PACC has recently been gathering feedback on SEND families experience of Social Care support in Shropshire. This has included hearing from families about their experience of Early Help, specialist support provided by the Disabled Children’s Team and the Preparation for Adulthood Team. Feedback was capture via an online survey and from 1:1 calls with PACC’s Navigator Service.
The resulting report highlights some key areas of concerns in terms of the response to SEND families who ask for help from Shropshire Social Care Services at all levels of support. PACC recognises some families will have had positive experiences in this area, but we feel that the consistent issues raised in this report are significant and deserve full consideration by local leaders.
Insufficient Short Break opportunities for Parent and Family Carers are consistently highlighted, which means that Parent / Family Carers are often struggling to meet wider family and work commitments and their wellbeing is not being supported. This lack of Short Break opportunities also impacts outcomes for young people with disabilities, limiting their independence and the development of the skills needed for adulthood.
SEND families tell us that when they are struggling to cope and ask for help there is a lack of practical help and support and a focus instead on sending them on training courses. When families are offered direct support in the home it can be inappropriately time limited and sometimes delivered by practitioners who do not have a sufficient understand of SEND.
Poor communication and the lack of accessible information exacerbate difficulties, with families struggling to understand the SEND system, find information about the services offered and to navigate eligibility pathways. The case studies included in the report provide examples of inappropriate responses to requests for help from SEND families, suggesting that there is a lack of understanding amongst some practitioners of how they should respond to these requests also.
All of these points combine to create a situation where too many Shropshire SEND families often feel forgotten and not valued by local Social Care service, with their requests for help going unheard. This is contributing to the increasing concerns nationally and locally about Parent / Family Carer wellbeing and mental health.
PACC has shared this report with local system leaders and are meeting in the near future to discuss the findings further.
You can read the full report here