Health professionals and parent-carers came together to improve the outcomes and experience of children and young people with SEND

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) held their first Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Summit last week.

The aim of the summit was to explore how everyone could work together to improve the outcomes and experience of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families and to ensure that they get the support they need.

Anne Murray, Chief Nurse for the BLMK Commissioning Collaborative said

“It’s important that we view SEND as a whole system and agree a collaborative approach across BLMK.”

Representatives from the four parent-carer forums spoke about how they worked alongside the local councils and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as strategic partners and critical friends. They highlighted many of the successes achieved and work co-produced over the past year.

Karen Russell, Chair of Bedford Borough Parent Carers Forum said:

“I’m hoping that people will leave today’s summit with a raised awareness of the importance of the SEND agenda. It’s a very positive move forward.”

Feeding back at the end of the summit, Patricia Davies Joint Accountable for BLMK CCGs, said:

“We are committed to working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, and continuing to work closely with our parent-carer forums and children and young people to transform local services.”