Better together - share your views

We want to put the voice of our children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families at the heart of what we do. 

Our SEND engagement framework Better Together: Inform, Involve, Influence (PDF - 2.48 MB) sets out how we ask for, collect and use feedback from our children and young people and their parents or carers.

We work with a range of organisations and individual parent carers.

Embracing diversity parent carer group

Are you the parent or carer of a child with special educational needs and /or disability from an ethnically or culturally diverse background?

The embracing diversity group supports

• Families from cultural and ethnically diverse backgrounds to have a voice and be heard.
• Opportunities to meet families from your cultural/ ethnic background, share ideas and support one another.
• Understanding of the unique impacts such as stigmatisation, isolation, inequalities, etc.
• Understanding of culture and beliefs among different communities.
• The promotion of a greater understanding of the needs of families from all communities in Bromley, thus enabling the Local Authority and partners to better understand the barriers for ethnic minority families in accessing the right support at the right time.

Find out more - please email parentengagement@yvhsc.org.uk 

New parent carer forum - want to get involved?

The charity CONTACT for families with disabled children and the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) are working together to try to develop a new parent/carer forum in Bromley.
By getting involved in the new forum you will:

• Find out what is going on in your area
• Access forum events and information sessions that will help you understand SEND legislation and ways to help you and your child
• Meet other parents of SEND children and share experience and knowledge
• Learn new skills and improve your understanding of SEND policy and practice
• Represent and help other SEND families and improve the services offered to all SEND children in Bromley

Parents and carers are welcome to join even if they are members of another group. To register your interest in joining the forum, please contact Jacqueline Wye, Associate with CONTACT.

Email: Bromleyparentcarerforum@gmail.com

Telephone: 07939 069220

Your Voice in Health and Social Care (YVHSC)

YVHSC is a charity commissioned by Bromley Council and SEL Clinical Commissioning group to support the engagement of parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the borough.

The Bromley Parent Engagement SEND Service ensures that there is input from a broad representation including those communities who are seldom heard and/or do not always access services they need.

Using parent carers’ direct, lived experience of receiving services for their children and young people with SEND, YVHSC can highlight where local services, processes, and commissioning is working well, and where changes or improvements need to be made.

Partnering with individual parent carers

Parent carers have their voice heard about their child and engage with services that they use.  Parent carers work with practitioners, sharing individual experiences to improve service delivery for their own family. Families are supported to engage in person centred processes that improve outcomes for their children and families.

Some parent carers meet with service leads to share their experiences to improve service delivery for all families; working with commissioners, service providers and policy makers to develop and design services, pathways, and processes to improve outcomes for all children, young people and their families. If you would like to share your views or experiences with us please contact SENDEngagement@bromley.gov.uk