Southend SEND Independent Forum - 2023 Overview

Irvana Davies • January 19, 2024

SSIF had a productive 2023 and wanted to share with you a roundup of events and achievements undertaken by the PCF (Parent Carer Forum) over the course of the year:


Last January saw the team working on plans & developments for the year to come.


February we attended the NNPCF & Contact Conference in Bristol – it was great to see what being part of a PCF means on a national level and to meet colleagues & like minded ParentCarers from the 150+ other PCFs across the country.

We also received notice that Southend would have a full area SEND inspection under the Department of Education New Framework being 4th in the country & 1st in the region.


Ofsted and CQC carried out an inspection of Southend SEND services from 6th – 10th March 2023. Your voices were shared directly with Inspectors through the survey that was completed prior to the inspection. We are really pleased that so many SEND families responded to ensure their views and experiences were heard and considered.

The result was an Inconsistent outcome and the report was published.  Read the Ofsted and CQC Report.

The Inspectors found that the experiences of children and young people with SEND in Southend-on-Sea can be very varied and the report reflects the experiences and feedback we have received from our families. We acknowledge that the Local Authority and Health services have implemented changes and improvements to the SEND systems, however too often our children’s and young people’s needs are not met in a timely manner.

In March we held a free Wellbeing event for SEND ParentCarers in collaboration with N.O.W’s the time for change and Hands above Massage at the Cliffs Pavilion. There were lots of different taster sessions available such as growth mindset activities, emotional freedom tapping & reiki. The event was a great success and due to popular demand we are repeating this event, with even more therapies in March this year – please see dates for your diary section at the end of this article.


We continued our Coffee Mornings at SAVS in Alexandra Street which have grown from strength to strength. Many of you have benefited from speaking with the Specialist Services that join us such as SENDIASS, Advisory SENCOs, Representatives from The Lighthouse Child Development Centre among others. We continue to run these monthly with Chaos and Calm, who provide a free, fun-themed, SEND specific creche to enable any ParentCarers who have little ones to attend our sessions.


In June we were joined by Mrunal Sisodia OBE & Jo Harrison (Essex Family Forum) & Eastern Region Rep who spoke about Understanding The Role of the PCF, from a Local, Regional & National perspective.

 

A large portion of our year was spent working on the SEND Strategy & The Strategic Action Plan, which were finally published in the Autumn Term.


On Friday 6 October, in conjunction with the Southend SEND Area Partnership we organised a SEND Area Partnership Network Event to explain and discuss more about -


Ø role of the SEND Area Partnership;

Ø outcome of the Ofsted and CQC inspection;

Ø the Southend SEND Network;

Ø the SEND Strategic Action Plan;

Ø the SEND Strategy.


And were thrilled to launch our Family Feedback Survey so you can tell us what life is like as a SEND family in Southend – what works, what doesn’t and everything in between!

We need to hear your stories so we can ensure we are representing the actual lived experience of SEND ParentCarers across our City. 

SSIF works with (not for) the council, health and social care and we use the views and experiences you share with us to influence and inform the provision and services used by our children & young people and how things can be improved for them.

 

In November we took part in the NNPCF & Contact AGM, webinars & on-line conference.


For the Festive session at our SAVS Coffee Morning it was lovely to welcome back some of you who had joined us at various events throughout the year to share some festive treats and receive an early Christmas Gifts for both ParentCarers & our Creche attendees.

 

As you can see it was a busy year and 2024 promises more of the same plus some exciting new developments….


SSIF EVENTS - DATES FOR YOUR DIARY THIS TERM:


Tuesday 5th March

SSIF Parent Carer Wellbeing Day at The Cliffs Pavilion – as always advance information & priority booking will be given to our membership for this free event – so sign up today to become a member via the Join Us link in the top left hand corner above.


Thursday 7th March

SSIF Seminar on Early Identification & SEND Support in Schools


SSIF – ParentCarer Feedback Survey


SSIF continue to represent SEND families voices in Southend, to ensure that the necessary changes are implemented to best meet the needs of our children and young people.


One of the ways we do that is by gathering information from you, thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to give their feedback so far, your lived experiences help shape our work and we could not do this without you – you can give us feedback on anything that you want - the good, the bad and everything in-between.

Complete our survey.

Engaging in National SEND Reform Discussions

January 13, 2026
(photo credit - David Burton-Sampson MP (Team) - Facebook ) Engaging in National SEND Reform Discussions As you are aware, the Schools White Paper is due to set out the Government’s planned reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. We are very proud to be involved in these important discussions and are committed to engaging with every opportunity available to ensure parent carer voices are represented. We have attended several ministerial meetings hosted by the Minister for Education, Georgina Gould OBE, MP , which form part of the Department for Education’s wider SEND reform programme. These meetings brought together a range of stakeholders to explore SEND reform through the five key principles set out by the DfE: early, local, fair, effective and shared . Alongside these, we have also taken part in Parent Carer Forum (PCF)–specific meetings , which provide a dedicated space for PCFs to contribute directly to the reform process. We continue to attend both public ministerial and PCF-focused sessions, ensuring that we are fully engaged in all discussions made available to us. Within the recent PCF-specific meetings, solution-focused discussions explored two key areas: • what accountability is needed in a reformed system to support an effective and inclusive mainstream education system; and • what the key foundations are for building trust with parent carers across the SEND system. In addition to live discussions, PCF members shared extensive feedback through chat functions and written comments. This combination of lived experience, shared themes and practical suggestions was fed back collectively to the Minister to support ongoing SEND reform work. The Minister acknowledged both the complexity of the challenges and the value of the constructive contributions shared through Parent Carer Forums, recognising the importance of collective parent carer insight. At a local level, we were also particularly pleased to meet with our MP, David Burton-Sampson , and are grateful for his time and engagement. This meeting enabled us to contribute directly to Southend’s response to the Schools White Paper , ensuring that local parent carer perspectives were included. We remain committed to listening to parent carers, gathering shared experiences, and representing those voices wherever opportunities arise — locally, regionally and nationally — as SEND reform continues to develop. (NB - photo credit David Burton-Sampson

What is a Parent Carer Forum (PCF) - A Simple Guide

January 9, 2026
We’re excited to launch our new mini guide, What Is a Parent Carer Forum? – A Simple Guide . This guide builds on our original poster and was created in response to parent carers asking for more detail about our role. Through a short series of videos, it explains who we are, what we do, and how a Parent Carer Forum supports families of children and young people with SEND. Click the button below to watch the full guide.

SSIF 2024/2025 Academic Year Feedback Report

December 16, 2025
Our latest Family Feedback report is now available to read. Each term SSIF collate the feedback and information shared with us by parents and carers via our Family Feedback Form (hosted here on our website) and our in-person engagements events, including our coffee mornings. We would like to thank all of the parents and carers who took the time to complete our feedback form and share their experiences with us. This information will be used to help shape and improve SEND services in Southend. Our Family Feedback survey is available all year round, so please continue to share your experiences. To read the full report and presentation click on the button below.

Southend SEND Information Day

November 6, 2025
On 6 November, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) and the SEND Local Offer Team co-hosted the first Southend SEND Information Day . The event was attended by over 150 parent carers and professionals, with more than 50 teams and services sharing information about the support they provide. Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in three presentations covering Social Care, Health, and Education. SSIF and the Local Offer Team would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended, and to the many teams, organisations, services, and colleagues who gave their time, shared their knowledge, and helped make the day such a success. Your support and collaboration on the day were greatly appreciated. If you attended the event, we’d love to hear your thoughts — your feedback is invaluable in helping us shape and improve future events. Share your feedback here . Further details about the event, including information about the teams and services that attended is available on the Local Offer website . The presentation slides from the information sessions are available to view below. Thank you once again to everyone who supported or attended the Southend SEND Information Day. Please use the buttons below to access the PowerPoint presentations from the day .