Devon County Council’s SEND Operations team has launched its new communication and relationship standard. The standard sets clear expectations for how the service communicates with children, young people and their families, and will be implemented across day‑to‑day practice from April.
The standard aims to make the service’s commitment to families more transparent, offering a more predictable experience through early contact, timely responses and clear, accessible information during Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and plan amendments. This includes making an initial contact to understand family views, responding within five working days, providing short written summaries after conversations and keeping families updated if staff changes occur.
As part of the launch, teams spent the day exploring how to make communication clearer, calmer and easier to follow. They revisited the Four Cornerstones – Welcome and Care; Value and Include; Communicate; Work in Partnership – and discussed how these principles should shape every interaction with families.
Parent Carer Partners attended the event and supported discussions on the real‑life experiences of families, helping ensure the standard reflects what matters most to them.
Claire Merchant‑Jones, Head of SEND Operations at Devon County Council, said:
“Families have been clear about what helps: being heard, timely updates, clear next steps and respectful conversations. This new standard brings those expectations together so that, from April, our communication is more consistent and easier to navigate for everyone.”
Councillor Denise Bickley, Cabinet Member for SEND, said:
“It was inspiring to be part of today’s session and to see so much honest, thoughtful work going into improving communication with families. The new standard sets out a clear commitment to children, young people and parents about what they can expect from us, and it reflects the values we want to see across SEND in Devon. I’m particularly pleased to see Parent Carer Partners fully involved in shaping this work, ensuring the voices of families sit at the heart of how we move forward. It is clear that there is an absolute desire within the team for a system reset, a culture change, and a need for transparent and honest communication.”
Families can continue to share their experiences through the Four Cornerstones survey to help monitor impact and guide further improvements.