide has been added and clearer instructions added
• the travel assistance request form has also been amended to be clearer on the 19+ travel offer

You said:

The EHC Needs Assessment process needs reviewing and redesigning

We did:

• new EHCNA portal for schools and settings with pop up guidance
• new EHCNA e-form
• how-to complete an EHCNA form video for schools and settings
• parent request form
• CYP (16+) request form
• new section regarding EHC assessments and plans on Local Offer
• FAQ sheet

You said:

We are missing information on Apprenticeships.

We did:

• we have updated the information we hold on who can help with applications and how to apply.
• the information can be found by visiting the path to employment section

You said:

The DaD1 entry provides further access to a 'Tri-fold Leaflet ' and this leaflet informs of a DaD3 but I have not been able to locate more detailed information on its composition and role similar to that given for DaD1 and DaD2. Can you please indicate to me where these more specific DaD3 details can be found?

We did:

• emailed enquirer to thank them for their helpful feedback
• discussed request with the content writer for the specialist area
• uploaded the updated information to the EHCP sections of the website

You said:

We need to review and redesign the way decisions are made about EHCPs

We did:

• introduction of DaD1 (EHCNA consideration panel)
• transformation of DaD2 panel
• introduction of DaD3
• new Terms of Reference
• decision-making proformas and guidance.
• induction training events for schools/settings
• parent moderation - recruitment, training and partnership agreements via WPCC
• Local Offer webpage updated to explain DaDs.
• tri-fold leaflet explaining new processes
• 'You said We did' feedback on Local Offer webpage