Telford & Wrekin SEND Working Together Charter

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We’re pleased to reshare this Working Together Charter initiative aimed at enhancing services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the cornerstones of which are highly relevant to our work here in Telford & Wrekin.

The Telford & Wrekin SEND Working Together Charter was co-produced by Telford & Wrekin Council, Shropshire & Telford Integrated Care Board (NHS) and PODS Parent Carer Forum. It sets out a shared commitment to improving participation, communication, and collaboration across all SEND services — values that resonate strongly with our own priorities in Telford & Wrekin.
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Feel valued and included

To make sure families and partners feel valued and included we will do the following:

Create and embed meaningful coproduction, including honest consultation, involvement, effective participation, openness, honesty, fairness, respect and ownership.
Recognise the strengths of families, professionals and systems to ensure positive outcomes.
Use valuable, real-life experience of families to shape services and acknowledge the importance of their voice.
Ensure families are treated as equal partners throughout their journey.
Encourage all partners to contribute to developments and give time to do so.
Recognise everyone as an individual, making reasonable adjustments as required.

Open communication

To ensure open communication we will do the following:

Making sure that all communication will be provided in a clear and accessible format, with the correct adjustments for families. This may include videos so that written communication isn’t a barrier.
Invite feedback and enable two-way communication to support co-production of service changes, developments and improvements.
Communicate positively through both your words and body language.
Clearly communicate the vision for each opportunity, ensuring that key information is highlighted to help everyone understand the principles and boundaries.
Communicate, with openness and honesty about provisions and services.

Feel welcomed and cared

To make sure families and partners feel welcomed and cared we will:

Ensure that everyone is an equal partner at every stage.
Ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in meetings, events and opportunities for feedback
Ensure that parent carers and families are actively and meaningfully engaged.
Invest the time needed for working together.
Ensure that feedback is heard and demonstrate the impact using the ‘You Said, We Did’ approach.
Check for bias and prejudice in our setting.

Working in partnership

To make sure we work in partnership with parent carers and families we will:

Work together to agree solutions and next steps.
Agree on what each partner will contribute.
Be open to different views and perspectives.
Ensure that all contributions are heard and valued equally.

What this means for parent carers

Schools committed to the SEND Working Together Charter will:

Ensure families and partners feel valued and included by embedding meaningful coproduction through honest consultation, active involvement, and effective participation.
Ensure open communication with families by providing clear, accessible information, encouraging two-way feedback, and communicating positively, openly, and honestly about services and opportunities.
Make families and partners feel welcomed and cared for by treating everyone as equal partners, actively engaging parent carers, valuing feedback, and creating inclusive, bias-free spaces for collaboration.
Will work in genuine partnership with parent carers and families by co-creating solutions, valuing every contribution equally, and embracing diverse perspectives.

Information for schools and settings

OFSTED Guidance - Engagement with Parent Carers

Implementing the SEND Working Together Charter’s self-evaluation process can help schools align with Ofsted’s expectations for effective parental involvement and engagement by:

Clear Communication Before Inspections. Schools are legally required to notify all parents when an inspection is scheduled. Parents receive a letter with details on how to share their views, including a link to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire.
Parent View Questionnaire. This online tool allows parent carers to give feedback on their child’s school during inspections. Responses help inspectors understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement from a parent’s perspective.
Inspectors Consider Parental Feedback. Inspectors are required to take parent views into account during full inspections. Feedback influences judgments on leadership, safeguarding, and overall school culture.
School Engagement with Parents. Inspectors assess how well school leaders engage with parents and carers. Schools are expected to communicate transparently, respond to concerns, and involve parents in ways that support pupils’ education.

Downloads

For more information please contact us by email: [email protected]

PODS (Parents Opening Doors) Parent Carer Forum

PODS Parent Carer Forum is the formally recognised, independent peer-led organisation, founded in 2008, representing and involving families of Children and Young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), aged 0 - 25years. The forum is led by Jayne Stevens, our Strategic Lead. She is supported by a team of volunteer Parent Reps.

PODS Charity