Your Voice in Action: What We've Been Raising This Term

Every conversation at a SEND Connect session, every survey completed, every email, WhatsApp message, social media comment and piece of feedback helps us build a picture of what life is really like for families of children and young people with SEND in Oxfordshire.

Throughout the summer term, we've taken your experiences into meetings with the Local Area Partnership, Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), Oxford Health, the Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (TV ICB), and senior leaders across education, health and social care. While we can't resolve individual cases, we can identify recurring themes, challenge where improvements are needed, share examples of good practice and influence future developments.

How we identify our themes

A single piece of feedback can be important, but the themes we raise strategically are based on what we hear consistently from many families over time. We gather feedback through our SEND Connect sessions, community outreach, surveys, our SEND Room, emails, WhatsApp messages, social media and direct conversations.

This helps us identify recurring issues affecting families across Oxfordshire, while also recognising examples of good practice that deserve to be celebrated and replicated.

Education: Early Support and School Experiences

What families told us

Families continue to tell us that SEND support in mainstream schools varies considerably. Parents described inconsistent use of reasonable adjustments, limited SEND knowledge among some staff, frequent changes of SENCO, communication difficulties and concerns that some children are not being added to the SEN register despite needing additional support.

We also continued to hear from families whose children are missing education because of anxiety, unmet needs, bullying or a lack of suitable provision. Alongside this, many parents highlighted the shortage of inclusive activities, particularly for teenagers and young adults with SEND.

Families also remain concerned about the Ordinarily Available SEND Provision (OASP), particularly around expectations of what mainstream schools should provide and how OASP is sometimes referenced during Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment decisions.

What we've asked for

• Greater consistency in SEND support across mainstream schools.

• Earlier intervention to prevent children from falling out of education.

• More inclusive community activities and short breaks.

• Clearer guidance for schools and families about OASP.

  
  

What happens next

We'll continue discussing these themes with senior education leaders through our Local Area Partnership work. We'll also use the findings from our Community Short Breaks survey to influence future community provision and continue monitoring how OASP is implemented across Oxfordshire.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

What families told us

EHCPs continue to generate the largest volume of feedback we receive.

Families told us that communication throughout the process remains difficult to navigate. Parents described confusing portal notifications, difficulties using Egress, uncertainty about who their Casework Officer is, emails and phone calls going unanswered, and not knowing who to contact when cases move between officers.

Parents also described lengthy Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments, extensive evidence requirements and delays throughout the process.

Annual reviews and transitions continue to be another significant theme. Families questioned why they need to complete both the EHCP phase transfer process and the standard school admissions process, raised concerns about delays to annual reviews and amended EHCPs, and highlighted uncertainty around transition planning.

Finally, we continue to hear that support written into EHCPs is not always being delivered consistently in practice.

What we've asked for

• Clearer communication throughout the EHCP process.

• Consistent communication and timely responses from the EHCP Casework Team.

• Better information about annual reviews, transitions and school admissions.

• Improvements to the EHCP Portal and secure messaging.

• Greater oversight to ensure EHCP provision is delivered consistently.

  
  

What happens next

We'll continue raising these themes with EHCP service leaders and senior officers, monitor improvements to communication and casework processes, and work with partners to improve the information available to families.

We've also recently shared Oxfordshire County Council's updated EHCP Casework Team Structure and escalation guidance with families. We'll continue monitoring whether these changes improve communication and response times.

Health and Specialist Support

What families told us

Families continue to tell us that accessing health services remains challenging.

We heard concerns about long waits for autism and ADHD assessments, confusion around Right to Choose pathways, uncertainty about post-diagnostic support, and difficulties accessing children's mental health services before reaching crisis point.

Parents also raised questions about autism-specific support, post-16 transport, vocational opportunities for young people with SEND, and how different services work together to meet children's needs.

What we've asked for

• Clearer assessment and referral pathways.

• Better information before, during and after diagnosis.

• Improved autism support for families.

• Greater clarity around specialist education decisions.

• Better coordination between health and education services.

  
  

What happens next

We'll continue raising these issues with Oxford Health, the TV ICB and other health partners.

During the autumn we'll also be launching a Healthcare Services Survey to better understand families' experiences of accessing GP practices, urgent care, A&E departments and other NHS services. This will help us build an even stronger evidence base for future discussions.

Preparing for Adulthood

What families told us

Families told us they want Preparing for Adulthood conversations to begin earlier and be much more meaningful.

Parents also shared concerns about transitions into adult mental health services, uncertainty around ongoing support after CAMHS, and the barriers some young people face when services require additional diagnoses before support can be accessed.

We also heard concerns about post-16 transport, particularly how "nearest suitable provision" is interpreted when specialist education options are limited and young people's vocational aspirations influence course choices.

Many families told us they would value clearer information about employment, independent living, community opportunities and the support available as young people move towards adulthood.

What we've asked for

• Earlier and more meaningful Preparing for Adulthood planning.

• Stronger transition arrangements into adult services.

• Services that focus on meeting needs rather than requiring additional diagnoses wherever possible.

• Greater clarity around post-16 transport decisions and how policies are applied.

• Better information about Preparing for Adulthood pathways and support, including the Moving into Adulthood Team.

What happens next

We'll continue working with education, health and social care leaders to strengthen local Preparing for Adulthood planning and raise the transport issues families have shared with us.

In the autumn we'll also be launching a Preparing for Adulthood Survey to better understand families' experiences, including education, employment, transport, independent living and community participation, helping to shape future priorities.

The Wider Impact on Families

What families told us

Across every theme, parents continue to describe the emotional, financial and practical impact of navigating the SEND system.

Families spoke about leaving employment, financial pressures, relationship strain, emotional exhaustion and the growing cost of paying privately for educational psychology assessments, professional reports, SEND advocates and legal representation.

Parents also told us that finding clear, consistent information remains difficult and that many rely heavily on peer support because advice can vary between services.

What we've asked for

• Better joined-up working across services.

• Clearer, more accessible information for families.

• Greater recognition of the impact SEND has on the whole family.

• Systems that reduce the need for families to pay privately to access support.

  
  

What happens next

We'll continue highlighting the wider impact on families in our meetings with senior leaders across education, health and social care, encouraging partners to take a more joined-up, whole-family approach when designing and delivering services.

What's Going Well?

Alongside the challenges, families have also shared many positive experiences this term.

We've heard about excellent support from SENDIASS, SEND Empowerment, Carers Oxfordshire, the Adoption Support Fund, some EHCP Casework Officers, CAMHS practitioners, and examples of good practice in mainstream schools, including effective exam access arrangements and inclusive support.

Families have also told us how much they've valued opportunities to connect with others through the SEND Together Event, our SEND Connect sessions, the CAMHS webinar series, and the work of our Community Coordinator, Usma, who continues to visit schools, support groups and community organisations across Oxfordshire to ensure more families can access information, support and opportunities to have their voices heard.

It's just as important for us to share what's working well as it is to raise concerns. We regularly feed positive experiences and examples of good practice back to services so they can recognise the individuals, teams and approaches that are making a real difference to families, learn from what's working, and consider how those approaches can be replicated more consistently across Oxfordshire.

What Happens Next?

Every issue highlighted above has been shared with the relevant education, health and social care services through our Local Area Partnership work and regular meetings with senior leaders.

Some improvements are already underway, while others will take longer to achieve. Over the coming months we'll continue to:

• Gather feedback through our events, surveys and ongoing feedback routes.

• Monitor progress against the themes we've raised.

• Challenge services where improvements are needed.

• Share examples of good practice that could be replicated more widely.

• Report back to families through our website, newsletters, social media and SEND Connect events.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share your experiences with us this term. Your feedback doesn't just help us understand what's happening—it helps shape the conversations we're having with decision-makers across Oxfordshire.

Keep Sharing Your Experiences

You don't have to wait for one of our surveys to tell us about your experiences.

Whether you've had a positive experience, faced a challenge or have an idea that could improve services, we'd love to hear from you.

You can:

• Complete our online feedback form.

• Email feedback@oxpcf.org.uk.

• Send us a WhatsApp message or voice note: 07394 735666

  
  

Together, we can continue to influence positive change for children and young people with SEND across Oxfordshire.