Any additional support a young person receives at college must be explained to parents/carers at the earliest opportunity.
For some parents/carers, learning that their child has been identified as needing additional support can be unexpected and may provoke worry or concerns. It is therefore important that all staff, led and supported by the LSM, clearly explain to parents/carers what is being put in place and why. It is essential to be flexible in terms of offering support and go at a pace that is comfortable for the family (see Building relationships)
Having information about the support and intervention in place at college made easily accessible for all parents/carers (e.g. SEND displays in college, including on the website) communicates that SEND provision is embedded within wider whole setting approaches that value and celebrate diversity and difference.
For young people identified as having SEND, parents/carers should have:
- Clear information about what this means (see the overviews of need for parents/carers within the Areas of Need section of this toolkit). As well as a good understanding of what support is in place at college, when progress will be reviewed and with whom.
- An understanding of ‘who is who’ in college, as well as any supporting professionals. Learning about new terminology, acronyms and roles can be very daunting at first. A jargon-buster has been created to support parents/carers with the language and roles around SEND.
- Information about local and online support and guidance for parents/carers of young people with SEND. This is available in the Signposting It is helpful to have this information readily available within college as well as on the website. Some parents/carers may need support from a professional who can advocate for them.
- Information about the graduated approach and SEND processes. This can be found in the parent/carer and young people sections of this toolkit. We have also developed a resource that can be shared with parents/carers to help them feel more confident to ask questions about SEND support and provision.
- Parents/carers and young people should be fully included in planning support and reviewing progress (see Participation, co-production and person-centred planning).