On 23 February 2026, the government published “SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First,” which sets out proposed changes to how children and young people with SEND are supported. They also launched a public consultation with 39 questions (https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/).
Since then, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) has been working to understand what these proposals mean in practice and listening carefully to the views of families across Southend.
Not every part of the reform is open to consultation, so some proposals cannot be changed through feedback. However, we strongly encourage you to have your say on the areas where your views can make a difference.
Since the reforms were published, we have been working closely with the Southend SEND & AP Area SEND Partnership. Every area must develop a SEND Reform Plan, setting out what it will do over the next three years to strengthen and improve its SEND offer. Together, we want to make sure this plan reflects the real experiences and priorities of children, young people, and their families in Southend.
To support this, we have created five key questions that we would like your feedback on. Your responses will help ensure that local voices genuinely shape how these reforms are developed and put into practice in Southend.
All questions are completely anonymous. We encourage you to share your general views rather than detailed personal stories, and please avoid naming individual professionals.
By taking part, you agree that SSIF may use your comments anonymously to help shape our consultation response. We will also share overall feedback with the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), who represent parent carer voices nationally and work closely with the Department for Education.
Your feedback really matters. Thank you for taking the time to share your views and help influence the future of SEND support in Southend.
This survey will close on Monday 4th May.
