Parent Carer Forum Devon

13/10/2026

12/10/2026

*** a REMINDER: SURVEY CLOSES 9:00am TOMORROW, Tuesday 13th October ***

Ofsted and the CQC (Care Quality Commission) are
inspecting services in Devon (Local Area) that support children and young people with SEND.

Parents, Carers and Young People - this is your chance to have your say
Take part here: https://ofsted.smartsurvey.co.uk/p/AreaSend/10420455

11/10/2026

11/10/2026

This is so important
"Communication is not a therapy activity. It is a fundamental part of being human. And the people supporting it should never be an afterthought."

An EHCP is worth very little if the provision isn't actually delivered. I am increasingly frustrated by the number of families on my caseload who have fought for an EHCP, secured excellent provision in Section F, and then discovered there is nobody available to deliver it.

As Speech and Language Therapists, we cannot work in isolation. Communication happens 24/7, not just during a therapy session. We need skilled tutors, support workers and mentors who understand communication, autism, AAC, sensory differences and the importance of relationships. Yet recruitment and oversight seem woefully inadequate.

There are companies offering these services, but too often the people recruited have little experience of working with children who do not use spoken language, communicate differently or need support with personal care.

Worse still, I hear of individuals who appear to regard these children as difficult or burdensome. These children are not the problem. The lack of understanding and appropriate support is. Many of the children I work with communicate in extraordinary, creative and marvellous ways. They may not speak, but they notice EVERYTHING. The sigh. The facial expression. The impatience. The body language that says someone doesn't really want to be there.

Never confuse an inability to speak with an inability to understand.

We can write the most detailed EHCPs, specify excellent SLT provision and develop carefully considered communication programmes. But without skilled, compassionate people to implement them, they remain words on paper.

Meanwhile, parents are left trying to deliver an entire educational and therapeutic programme themselves. We need better recruitment, meaningful training, specialist supervision and accountability. Above all, we need people who genuinely value these children, rather than simply tolerate them.

Communication is not a therapy activity. It is a fundamental part of being human. And the people supporting it should never be an afterthought.

10/10/2026

📢 Do you think your child may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are inspecting SEND services in Devon, and they want to hear from families and young people.

Whether your child has identified SEND needs or you are still trying to understand what support they may need, your experiences and views matter.
✅ There are surveys for parents and carers and children and young people.
✅ If you have more than one child with SEND, you can complete a separate survey for each child.
✅ Your responses will be treated in confidence.
⏰ The surveys close at 9am on Tuesday 13 October 2026.
👉 Take part here:
https://ofsted.smartsurvey.co.uk/p/AreaSend/10420455
💬 Please share this post so more Devon families have the opportunity to make their voices heard before the deadline.
Every voice matters.
Parent Carer Forum Devon
Connect • Empower • Influence

09/10/2026

🌟 Supporting Little Learners Through Language and Play! 🌟
📣 Places still available for Monday's LEAP workshop!
Following a fantastic and incredibly informative ADHD session last week, Devon Educational Psychologists are back with another practical workshop!
🧩 Creating Language-Rich Environments and Promoting Play
📅 Monday 12 October 2026
⏰ 10:00am
Starting school is a big milestone, and the right support can make all the difference! 🌈
This session is designed for parents, carers and practitioners who want to help young children develop the confidence and skills they need to thrive.
We'll explore:
💬 Creating language-rich environments that encourage communication.
🧸 Using purposeful play to support learning and development.
🌱 Building children's confidence, friendships and emotional wellbeing.
🎒 Supporting a positive transition into primary school.
✨ A wonderful opportunity to gain practical ideas and strategies from Devon Educational Psychologists that you can put into practice straight away!
📩 Places are still available, so don't miss out!
👉 Book your free place here: https://leapworkshops.org

09/10/2026

FYI

A new report has been published today. The conclusive findings of the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism should finally end the blame and suspicion young people and their families face when they reach out for help.

The report must now be used as crucial evidence in shaping the government’s SEND and health and social care reforms so that they meet the needs of all children and young people.

Professor Fonagy spells out that currently people wait too long for support and diagnosis and that diagnosis has become a gate to support that could and should be available earlier.

This must be addressed urgently by government, so people can get the help they need, when they need it. Assessments must still be available for those who require and want them.

The risk of failing to acknowledge another generation of children, who just want the ordinary things in life like making friends going to school and eventually working, is too high to ignore.

Read the report for yourself here 🔗https://f.mtr.cool/v41vwnmbw9

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

📣 WHAT YOU TOLD US

Recently we asked:

“If you could choose one word or short phrase to describe your family's experience of local SEND services, what would it be?”

Thank you to everyone who responded.

The words families used were powerful.

Among them were:

Failure • Gruelling • Abandoned • Obstructive • Appalling • Ignored • Stonewalled • Disempowered • Traumatic • Traumatising • Exhausting • Devastating • Unsafe • Unreachable • Still Waiting • Heart Breaking • Steamrollered • Ghosted • Hard Work • Soul Destroying • Invisible • Not Fit for Purpose

Some families also described more positive experiences, including:

“Caring.”
“Always felt supported.”

And one response captured a much more mixed experience:

“Ghosted, fight, patronised, listened to, working together, great placement.”

Some families couldn't contain their experience in just one word. Their responses spoke about:

🔹 feeling ignored, abandoned or not listened to
🔹 difficulties getting responses, communication and support
🔹 delays, waiting and services feeling unreachable
🔹 barriers, battles and feeling steamrollered
🔹 concerns about safety and whether processes are being followed lawfully
🔹 a lack of accountability
🔹 feeling powerless in decisions about their children
🔹 a profound loss of trust
🔹 exhaustion, heartbreak and the emotional impact on whole families
🔹 positive experiences where families felt listened to, supported and able to work together

One parent summed up their experience simply as:

“I feel my child is invisible to them.”

Another wrote:

“Ignored. Not heard. Delays. Trauma.”

And another:

“Unreachable…. enough said.”

These aren't our words.

They are the words parent carers chose to describe their own experiences.

With the Local Area SEND inspection in progress, Parent Carer Forum Devon will continue to make sure inspectors hear directly about the experiences of families – positive, negative and everything in between.

Connect • Empower • Influence

09/10/2026

The parent carer survey is the main way to share your views with Ofsted and CQC during the SEND inspection.
however if there's something you'd like to add, you can also email:
📧 [email protected]
Subject: LASEND Devon
Inspectors have told us that all evidence submitted is read and considered as part of the inspection