Special educational needs and disability impact survey 2023

The survey had 399 respondents, split between parents and carers of a child or young person with SEND:

• 377 parents
• 22 carers

The age of children and young people represented in the survey was split as follows (N=399):

• 14 were aged 0 to 5
• 117 were aged 5 to 10
• 211 were aged 11 to 16
• 30 were aged 17 to 18
• 27 were aged 19 to 25

Most respondent’s children (190) are in mainstream primary or secondary school. Other settings are detailed below (N=399):

• 3% were in early years or nursery
• 48% were in mainstream primary or secondary
• 19% were in a special school
• 5% were in an independent special school
• 4% were in alternative provision
• 7% were in college or a post 16 setting
• 0% were doing an internship or apprenticeship
• 2% were in education other than school (EOTAS)
• 1% were not currently in education, employment, or training
• 1% were children missing from education (CME)
• 1% were electively home educated (EHE)
• 8% were currently not attending a setting
• 2% gave no answer

We asked:

• do you, or your child or young person have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?
• are you in the process of requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment?

The answers were:

• 71% responded that they did have one, or were requesting one 
• 22% said no they did not have one or were requesting one
• 6% were unsure
• 1% did not give an answer

Communication is vital when supporting children and young people to thrive. Good communication:

• builds relationships
• allows the sharing of experiences and needs

which helps ensure educational, health and care provision is right.

The survey included 8 statements. These were on the theme of communication. They looked at health, care, and support. We asked how much the respondents agreed or disagreed with the statements.

We recorded the responses to each statement as follows:

Statement 1 

I know where to go for services for me and my family:

• 9 respondents strongly agreed
• 31 respondents tended to agree
• 14 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 24 respondents tended to disagree
• 21 respondents strongly disagreed
• 1 respondent didn't know

Statement 2

I understand what is meant by the local offer and know how to find information about it: 

• 7 respondents strongly agreed
• 19 respondents tended to agree
• 12 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 22 respondents tended to disagree
• 32 respondents strongly disagreed
• 6 respondents didn't know

Statement 3

I know who I can ask if I need anything explained or need further information:

• 9 respondents strongly agreed
• 28 respondents tended to agree
• 15 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 20 respondents tended to disagree
• 26 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 4

Dorset Council webpages about special educational needs and disabilities are useful and easy to navigate:

• 5 respondents strongly agreed
• 19 respondents tended to agree
• 28 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 21 respondents tended to disagree
• 17 respondents strongly disagreed
• 10 respondents didn't know

Statement 5

The special educational needs and disability newsletter has helpful information and updates:

• 7 respondents strongly agreed
• 21 respondents tended to agree
• 23 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 8 respondents tended to disagree
• 11 respondents strongly disagreed
• 31 respondents didn't know

Statement 6

I am happy with the information and level of communication I receive from people supporting me at Dorset Council:

• 7 respondents strongly agreed
• 12 respondents tended to agree
• 21 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 20 respondents tended to disagree
• 32 respondents strongly disagreed
• 8 respondents didn't know

Statement 7

I am happy with the information and level of communication I receive from people supporting me at Dorset Health services:

• 13 respondents strongly agreed
• 30 respondents tended to agree
• 17 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 15 respondents tended to disagree
• 20 respondents strongly disagreed
• 5 respondents didn't know

Statement 8

I know where to go to access free, confidential, impartial advice and support:

• 11 respondents strongly agreed
• 24 respondents tended to agree
• 16 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 22 respondents tended to disagree
• 24 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

The responses above give a mixed picture of agreement with a list of descriptors. These themes are described below. We have used comments from the survey to illustrate some of the points.

Only 40% of the sample indicated they knew where to go for services, whereas 45% indicated they did not.

37% said they knew who to contact if needed to ask anything while 46% indicated they did not. 26% agreed that they understood the terminology the ‘local offer’.

Respondents said:

• Local Offer info is very vague
• I find contacting Dorset Council confusing and feel I am always having to chase for information
• recently we have had good communication from a new SEN Lead. Before that we never had any communication and there was a different person in post every time
• I have seen a great deal of improvement since we started our journey with Dorset
• we don’t always know who to turn to for support but with some contact we can usually find out after a few calls

When considering the webpages, only 24% agreed that the web pages were useful and easy to navigate. 38% suggested otherwise. The newsletter was more popular with 28% agreeing that it was helpful and 19% disagreeing.

Respondents said:

• I have never heard about a newsletter or any help of any sort
• website is so difficult to navigate. Couldn't even find the right number for CHAD the other day!

When considering the information received from people that support me at both Dorset Council and from Dorset health services:

• 19% agreed they were happy with information from Dorset council
• 43% agreed they were happy with the information from health services

Respondents said:

• couldn't fault the NHS. They just need more funding
• takes a long time to get clinic letters from appointments
• the CWAD team have been absolutely amazing helping us. They swooped in when we were desperate and listened to us. They have put some things in place which have made life easier

46% however disagreed that they knew where to go to access confidential, impartial advice. Respondents said:

• haven’t heard of The Local Offer, the SEN and disability newsletter or where to go for free, confidential and impartial advice

Only 40% of respondents (of parents of young people with SEND who chose to respond) indicated that they did know where to go for services. A lower percentage agreed with each further question asked, for example:

• the term local offer (26%)
• usefulness of web pages (24%)

Considering the general comments, communication could be improved. Respondents said:

• just an email every couple of months to say roughly how much longer it's likely to be, would be helpful.
• there is very little as far as I am aware, I have not been pointed in any direction to receive details.
• poor communication

In summary

40% of the sample (parents and carers of those with SEND) agreed with the statement ‘I know where to go for services for me and my family’. 45% disagreed indicating that there is a gap in knowledge about where to go for services. Further questioning suggests that the webpages and newsletter were not as easy to use or as helpful as they could be.

43% agreed with the statement ‘I am happy with the information and level of communication I receive from people supporting me at Dorset Health services’. This dropped to 19% when considering communication with Dorset Council. (This is unclear if social care, education, or other)

The survey asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with the statements on the theme of access to services over the past 12 months.

We recorded the responses to each statement as follows:

Statement 1 

I feel welcomed when I go to access the help and support I need:

• 8 respondents strongly agreed
• 27 respondents tended to agree
• 24 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 14 respondents tended to disagree
• 14 respondents strongly disagreed
• 13 respondent didn't know

Statement 2

There are options available that mean I can access support in a time and a place that suits me: 

• 5 respondents strongly agreed
• 15 respondents tended to agree
• 25 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 20 respondents tended to disagree
• 22 respondents strongly disagreed
• 12 respondents didn't know

Statement 3

I am happy with how practitioners support me and my child:

• 14 respondents strongly agreed
• 27 respondents tended to agree
• 19 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 19 respondents tended to disagree
• 15 respondents strongly disagreed
• 6 respondents didn't know

Statement 4

I am confident my child is getting the correct level of support to meet their special educational needs in their school or college setting:

• 19 respondents strongly agreed
• 21 respondents tended to agree
• 8 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 12 respondents tended to disagree
• 39 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 5

My child’s needs are identified in a timely way:

• 12 respondents strongly agreed
• 18 respondents tended to agree
• 12 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 19 respondents tended to disagree
• 38 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 6

The support my child receives from services in education, health and care is joined up:

• 7 respondents strongly agreed
• 13 respondents tended to agree
• 16 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 22 respondents tended to disagree
• 39 respondents strongly disagreed
• 4 respondents didn't know

Statement 7

I am confident my child is making the right amount of progress:

• 12 respondents strongly agreed
• 19 respondents tended to agree
• 14 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 21 respondents tended to disagree
• 32 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 8

I am confident the support my child is getting is preparing them for adult life:

• 10 respondents strongly agreed
• 18 respondents tended to agree
• 17 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 18 respondents tended to disagree
• 35 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

These responses show 35% agreeing with the statement that they feel welcomed when going to access the help and support they need, whereas 28% disagreed, and 24% neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Respondents said:

• since moving to Dorset 10 months ago our grandson has been fully supported, the service has been excellent
• don’t have any support worker etc some help in school

When considering the statement 'there are options available that mean I can access support in a time and place that suit me', only 20% agreed, with 44% disagreeing.

Respondents said:

• again, support seems to exist only on weekdays during office hours which is pretty tricky if you work full time and cannot take time off due to being a teacher

When considering access to services 41% agreed with the statement 'I am happy with how practitioners support me and my child', with 34% disagreeing.

Respondents said:

• I work within a similar field, so I have more awareness than if I didn't, I feel on the whole there is support in place if you know how to access it. However, I do feel there is a real lack of joined up working

More (51%) disagreed with than agreed with (40%) the statement ‘I am confident my child is getting the correct level of support to meet their special educational needs in their school or college setting’.

When this was broken down by educational setting 69% attending a special school agreed (and 16% disagreed) whereas 34% of those attending a mainstream school agreed 6 (and 55% disagreed). This indicates that those with children attending special schools were more confident the child was getting the correct level of support than those with children attending mainstream schools.

Respondents said:

• The Learning Centre is a brilliant school and meets their needs perfectly. Any problems are always dealt with swiftly, fairly and with my grandson at the very centre. They are very happy, confident, secure and happy within this school
• we are very fortunate to attend a fantastic school and are well supported. However, there is a limit to how much support they are able to provide.

However, many of the respondents clearly disagreed with the following statements which are illustrated with quotes:

The support my child receives from services in education, health and care is joined up (61% disagreed)
Respondents said:

• I don’t think Dorset Council and NHS work together to support our child’s needs and us as a family

My child’s needs are identified in a timely way (57% disagreed)
Respondents said:

• asked twice via EHCP for SW assessment

I am confident my child is making the right amount of progress (53% disagreed)
Respondents said:

• quicker processing times of ehcps. Willing to listen to parents about their child's needs considering parents know them best and knows what support should be given. More access to specialized schools instead of dumping a child in mainstream setting them up to fail before they have began

I am confident the support my child is getting is preparing them for adult life (53% disagreed)
Respondents said:

• my son’s progress has been significant since leaving his mainstream school. His mainstream school was not meeting his needs at all

In summary

The respondents wish for services to be more joined up was clear. 61% disagreed with the statement ‘the support my child receives from services in education, health and care is joined up’. Only 20% agreed with this statement.

The speed with which needs were identified was seen to be low in some cases. with 57% disagreed with the statement ‘My child’s needs are identified in a timely way’. 30% agreed with this statement.

Parent and carer confidence in their child getting the correct level of support was mixed. 51% disagreed with the statement ‘I am confident my child is getting the correct level of support to meet their special educational needs in their school or college setting’. 40% agreed with this statement.

The survey asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with the statements on the theme of access to education over the past 12 months.

We recorded the responses to each statement as follows:

Statement 1 

My child’s move from one phase of education to another was well planned, personalised, and timely:

• 9 respondents strongly agreed
• 16 respondents tended to agree
• 17 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 12 respondents tended to disagree
• 36 respondents strongly disagreed
• 10 respondent didn't know

Statement 2

My child’s move from one pathway or area of healthcare to another was well-planned, personalised, and timely: 

• 5 respondents strongly agreed
• 9 respondents tended to agree
• 28 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 24 respondents strongly disagreed
• 23 respondents didn't know

Statement 3

My child's education services and support are making a positive difference:

• 18 respondents strongly agreed
• 22 respondents tended to agree
• 15 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 13 respondents tended to disagree
• 29 respondents strongly disagreed
• 0 respondents didn't know

Statement 4

My child's health services and support are making a positive difference:

• 17 respondents strongly agreed
• 26 respondents tended to agree
• 23 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 15 respondents tended to disagree
• 17 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

Statement 5

My child’s social care/early help services and support are making a positive difference:

• 12 respondents strongly agreed
• 21 respondents tended to agree
• 23 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 18 respondents tended to disagree
• 21 respondents strongly disagreed
• 5 respondents didn't know

This shows that 25% of respondents agreed with the statement ‘my child’s move from one phase of education to another was well-planned, personalised and timely’. 46% disagreed with this statement.

Respondents said:

• the transition was very poor from primary to secondary school
• getting correct support in education is proving difficult, my child gets help with some education but that's only because the school are brilliant, she will need extra help when she starts secondary school in September. Which I feel will be difficult
• new early help is great and just started and feel supported for the first time with our family worker

When compared with a move from one healthcare pathway to another then 14% agreed with the statement 'My child’s move from one pathway/area of healthcare to another was well-planned, personalised, and timely'. 34% disagreed with this statement. 

Regarding access to education, overall, 40% of respondents agreed that ‘My child’s education services, and support are making a positive difference’ compared to 43% for health services and 33% for social care and early help.

The sample sizes are lower for this group of questions as just those that confirmed they received health, and social care and early help services retrospectively were counted.

Respondents said:

• my son moved from home education into a school that suits his needs, I have seen such an improvement in my son since his school placement and very thankful the time was taken to find a suitable education for him that suits his needs, my son’s disability team helped improve communication between health, education and parents, we are very thankful

When looking at different groups who responded, we can see that respondents with children attending special schools are more likely to report that their transition between phases of education was well planned, personalised, and timely. This is 40% for those attending special, independent or other schools) compared to 25% for the whole sample.

Respondents said:

• the access my daughter is receiving now is incredible and it is ensuring she thrives in her current setting
• Dorset council has always been very helpful to accommodate the needs of our son. • Whilst others reported more negative experiences 
• there is very little support to access any services, No one has given us any direction or support groups
• the transition was very poor from primary to secondary school to the point the secondary school wasn’t even sent the most up to date EHCP

The only emergent theme was on the time and impact of children missing out on education services whilst access was being arranged. Linked to this there were several comments on the lack of alternative provision.

Respondents said:

• there has been a complete lack of services to support my child while seeking a new placement following her previous ISP breaking down.

NHS Services were both highly praised and criticised.

Respondents said:

• assessments are taking years and during this time children are suffering
• CAMHS are excellent and respond swiftly to any requests or concerns about my son
• the services we access for NHS are amazing
• doing their best, but understaffed

In summary

48% of respondents disagreed with the statement My child’s move from one phase of education to another was:

• well-planned
• personalised
• timely

25% agreed with this statement. This dropped to 34% who disagreed when considering healthcare transition.

If we only think about those who attended a special school when parents or carers completed the survey, then agreement with the statement increased to 40%.

40% of respondents agreed with the statement ‘My child's education services, and support are making a positive difference’. 42% of respondents disagreed with this statement.

40% of respondents agreed that ‘My child’s education services, and support are making a positive difference’. This was 43% for health services and 33% for social care and early help.

The survey asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with the statements on the theme of relationships over the past 12 months.

We recorded the responses to each statement as follows:

Statement 1 

I only have to tell my story once to practitioners:

• 7 respondents strongly agreed
• 12 respondents tended to agree
• 13 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 29 respondents tended to disagree
• 35 respondents strongly disagreed
• 5 respondent didn't know

Statement 2

I am listened to and involved in making decisions that are right for me and my child: 

• 13 respondents strongly agreed
• 28 respondents tended to agree
• 21 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 14 respondents tended to disagree
• 23 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 3

I am able to talk about the difficulties my child is facing and can get the support I need:

• 8 respondents strongly agreed
• 20 respondents tended to agree
• 22 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 20 respondents tended to disagree
• 28 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondents didn't know

Statement 4

I trust the practitioners supporting me and my child to give me the help and advice I need:

• 12 respondents strongly agreed
• 26 respondents tended to agree
• 23 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 16 respondents tended to disagree
• 19 respondents strongly disagreed
• 5 respondents didn't know

Statement 5

Parent, carers and practitioners in Dorset work well together:

• 6 respondents strongly agreed
• 18 respondents tended to agree
• 27 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 17 respondents tended to disagree
• 20 respondents strongly disagreed
• 11 respondents didn't know

Statement 6

I am involved in the planning of my child’s support from education:

• 16 respondents strongly agreed
• 36 respondents tended to agree
• 15 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 11 respondents tended to disagree
• 20 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

Statement 7

I am involved in the planning of my child’s support from health services:

• 16 respondents strongly agreed
• 26 respondents tended to agree
• 24 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 17 respondents strongly disagreed
• 7 respondents didn't know

Statement 8

I am involved in the planning of my child’s support from social care and early help:

• 9 respondents strongly agreed
• 16 respondents tended to agree
• 24 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 17 respondents strongly disagreed
• 22 respondents didn't know
• 2 respondents gave no answer

Statement 9

I am listened to and understood:

• 9 respondents strongly agreed
• 23 respondents tended to agree
• 25 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 14 respondents tended to disagree
• 26 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

When considering the subject of relationships, ‘I only have to tell my story once to practitioners’ was the one item that the least number of people agreed with. A total of 19% agreeing with this statement, and 64% disagreed. This shows that the majority of respondents felt that they had to tell their story more than once.

Respondents said:

• often difficult to know who to speak to or passed from one person to another
• can’t speak to the same person more than once. Trying to find the right person to speak to is really hard.

41% agreed with the statement 'I am listened to and involved in making decisions that are right for me and my child'. 37% disagreed with this statement. This shows that even though they told their story more than once, some were listened to and involved in decisions.

Respondents said:

• we work very close with the social worker, school, and various other teams. They always keep us informed. More importantly, they guide and advise us which is invaluable due to their experiences. We cannot emphasise how important their advice and suggestions have been to get where he is today
• the early help service has built a good relationship and communicate effectively. They have been the absolute light in day-to-day life with a SEND child

The majority, however, did not agree with the statement ‘I am able to talk about the difficulties my child is facing and can get the support I need’. Only 28% agreed with this statement. 48% disagreed with this statement.

Respondents said:

• there has been no relationship

With regards to the next three statements there is decreasing agreement with the reported level of involvement in planning for education (52% agreed), health (42% agreed) and social care/early help (25%).

For the statement ‘I am involved in the planning of my child’s support from education’, 52% agreed with many of the comments giving examples of lack of engagement.

Respondents said:

• I have been told what support I will receive, and my child will receive, and have never been asked if that meets our needs
• when you can get to speak to educational services, they listen and try to help but so busy and money is the decider.

42% agreed with the statement 'I am involved in the planning of my child’s support from health services'.

Respondents said:

• CAMHs and staff at hospital were OK but my views were secondary and they worked directly with him as a young adult. This could have been very difficult if my relationship with my son had been worse but as it is we also talked a lot so I could stay in the loop. No, he is 18 I wouldn't know what is going on but he tells me and he still needs my support even though he doesn't think he does or want it. This creates a level of risk that I am not sure is helpful. Also, he needs a transition period to make him feel more supported and not just dropped when he is 18
• Paediatrician is fantastic, always listens and tries to understand
• our SEN support is amazing. It’s a shame there not all the same across the board

In summary

When considering the subject of relationships, ‘I only have to tell my story once to practitioners’ was the one item that the least number of people agreed with. A total of 19% agreeing with the statement. 64% disagreed. This indicates that most of respondents felt that they had to tell their story more than once.

With the next three statements there is decreasing agreement with the reported level of involvement by parents and carers in:

• planning for education. 52% agreed
• health. 42% agreed
• social care and early help. 25% agreed

The survey asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed with the statements on EHCP's. For these questions, results are filtered to only show respondents who confirmed that their child either has an EHCP or they are in the process of requesting an assessment.

We recorded the responses to each statement as follows:

Statement 1 

I am involved in discussions about my child's EHCP and can contribute as an equal partner:

• 28 respondents strongly agreed
• 38 respondents tended to agree
• 11 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 11 respondents strongly disagreed
• 2 respondent didn't know

Statement 2

I know who I can contact about my child's EHCP and can contact them if I need to: 

• 27 respondents strongly agreed
• 35 respondents tended to agree
• 11 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 14 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

Statement 3

I know what a good quality EHCP looks like:

• 23 respondents strongly agreed
• 29 respondents tended to agree
• 15 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 16 respondents tended to disagree
• 13 respondents strongly disagreed
• 3 respondents didn't know

Statement 4

I am confident that my child's health needs are described in their EHCP and discussed as part of the EHCP review:

• 17 respondents strongly agreed
• 28 respondents tended to agree
• 17 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 14 respondents tended to disagree
• 13 respondents strongly disagreed
• 10 respondents didn't know

Statement 5

I am confident that my child’s social care and early help needs are described as part of the EHCP review:

• 15 respondents strongly agreed
• 21 respondents tended to agree
• 23 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 12 respondents tended to disagree
• 15 respondents strongly disagreed
• 13 respondents didn't know

Statement 6

I am confident that my child’s education needs are described as part of the EHCP review:

• 21 respondents strongly agreed
• 33 respondents tended to agree
• 15 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 10 respondents tended to disagree
• 12 respondents strongly disagreed
• 9 respondents didn't know
• 1 respondent gave no answer

Statement 7

My child’s setting is delivering what is in my child’s EHCP:

• 22 respondents strongly agreed
• 23 respondents tended to agree
• 16 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 11 respondents tended to disagree
• 19 respondents strongly disagreed
• 9 respondents didn't know
• 1 respondent gave no answer

Statement 8

I fully understand the EHCP process and timescales:

• 28 respondents strongly agreed
• 34 respondents tended to agree
• 16 respondents neither agreed or disagreed
• 9 respondents tended to disagree
• 9 respondents strongly disagreed
• 4 respondents didn't know

Considering the child’s setting and if it is delivering what is in the EHCP, of the 282 who either have a ECHP plan or are requesting an assessment:

• 72 are attending a special school
• 95 are attending a mainstream school
• 32 are not currently attending an educational setting
• 18 are attending an independent special school

with the rest having other provision. Of the 72 who attending a special school 47 (65%) agreed that their child’s setting is delivering what is in the child’s EHCP. For those attending mainstream school this dropped to 41% (39 out of the 95 attending mainstream school).

Considering the responses above, they are generally positive about the EHCP and the associated process. The majority (66%) agreed with statement 'I am involved in discussions about my child’s EHCP and can contribute as an equal partner.'

Respondents said:

• thankful for a great school SENCO to keep me up to date with current support in place
• I self-educated myself on the EHCP process

The majority (62%) agreed with statement 'I know who I can contact about my child's EHCP and can contact them if I need to'.

The majority (52%) agreed with statement 'I know what a good quality EHCP looks like.'

Respondents said:

• reviews and plans are good and generally much better than in previous years.

62% agreed with the statement 'I fully understand the EHCP process and timescales.'

Respondents said:

• the process of EHCP has got better over the last year or so. The new format is easier to understand and work with. It still feels complicated, and I am not sure I fully understand what makes a really good well-functioning EHC plan.

A greater number of respondents agreed (45%) than disagreed (22%) with the statement 'I am confident that my child's health needs are described in their EHCP and discussed as part of the EHCP review.'

Respondents views on education, health and social care needs being described as part of the EHCP are as follows:

54% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s education needs are described as part of the EHCP review.'

45% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child's health needs are described in their EHCP and discussed as part of the EHCP review.'

36% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s social care and early help needs are described as part of the EHCP review.'

Respondents said:

• EHCP in current form is too complicated. Is only reviewed in school so has very much education element in it., only lightly touching health and care.

Further comments concerning the EHCP included concerns about their school not being willing or in a position to support the ECHP along with the complexity of the process and the plan.

Respondents said:

• school did not adhere to the recommendations on my child's EHCP plan. School is fairly inflexible
• the school doesn’t recognise our child’s needs at all
• it’s all in there. It is complex though, and hard to take it all in and apply to different situations

In summary

Respondents included in the results of this section are just those who have a plan or are in the process of obtaining a plan:

• the majority (66%) agreed with statement 'I am involved in discussions about my child EHC plan and can contribute as an equal partner'
• the majority (62%) agreed with statement 'I know who I can contact about my child's EHCP and can contact them if I need to'
• 54% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s education needs are described as part of the EHCP review'
• 45% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child's health needs are described in their EHCP and discussed as part of the EHCP review'
• 36% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s social care and early help needs are described as part of the EHCP review'

Respondents were asked to comment on what is working well currently.

There was recognition that Dorset Council services have improved.

Respondents said:

• last review the letter was much quicker at coming out and did not have to chase
• I do feel that our EHCP case worker and social worker are working hard to find a suitable educational setting for my daughter. When we do get together to discuss where things are at and next steps, I feel listened to and very much part of the process.

Lots of schools were highlighted for their support. SENCO’s were particularly praised.

Respondents said:

• the school have an excellent SENCO who works with non EHCP students because he understands what they need
• current school is good and has good communication.

Schools engaging effectively with Dorset Council or Health services was highlighted as working well for families.

Respondents said:

• working together with the school send team and Dorset Travel definitely works for us

Direct Payments were mentioned several times.

Respondents said:

• the Direct Payment package and my son's Personal Health Budget are greatly appreciated as they enable me to have carers to support my son's health and care needs and also Personal Assistants to provide respite using the DP payments.

There was praise for some Health services, with CAMHS and Paediatric services attracting the most comments.

Respondents said:

• enhanced CAMHS team are invaluable.

Respondents were also asked to comment on what is not working currently. There were a large range of comments. Emergent themes include children missing out on education whilst support is being arranged

Respondents said:

• I feel so sad that I had to fight for my son to access this provision through a personal budget, he had been out of education since December and there was nothing available to him in Dorset.

There were several additional references to having to fight for support

Respondents said:

• the constant fight for support.

There were several comments on themes already covered in this report including:

• lack of support from the school
• retelling their story
• lots of comments on the time taking waiting for Health and Dorset Council services / processes

Respondents said:

• a one size fits all secondary school education system that puts all the onus on disabled children to mask and fit in. My daughter describes herself as a square peg and as the saying goes, ‘the trouble with square pegs is that by forcing them to fit the system’s round holes, you end up damaging the peg, not the hole.’

265 (66%) of respondents had suggestions when asked what could make things better. Respondents said:

• listening to the parent. Good communication and consistency
• having consistency, so all parents and carers have access to the same information. To be all treated equality, which from experience we aren't
• if any differences arise between parents and professionals, I feel it's really important for the child to have some form of mediation to resolves issues to ensure all involved with the child is on the same page
• communication, communication, communication

There were several comments on the theme of improving the quality of services including training, staffing levels and working together proactively

Respondents said:

• more staff. Proactive staff
• departments talking to one another
• services and providers working together so not having to repeat information all the time!
• proper training on EHCP – all SEN case workers to be qualified to the equivalent of SENCO qualification

Overall summary

• knowing how and where to access services is an issue with 40% agreeing and 45% disagreeing with the statement ‘I know where to go for services for me and my family’
• confidence that parents and carers are getting the right support for children could be higher with 51% disagreeing with the statement ‘I am confident my child is getting the correct level of support to meet their special educational needs in their school or college setting’
• not everyone believed their child’s needs were identified in a timely way with 57% disagreeing with the statement ‘My child’s needs are identified in a timely way’
• services are not largely perceived as being joined up with 61% disagreeing with the statement ‘The support my child receives from services in education, health and care is joined up’ Only 24% agree with the statement parents, carers and practitioners in Dorset work well together' 

There is decreasing agreement with the reported level of involvement in planning for education (52% agreed), health (42% agreed), and social care and early help (25%). One could assume education appears to be the key partner for many of those surveyed with regards the EHCP.

However, when considering the EHCP process appears positive for many with lots of positive agreement to the statements, with educational needs being most well reflected in the plan:

• the majority (66%) agreed with statement 'I am involved in discussions about my child's EHC plan and can contribute as an equal partner'
• the majority (62%) agreed with statement 'I know who I can contact about my child's EHCP and can contact them if I need to'
• 54% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s education needs are described as part of the EHCP review'
• 45% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child's health needs are described in their EHCP and discussed as part of the EHCP review'
• 36% agreed with the statement 'I am confident that my child’s social care and early help needs are described as part of the EHCP review'

Overall, the survey highlights some key issues for service providers and commissioners along with some good practice and helpful feedback from those that took part in the survey.

Knowing where to go for services

Considering the respondents were involved in some way in the SEN arena (having a child with a special educational need), a considerable number were unsure where to go for services. Although the website and newsletter were in place and known about to some extent, knowledge of where to go for services remained low. However, it was not certain which services were being referred to and therefore this finding remains inconclusive.

There was greater agreement that parents and carers were happy with information received from people at Dorset health services rather than Dorset Council.

Further work could be carried out to find out why communications were not reaching or being accessed by those that need them.

EHCP process

When considering those that had some experience of the EHCP process, the responses were largely positive with parents and carers feeling involved in discussions and knowing who to contact and list overall. This is a strength and should be built on.

Greater focus on education

Education appears to be a more prominent partner with a greater proportion of respondents being confident that education is described in the plan and parent carer input for the education part of the plan was also strong – more than for health and social care.

Lack of joined up services

The perception of services not being joined up was high, with many citing this as a drawback in the comments section.

Further joining up of services may well assist with all the areas above.