You told us
People told us it’s hard to find information about growing up with SEND. It’s not clear what choices you need to make or when.
We saw that people weren’t downloading the My Important Stuff document. You said that was because no one told you about it. You also said it didn’t look good or feel easy to fill in.
The problem
The Somerset SEND Local Offer didn’t have much detail. Many links were shared without saying why they might help. There was no clear path to follow or advice like “this is what you do at this age.”
Important things about making choices in life aren’t always council services, so we haven’t shared this information before. Examples include finding a disability confident employer, learning to drive with extra needs, or choosing period products that feel comfortable for people with sensory differences.
Some topics are hard to ask parents about. Young people need another place to find answers. This includes things like puberty and alcohol. Often, friends told you instead of a website. Young people also didn’t know this information was online and want professionals to share it sooner.
We listened
We made new pages to help young people with additional needs get ready for adult life. We put all the choices you need to make at different ages in one section called Preparing for the future.
We added new topics like:
We hope these pages make teenage years easier for young people and families.
We used clear headings and short sections so pages aren’t too long. We added more videos and links to easy read guides.
We updated the My Important Stuff document. It now has bright colours, pictures and space to doodle. It helps you think about people close to you, ways to join in your community, services that can help, and support for getting around on your own. We explain what services do instead of just giving names.
You can find more on our Preparing for adult life pages.
What happens next
We worked on making information about education after age 16 clearer. This links to work on showing options in school and other places to learn. We are adding menus for secondary years and for 16 years and over to help you find things by age.
We want to use more pictures to make pages look better and easier to use. We also plan to share more information in easy read format.
We are raising awareness and talking to professionals so you can find this information sooner.