In response to feedback from parent carers, Somerset’s SEND Local Offer website has launched a new feature: “Information by age group.” This aims to make finding relevant services and information for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) much easier.
Parent carers often struggled to quickly see what information or services applied to their child’s age. Jenny from theexplained, “We consistently heard from parent carers that they found it hard to spot at a glance what was relevant to them and what wasn’t, especially when trying to determine the age ranges covered.”
To solve this, Somerset collaborated with SEND Navigators and parent carers to group key information families seek at each age stage, from early years to adulthood. This new section, found by scrolling down the Local Offer homepage, also highlights important but often missed information.
Gemma, Local Offer Co-ordinator, emphasized the value of this collaboration: “Their lived experience and expertise have allowed us to structure the Local Offer in a way that truly reflects the needs of families.”
