Worcestershire Parent Carer Forum recognise the anxiety that SEND reforms are creating for Worcestershire SEND families. We are equally sceptical that the needs of our children and young people will remain at the heart of the reforms. Despite believeing it could ever be possible, we also fear that getting the education, health and social care needs of our SEND children met may be about to get harder.
However, we are assured that our colleagues at NNPCF are advocating in the strongest terms for all SEND families, albeit sometimes beyond closed doors. And like the recent NNPCF statement says, we are also supportive of ensuring other SEND organisations have a voice in those conversations, both at local and national level.
We must and will not tear down other SEND groups that are working towards the same goals and supporting the same SEND families, even if our approaches are different. In fact WPCF recently actively supported SEND National Crisis Worcestershire’s request to join the SEND & AP Committee.
We need more SEND voices and lived experience at the decision making table and we are committeed to coproducing with partners from across Worcestershire, including those that campaign, to challenge systemic failings across the SEND system.
