Improving SEND in Norfolk

We want families to: 

• Have information and advice that is easy to understand
• Get the help they need and to feel supported

Our key priorities

Our key priorities for children and young people under the theme of family support are: 

• My family can talk to a professional and are confident they will help them feel listened to and supported 
• My family knows how to get information, advice and support 
• Information, advice and support is made available and provided in a way that meets the needs of everyone 
• My family, friends and local community are provided with information, help and support

What we have done 

To meet our key priorities for family support, we have:

• Introduced the SEND and Inclusion support line. This is for families and professionals looking for support and advice. The phone line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, excluding bank holidays. Since autumn 2024 it has handled over 5,200 calls, resolving 93 per cent of queries and supporting families and professionals. 
• Increased the capacity of the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS). We now respond to the high demand for impartial and confidential information and advice.  
• Trialled 'tell us, we will listen' at Making Sense of SEND events in July 2025. This gave families the opportunity to talk to a senior leader about their experiences to help inform service improvements.  
• Continued to work to review and develop the SEND Local Offer website
• Established a parent carer reference group. This group reviews new information and makes sure it meets the needs of families.
• Continuously adjusted venues, information stands and talks at Making Sense of SEND events in response to feedback from families.  
• Developed a more accessible and engaging approach to content on the SEND Local Offer Facebook page. This improved our engagement and information sharing with families through creating more video content about provision and support. We used helpful graphic explainers of processes, and signposting to support and practical help. We are reaching an average of almost 23,000 people a month. Since 1 March 2025 we have had 650K views of our content with 6,400 content interactions. This is up by 94 per cent. 
• Developed a neurodiversity digital library. This provides more support for families waiting for their child to have a clinical assessment for neurodevelopmental differences. 

 What we plan to do next 

We will:

• Continue to host our Making Sense of SEND events around the county. We will provide opportunities for parent carers to speak to professionals from a range of services, who will listen and support them.  
• Transform neurodevelopmental services into a community-based, prevention-first model. This will include coordinated early identification and improved post-diagnostic pathways. 
• Offer further 'Tell us, we'll listen' opportunities at Making Sense of SEND events. This will give more families the chance to share their experiences directly with senior leaders.