Parentsactive would like to begin by thanking the many parent carers who took the time to complete the Area SEND inspection survey and share their experiences. We know this took time and emotional energy, and those contributions were vital in ensuring that the voices of families in Hammersmith & Fulham informed the inspection process.
The inspection outcome reflects feedback gathered from a range of sources across the local SEND system. This included responses from parents and carers through the national survey, detailed “deep dive” discussions based on six children and young people’s cases, and conversations with practitioners, young people, SENDIASS and other local stakeholders, including the parent carer forum.
The inspection found that SEND arrangements in Hammersmith & Fulham are typically leading to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. We recognise the commitment and effort of many dedicated professionals across education, health and care who are working to improve outcomes for children and young people locally. You can read the full report here.
The report highlights several strengths in the local area partnership. Inspectors recognised that children and young people with SEND in Hammersmith & Fulham are valued, visible and included, and that practitioners across education, health and social care work well together to support children and their families. They also recognised the strong multi-agency collaboration and leadership across the partnership, and the wide range of services available locally, including family hubs, community activities and support for young people preparing for adulthood.
The report itself identifies significant areas for improvement, including:
- reducing waiting times for neurodevelopmental diagnoses
- improving the timeliness of wheelchair repairs and reviews
- ensuring EHC plans are updated promptly following annual reviews
- improving equitable access to speech and language therapy, particularly for young people in post-16 education.
These are long-standing issues raised repeatedly by families, and they continue to have a real impact on daily life for children, young people and their carers. Parentsactive will continue to bring those experiences to the table and work with partners to ensure services improve for all families.
The inspectors were impressed with Parentsactive. The report also acknowledges the important role played by the parent carer forum in shaping services locally. Inspectors noted that the forum helps bring the voice of families into strategic discussions and works with partners to improve services and hold the system to account.
‘The parent carer forum (PCF) strongly advocates for children and young people with SEND and their families, playing an instrumental role in shaping strategy and initiatives and providing feedback from parents and carers through working groups and forums. The PCF helps to hold leaders to account effectively, resulting in improvements across the local area partnership.’
This was the first Area SEND inspection in Hammersmith & Fulham under the revised national framework, which places greater reliance on written evidence, data and parent surveys rather than direct meetings with parents and carers. Parentsactive engaged with the inspection process on behalf of families and shared honest feedback about both what is working and where families continue to struggle.
We do recognise that there are some parent carers that may not see their own lived experiences reflected in the overall inspection outcome. Inspections provide a snapshot in time and it’s a generalised view of the experiences of SEND in the borough. As the borough’s parent carer forum, Parentsactive’s focus now is on what happens next. We will continue to work constructively with local partners to ensure that the findings of this inspection lead to meaningful, sustained improvements in SEND provision for families in Hammersmith & Fulham and hold them to account.
This is especially important in light of the SEND Reforms which is currently under consultation. We have already run several events and will continue working with parents and partners to ensure the parent carer voice is heard throughout the ongoing Local Area SEND Reform process.
The next few years will be crucial as councils prepare for implementation through the Local Authority SEND Reform plan and a range of co-production opportunities. Parentsactive will proactively work with the local authority to ensure that co-production is embedded at every stage…
The consultation on SEND Reform closes on Monday 18 May at 11.59pm. Make sure your voice is heard by responding here. You can also read our guide to the proposed changes and consultation process here.