Changes to the way we handle incoming enquiries for the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Statutory Team have led to more calls being answered, more quickly.
Earlier this year we heard from parents and professionals about their experiences of contacting the SEND Statutory Team and reviewed our processes to identify things that we could improve.
Previously the phone lines were open for four hours each weekday and it could take a long time for calls to be answered, messages to be given to the right people, or to receive a response. The time spent answering the dedicated phone lines was also time that the SEND Statutory Team could otherwise use to focus on their casework and progress Education, Health and Needs Assessments and Education Health and Care Plan drafting.
So in April, we started opening the dedicated phone lines from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, with calls being answered by our Customer Service Centre team, who now assist with information and pass messages quickly to the right people in the SEND Statutory Team. We also introduced booking call backs with named case officers. The changes provide parents and carers with more flexibility when needing to make contact, and help our SEND Statutory Team to focus more of their time on the SEND Statutory Assessments and casework.
After the first month, we’ve seen that calls are being answered more quickly, with wait times reduced and far fewer calls being missed. During May the average wait time was down by more than a quarter compared to May 2023. We’ve also seen the number of unanswered calls fall by almost a fifth. There have been a few occasions where call backs have been missed, due to staff illness and other factors. This is frustrating for parents and carers and we’re working on changes that prevent this happening.
We’re gathering more information on how the new service is working, including asking people who have used the dedicated lines for their feedback. Starting from Monday 24 June we’ll be sending out an SMS to people after they have called so they can provide feedback.