You Said, We Did

Overview

This page shows a summary of some changes based on feedback. They are in response to the views of:

• children,
• young people,
• parents / carers,
• professionals.

Views have been, and continue to be, gathered in various different ways. This includes:

• surveys and consultations,
• in-person at events and presentations,
• during meetings, and
• via email.

To find out how you can contribute towards the future of our services, visit our Have Your Say web page.

Please note, Education East Sussex is formed of:

• ISEND (Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), and
• SLES (Schools Standards, Learning and Effectiveness Service).

These services joined together in September 2023. Some of the views displayed on this page were before September 2023 so they may still reference ISEND.

East Sussex Local Offer

Through feedback and consultation, we have made the following changes since January 2024:

You said:

• Some young people said they were not aware of the Local Offer.
• Parents wanted social media channels that shared all local SEND support in one place.
• Parents wanted information for Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and Down syndrome.
• Parents and young people wanted information on medical conditions i.e. sleeping issues. This is due to the common overlap between SEND and medical conditions.
• Parents found the 'Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms' page helpful. However, they suggested more words and acronyms for us to add.
• We had speaker symbols for all text on this site. Parents said they are useful for some people, but those who need them would likely have screen readers already. They therefore may get in the way.
• Some of the pages were difficult to navigate when zoomed in on a mobile phone.

We did:

• We created East Sussex Local Offer social media channels. This includes Facebook, X and Instagram accounts that residents can follow. We have named these accounts SEND East Sussex. This should help to make more young people and parents aware of SEND support and updates. You can find the links to our new pages in this websites' footer.
• We also created an East Sussex Local Offer overview video. This was co-produced with various stakeholders. We made the video to highlight this site and our directory. You can view the video from this site's homepage.
• We added information specific to Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and Down syndrome.
• We also restructured the 'Conditions, Assessments and Diagnosis' page. The new layout allows us to give a clearer overview of support available. It also allows us to add further conditions easier. To note, this site covers support for all types of SEND. This includes support in school and external support. The only time this is not the case and the support is for a specific need, this will be outlined. We also have a SEND-specific directory which includes many more support services. You can find this at 1space.eastsussex.gov.uk/localoffer
• We have started adding medical conditions to this site. This is being carried out with help from various health professionals. You can find this information on our 'Medical Conditions' web page.
• Based on the suggested words and acronyms, we added more definitions. We attached examples alongside these new words. If there are any SEND-related words or acronyms you wish us to add to the glossary, please email us. You can email us on localoffer@eastsussex.gov.uk
• We agreed the speaker symbols could interfere with screen readers. We removed them from this website. We added information on our 'Accessibility' page about how to use screen readers.
• We made lots of accessibility improvements to the site. We improved the menu navigation so it no longer fills the entire screen when open. The screen should no longer scroll left and right on a mobile phone. These changes make it easier to use the site on a mobile phone.

Through feedback and consultation, we made the following changes when building this site (the site launched in January 2022):

You said:

• Direct me to someone I can talk to about SEND.
• Tell me what my family's rights are if a child has SEND.
• Explain current timescales for different kinds of assessments and support processes.
• Explain how SEND services work in East Sussex.
• Explain what an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is and when a child should have one.
• Outline the different assessments and processes surrounding SEND.
• Help me find information about the Council's SEND services.
• Look professional and appealling.
• Link to a website of services for SEND.

We did:

• Most pages have links to Amaze SENDIASS. SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service. Where appropriate there are other links.
• We provide contact details for East Sussex County Council Children's Services Customer Relations Team and the Local Offer for feedback. The Local Offer directory (on 1Space) is also frequently signposted to. There is a specific section on support for families.
• We have tried to make the website clear on rights within SEND services and outline statutory basis for decision-making. We direct parents and carers to SENDIASS where they feel they may wish to challenge a decision. The site also outlines ‘Quality First Teaching’ and the ‘SEND Code of Practice’.
• We describe timescales in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) content. The pages on autism outline that in most cases waiting times for assessments are over a year. We also provide advice and support on offer while waiting for assessment.
• We have detailed explanations on the website on all aspects of SEND. The explanations are given at different levels of depth.
• The website outlines what an EHCP is in detail in the EHCP section. There is also an explanation in the 'Does My Child Have SEND?' section.
• We have added detailed information on how schools will support children at different levels. There is an introductory page called 'Understanding SEND Support in Schools'. There is also more detailed information where suitable.
• There are pages highlighting information on Education East Sussex Services, Strategies and Grants. We reiterate relevant service descriptions throughout the website.
• The design of the website was co-produced. The aim was to make it as visually appealing and modern. The illustrations have been carefully put together. This was to represent different aspects of SEND in a positive way.
• We joined East Sussex 1Space to create a SEND-specific directory. We signpost to the directory throughout this website.

You can also visit our directory on 1Space.

Short Breaks

We sent a short breaks survey in January 2023 to:

• parents,
• carers,
• children,
• young people, and
• their siblings.

Below shows some of the most popular suggestions and our responses to them.

These responses are in relation to universal and targeted short breaks.

You said:

• You would like accessible activities for families to enjoy. This includes activities that children and young people would feel comfortable participating in.
• You would like continued Autism Spectrum Condition specific provision.
• You would like increased weekend and holiday short break provision.
• You would like short breaks for children and young people with challenging behaviour.
• You would like an increase in the number of short breaks.
• You find it difficult to understand what short breaks services are available.
• You find it difficult to understand if your child/young person is eligible.

We did:

• We have introduced a new short breaks family fun days grant for providers to offer.
• We have begun the process of developing a weekend and holiday family short breaks offer.
• We renewed the Autism/Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) specific provision run by Aspens. We renewed it until March 2026.
• We have begun the process of developing a challenging behaviour pathway. This is within our planned weekend and holiday short breaks offer.
• We renewed two established short breaks contracts until March 2026.
• The processing of adding extra short breaks provision has commenced.
• We secured extra short breaks funding. This will enable a higher level of short breaks contracts and grant funding.
• We have launched the Short Breaks Statement.
• We improved short breaks listings on the Local Offer directory of services, on 1Space.

Find out more about Short Breaks.

Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms

We explain some of the terms used on this website on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.