DEVON County Council (DCC) wants to improve the way it communicates with families who are waiting for an Education Health and Care (EHC) assessment or for a review of their child’s EHC Plan.

‘We know that parents and carers sometimes find it frustrating not to have their questions or emails responded to appropriately or in a timely way’, says a spokesperson for DCC.

‘So, we have been working with parents and carers, through our Volunteer Ambassadors, to understand how we can improve the way our SEND Operations team communicates’, the spokesperson added.

Parents and carers have suggested some practical ideas and solutions that will help the council says.

The main themes have been around how the team keeps in touch with parents; the importance of being consistent across the team; and providing clarity on next steps and transparency around decision making.

‘We have now fed back what families have said, and we’re assessing what training and support the SEND Operations team needs to put these standards into practice’, the spokesperson for DCC went on to say.

The council also intends to set out clearly how the SEND Operations team will communicate with families in future, which will be written down in a ‘communication and relationship standard’.

A group from the Four Cornerstones Committee will help shape and review this standard, the council says.

That group is made up of range of people, including parents and carers, and representatives from health, schools and Devon County Council.

Their role is to make sure the Four Cornerstones approach is used in all the work happening across the Devon SEND Partnership.