You said, we did

Story boards

A story board is a visually presented ‘You Said ,We Did’ illustrating our responses to feedback from parents, children, young people and professionals. Storyboards aim to briefly explain on one page why and how improvements have been made to a particular service or how a project/programme has been developed; including who was involved, what the impact of the improvements have been and what’s going to happen next.

Story boards that we have created by year can now be viewed below:

2026

How children’s and adult’s services are listening to SEND families

Six times a year, the Designated Social Care Officer for children and young people with SEND, hosts a conversation between:

  • Swindon SEND Families Voice - our parent carer forum
  • STEP - a local charity that gathers and represents SEND children and young people’s views
  • Service leads and commissioners across Children’s and Adult’s Services

During these conversations we discuss what works and what needs improving. The details below outline actions we've undertaken in 2025.

Clearer information

Clearer information
You said We did
Social care terms like “early help assessment” and “early help plans” are confusing, and different organisations use different words.
Young people don't associate the phrase “transition” to the process of moving into Adults’ Services.
  • December 2025 – the Transitions Team changed its name to Bridge to Adulthood team, designed and chosen by young people

Activities available in the community

Activities available in the community
You said We did
Families don’t always know about summer holiday activities for disabled children.
  • May 2025 - shared details about the new short break statement and pathway in the summer Newsplash!

Getting help

Getting help
You said We did
Parents aren’t sure what Children’s Services’ “front door” is or how to access support.
  • June 2025 - worked with Swindon SEND Families Voice to encourage parents and carers to contact Children and Families Contact Swindon for help where needed. In November 2025, families reported quick responses to requests.

Preparing for adulthood

Preparing for adulthood
You said We did
Young people struggle with the move to adulthood, especially if they’re not supported by Children’s Services.
  • October 2025 - updated the Bridge to Adulthood pages on the Local Offer to include all services for young people

Direct payments

Direct payments
You said We did
Families face delays and inconsistencies with Children’s Services’ direct payments, making it hard to pay personal assistants on time.
  • May 2025 - fixed late payment issues and added extra support during staff absence
  • October 2025 - introduced monthly reconciliation and payment processes for better consistency, whilst keeping flexibility where agreed through panel

We are committed to listening and improving.

If you have ideas or feedback about social care services for children and young people with SEND, we’d love to hear them if:

  • you are a parent or carer, please share your ideas and feedback via Swindon SEND Families Voice
  • you are a young person, please contact STEP to find out how you can get involved

2025

Young person’s champions: SEND review

Young person’s champions: SEND review
Young people said We did
We don’t like the current Annual Review Contribution forms for pupil voice, they are childish and disengaging
  • Co-produced a new Annual Review contribution form, two versions for children and young people. These were piloted by 5 different schools, and have now been introduced to all settings.
Sometimes we find it difficult to focus and answer questions about ourselves
  • Co-produced a Methods of Engagement booklet that contains resources and best practice guides for gathering pupil voice, including children who communicate non-verbally
I would like information about SEND Law and how it relates to me
  • Co-produced information for the Local Offer website on how SEND Law relates to young people
Young people and families didn’t always understand about SEND Travel Assistance
  • We updated the Travel FAQs to be more easily understandable.
We struggle to understand some information on the Local Offer website
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