Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) is the Department for Education funded Parent Carer Forum for Southend-on-Sea. As the nominated strategic partner for the Southend SEND Area Partnership, SSIF's role is to represent parent/carer voice.
The Southend SEND Network is a network for local organisations, groups and charities that support children and young people with SEND and/or their families in Southend-on-Sea. Individual parent carers can also be part of the network.
The primary purpose of the SEND network is to reach and engage more families. We are developing a variety of ways to do this so that the local community is better informed, opportunities for co-production are strengthened, and the voice of local families, groups and stakeholders are captured, fed back, and heard across the Partnership.
The Network is a collaboration between SSIF and the SEND Local Offer Team on behalf of the Southend SEND Area Partnership.
1. Improve communication across the local area
To help families understand how the system is working to deliver SEND services and to inform them of key SEND Area Partnership activity, network members will receive:
- information, updates, and events from the SEND Area Partnership
- details of co-production and engagement activities
- invitations to complete surveys and participate in consultations
We will develop and publish a list of organisations that are members of the SEND Network for anyone who consents to be included.
2. SSIF Seminars
To strengthen relationships across the Southend SEND community and for area leaders to understand the issues facing families in the local area, SSIF will host termly seminars.
Each seminar will:
- focus on a particular topic
- provide information and advice
- gather parent/carer and stakeholder feedback about processes and provision
SSIF seminars are open to the whole community. Organisations are encouraged to represent the collective voice of the families they support, and to share and disseminate information following the event. This will be particularly important if the families they support are not able to attend themselves. Co-production opportunities may arise from SSIF Seminars.
3. Your Local Offer Your Way sessions
To support families in navigating the SEND system we want the SEND Local Offer to be clear, accessible, and responsive to need. Half termly `Your Local Offer Your Way` sessions are hosted by the Local Offer Team in person and online. The sessions:
- aim to improve the information, advice, and guidance on the support services available to SEND families and how to access them.
- are open to parent carers, young people and professionals
- provide an opportunity to review and be involved in the development of content and design
In addition to these sessions, feedback about the SEND Local Offer can also be provided by completing a survey or contacting the Local Offer Team.
4. SEND Champions
We would like to recruit a number of SEND Champions from local groups and organisations. Organisations within the SEND Network will be invited to nominate a lead person as their SEND Champion who will:
- raise awareness of the local SEND system
- be invited to attend SEND events or meetings, including those where limited places are available
- represent their respective organisation and the families they work with
- disseminate information back to their organisation and families
- share co-production, participation and engagement opportunities with their families
A training and support plan will be developed to support the knowledge and skills of SEND Champions.
How to join the SEND Network
To join the SEND Network please complete a consent form and provide your contact details. You can do this electronically through this link.
You can also complete the consent form on paper or as a Word document. Email us at localoffer@southend.gov.uk if you'd prefer to do it this way.
Once completed, email a scan or photograph of the consent form to localoffer@southend.gov.uk or return it by post to:
SEND Local Offer Team, 2nd Floor, Southend-on-Sea City Council, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6ER.