Dorset Parent Carer Council (DPCC) Teenager to Adult event October 2016

We asked attendees to review the new Local Offer that had recently moved to Dorsetforyou.com. See the table for responses from parents, professionals and young people.

Your feedback from the DPCC event October 2016

Our new Local Offer on Dorsetforyou.com

How easy is it to use our Local Offer?

Your responses to the question 'how easy is it to use?':

  • 27% 'very easy'
  • 64% 'easy'
  • 9% 'ok'

No one said it was difficult or very difficult.

How clear is the information on our Local Offer?

Your responses to the question 'how clear is the information?':

  • 55% 'very clear'
  • 36% 'clear'
  • 9% 'ok'

No one said it was difficult or very difficult.

What action we took as a result of your feedback

We were pleased that the majority of users found the new site easy to use and the information easy to understand. We will continue to develop our Local Offer so please feed back.

Feedback about employment and adult social care

I want to know about what happens after my child is 18 years old. Looking for employment opportunities and adult social care.

The action we took as a result of your feedback

You will now find this information in our Local Offer preparing for adulthood section in:

We are still developing the social care area of the Local Offer to include more information specific to the 16+ age range.

Your feedback about specialist colleges

I want more information on finding specialist colleges for education from 16 years old onwards.

I struggled to find specialist schools for young people aged 16+ with complex needs.

The action we took as a result of your feedback

We are still developing the education area of the Local Offer to include more information specific to the 16+ age range. There is already some special educational needs and disability (SEND) information available in our education and training section. We will update this page when we've finished.

Your feedback about referral

I always find Dorsetforyou.com easy to use. It's thorough with a lot of information. I found a lot of relevant things that I need to look at in more depth. However getting the right referral is more difficult.

The action we took as a result of your feedback

Thank you. We will continue to develop our Local Offer in response to any feedback received.

Without knowing which referral process this feedback relates to it is difficult to respond.

Complete our feedback form to give more detailed comments on SEN and disability referral processes.

Your feedback about housing benefit

I couldn't find the age limit for housing benefit (young person with learning difficulties).

The action we took as a result of your feedback

Thank you. We will continue to develop the housing section and improve the information provided.

We are currently reviewing the filters in the education section of our Family Information Directory so that it's easier to find post 16 special schools. We will update this page when we've finished.

Your feedback about transport

I really liked the transport section, good information and easy to get around (young person with learning difficulties).

The action we took as a result of your feedback

Thank you. We will continue to develop the transport section of our Local Offer in response to any feedback received. 

Dorset Parent Carer Council information event March 2016

We consulted with parents on what qualities they valued in a website and also where they would like to find SEN and disability information. See the table for their feedback.

Your feedback about our website

The majority of parents (67%) rated 'accurate information' as most important. They also rated ease of searching and being from a trusted source highly, followed by 'all in one place'. No parents rated the qualities related to the look and feel of the website as the highest priority.

In an open question about who they trusted to provide information the majority (over a quarter) said Dorset Council. The rest mostly mentioned specific professionals supporting their child (for example, the school).

The majority of preferences said they would prefer to use one website that contained all information to meet their family's needs, but with the ability to easily find information specific to the needs of their child with SEN or disabilities.

The action we took as a result

It was clear parents wanted one website which provided information that was:

  • simple, clear and accurate
  • trusted
  • understandable

They wanted it to have information for all children as well as information which meets the needs of children or young people with SEN and disability.

So we moved the Local Offer from the Family Information Directory and placed it within the Children and Families section of Dorsetforyou.com. As 'Local Offer' is not a well-known term, we called the section disabilities and special educational needs - Local Offer.

We improved the information within the Local Offer (explained in further consultation above). 

We still link the Family Information Directory from the Local Offer when users need the service. Many services within the directory have provided extra detail about their SEN and disability provision. we have marked these services with the yellow 'Local Offer' symbol).

Give us your feedback

Let us know how we can improve our Local Offer by completing a feedback form. Feedback forms are at the bottom of every page.