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I am appreciative of the opportunity to hear the stories shared by families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The accounts of long waits, struggles to secure appropriate provision in school, and the emotional and practical toll on families were grounding, and as Cabinet Member for Education and SEND I take those experiences seriously.

There is no misconception that the need for increased SEND support is a nationwide concern. As a local authority, we are committed to doing our part to remove and alleviate these issues where we can. We have restructured our SEND services to improve case management and timeliness, and we have increased and strengthened our workforce, prioritising the recruitment and retention of educational psychologists to help meet statutory timescales; positive results are already emerging. We are also improving partnerships across education, health, and social care so families do not face fragmented responses.

We are focused on developing stronger relationships with families by creating an improved forum to ensure their voices are represented across the county. I will ensure the experiences reported at the protest are fed directly to inform our SEND improvement journey and will work with the Director of Children’s Services to review how we can best communicate progress and escalate cases.

We welcome feedback through our established channels such as the Parent-Carer Forum, Family Hubs, and by emailing SEND.Improvement@nottscc.gov.uk, all whilst we work to make those routes clearer and more responsive. We’re committed to sharing opportunities for families to co-produce SEND support services, so you know they’re truly designed with real-life experiences in mind.

I am grateful to the parents who spoke up at the Every Pair Tells a Story event recently. Their courage and honesty make the need for change impossible to ignore. Together, we will keep working to deliver the timely, compassionate, and effective support every child with SEND deserves.