The Four Cornerstones Oversight Committee met on 15 July 2026. The meeting was co-chaired by Caroline Lucas from Parent Carer Forum Devon and Sarah Lord from Devon County Council.
The committee is made up of parent carers and practitioners from Devon County Council, Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD), NHS Devon, Parent Carer Forum Devon (PCFD), schools and community organisations. They work together to support and challenge services to make improvements. They use your feedback through the Four Cornerstones surveys to measure the impact of everyone’s work.
The committee received updates on how the Four Cornerstones approach is helping to improve services for children, young people and families. This included:
- Making Family Hubs more accessible
- Involving families in SEND commissioning
- Increasing parent and carer involvement in quality assurance of Alternative Provision
- Improving SEND Operations letters through parent and carer feedback
Family Hubs putting families first
Family Hubs in Devon have used the Four Cornerstones evaluation tools and are using them in their everyday work. Staff are using the principles to help plan services and make decisions. Families are playing a bigger role in shaping support. Staff are working with families from the start, rather than asking for feedback after decisions have been made.
Family Hubs are also offering more personalised support. Families are asked what help they need and what should happen next. This helps ensure support meets their individual needs.
This approach is already making a difference. One family was struggling because it was unclear which education setting should provide support. Family Hub staff stepped in, challenged delays and helped secure the right support for the young person.
Family Hubs have also introduced new ways for families to give feedback. Parents and carers can now use QR codes to share their views after sessions. Shorter surveys make it easier for more people to take part. This is helping services hear from a wider range of families and better understand their experiences.
Giving families a stronger voice in SEND commissioning
The SEND Commissioning Team is creating more opportunities for children, young people and families to influence services. New forums bring together families, providers and professionals to discuss plans and priorities.
The team is also focusing more on real-life experiences and outcomes. This will help them understand what difference services make for families and where improvements are needed.
The committee also discussed ways to involve more young people in commissioning decisions. This would give them a stronger voice in shaping services that affect their lives.
Using parent and carer feedback to improve quality
The SEND Commissioning Team is developing a new survey for parents and carers whose child or young person uses Alternative Education Provision (AEP). The survey will help families share their experiences and identify what is working well and what could be improved. Their feedback will help inform quality assurance reviews of AEP providers.
The survey has already been improved following feedback from families. The language has been simplified and the layout made more accessible. Separate surveys have now been created for parent carers and for children and young people. The team plans to launch the survey in September 2026. It will be shared with families and young people whose provider is being quality assured.
Improving communication with families
The committee also reviewed work to improve SEND statutory letters. The SEND Operations team send these letters to families at key stages of the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process.
Committee members felt the original drafts did not fully reflect the Four Cornerstones principles. A small working group worked with the SEND Operations team to review and improve the letters.
As a result, changes are being made to make the letters clearer, easier to understand and more respectful for families. Committee members said this was a good example of how partnership working and constructive challenge can lead to improvements.
Looking ahead
The committee agreed that services are becoming more responsive to the views of children, young people and families. The next stage of work will focus on showing how family feedback is leading to change and improving services.
At the next meeting, the committee will hear updates from the Education, Quality and Inclusion team and the Disabled Children’s Service.