You said, we did: Co-production and engagement

You said…

While both alternative education provision (AEP) support, and educational placements with independent settings (ISS) have made a positive difference to many children, for some families, the experience has been mixed or negative.

Areas that could be improved include: more opportunities for parents to be involved; better staff training; better communication, reporting and feedback; behaviour management; support for children to achieve accredited qualifications and recognised awards; improved social contact for children with peers and varying session timings .

We did

Based on feedback from parents and carers we’ve shaped requirements for providers delivering these services to:

  • Communicate with you every term, respond to you quickly, understanding the best way to communicate with you.
  • Make sure staff have the right training of specific needs so children and young people can be supported in the best ways. Thinking carefully about the staff members who could best support each individual child or young person.
  • Provide opportunities for parents and carers to connect with each other, and feel a sense of belonging with their school or setting. Continue to build strong relationships with families based on trust and connection, always working relationally and restoratively.
  • Involve children, parents and carers, giving opportunities for views and experiences to be shared. Providers will need to show the difference views have made, and the changes being made to practice and services being received to make them even better.
  • Keeping parents informed of any events which have happened involving their child. Working together with parents to understand what is happening, how best to keep your child safe and to best support behaviour.
  • Treat each child as an individual, learning about their interests, what they find fun and the way they like to learn, using this to shape approaches and support to best meet need, so every child and young person can achieve outcomes.
  • Support a child to be able to go back to school or another education setting successfully by working in ways you told us are needed.

You said…

Parents and carers told us that they find it really hard to find alternative education provision services when they are needed, and to know which providers are available, and are working with us. 

We plan to

Share information on the providers delivering these services with us through our new contracting approach, when this goes live in the future.

We will aim to make this information available to you by Spring 2026.   

You said…

We have a range of knowledge and insight and want to feel listened to, especially when it comes to the development of the right support for children and young people with SEN and their families. We would like to see the partnership taking a wider approach and more creativity when engaging with Devon’s parents and peer support groups.

We did

The new SEND strategy was co-produced by a group of practitioners and parent carer representatives and informed by two years of feedback from children and young people, parent carers and practitioners.

We are doing

The strategy development group will now refocus to support the implementation and embedding of the strategy. Membership of the group will be extended to include wider schools’ representatives and the voluntary and community sector, among others.

We are co-producing the new Neurodiversity Hub and Integrated Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway with professionals, parent carers and young people to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Work is being undertaken on this to develop the ‘waiting well’ offer in conjunction with the Neurodiversity Expert Reference Group.

Two co-production workshops facilitated by the RISE partnership have been set up. The first in December is aimed at leaders and will focus on strategic co-production. The second in January will be aimed at a wider cohort and will be focused on embedding co-production at an individual level.