The narratives presented here are organised under the headings of the Four Cornerstones and are separated into what ‘Is valued’ and what ‘Needs to change’.
Priority has been given to the voices of the parent carers, children and young people. Their words and the key narratives co-constructed shape the structure of the feedback. This is done purposefully to help redress some of the unspoken power inequalities which can inadvertently be evident through body language, format or the tone of a meeting or event when children and young people, parent carers and practitioners representing large and powerful organisations such as LAs, schools and the NHS share the same space. It is acknowledged that the Devon focus groups and events, by enabling parent carer and child or young person voice, can feel very raw at times. They create space for opening up. They expose the difference between livelihoods and real lives, which hopefully helps create a climate from which equal partnerships can emerge.
One young person provided a powerful narrative in their response to the online survey. This element of their story was shared at the event in June:
I am not valued. I am an issue. I am a case number. I am an item on a budget sheet. I am the opposite of value, I am a cost, and Devon would be much happier if I didn’t exist. I am EOTAS and I will never be included again anywhere because I was rejected over and over and over again, and I am never going to let anyone else do that to me again. So, I will stay at home online learning with my camera off because no one ever ‘sees’ me anyway…
It is also worth noting that during the feedback process, it was highlighted how there were some differences of opinion between the young people attending a mainstream setting and those in specialist settings. Young people in a mainstream setting were less likely to agree with the positive narratives than those in a specialist setting.
It is important to recognise that the feedback from all the participants provides only a few of the many narratives that potentially exist in the county of Devon and only those that were captured over the course of Genuine Partnerships’ involvement. It is inevitable that perspectives will differ and likely that not everybody will be aware of all the developments and activities taking place.
Honest, open communication is a key feature of co-production; it proves that people are listening, and that every voice matters. These narratives should provide an evidence base for further discussion and the strengthening of relationships.
Continuing to work together as a partners will help create a positive climate for resolving any differences and making a difference to experiences.
The following narratives are taken from the focus group interviews which the Genuine Partnerships team undertook with representatives of key SEND groups prior to the Cornerstones event. The online survey indicated almost identical issues.
Please see the Appendix for the focus group analysis in detail, including transcribed quotes. The key narratives that emerged are in bold type.
There was general acknowledgement from most partners of pressures on SEND services and the negative impact this has on young person and parent/carer experience, for example when mistakes are made, there are lengthy waits for decisions to be made, and support and resources are limited. There were queries about accountability. One focus group participant commented: “Building confidence in practitioners who are trying to fix a stretched system is hard.”
At the Cornerstones event under each of the Cornerstones partners together identified their priorities using stars, at times adding to the narratives already identified. These priorities are in bold and underlined and include the number of stars given.
In keeping with the principles of appreciative inquiry, the quotes included demonstrate positive stories that need to be strengthened.