In this issue:

• SEND Strategy and how we are responding to the biggest challenges in SEND
• Short Breaks survey
• Just Talk campaign week
• Anti-bullying week
• SEN Young People's Survey
• Events

SEND Strategy, and how we are responding to the biggest challenges in SEND in Hertfordshire

We use our You said, we did webpage on the Local Offer website to explain how our services respond to feedback from families, and how we are trying to improve based on the challenges we are aware of in SEND.

We have updated our webpage to tell you a bit more about how we are responding to some of the biggest challenges we have in Hertfordshire. These are things that you have told us are your highest priorities, including the lack of special school places and issues with communication in the Statutory SEND team. We know we aren't getting things right, and we are working to fix that. We want to be better at telling you how we are fixing things too, so we will be updating this information and sharing more regularly.

How we're responding to the biggest challenges in SEND in Hertfordshire

Our SEND Strategy sets out how we make sure things are better in the future. County councillors have today approved the SEND Strategy 2022-25 which sets out our vision, aspirations, and priorities for the next 3 years and our commitment to continuously improving support for children and young people with SEND in Hertfordshire. 

New strategy sets out Hertfordshire County Council's commitment to children and young people with SEND

Short Breaks Survey

In Hertfordshire, we are dedicated to improving the lives of our children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and strive to deliver high-quality targeted services.

If you have a child with SEND, we would be very grateful if you could complete this questionnaire about our current Short Breaks Local Offer (SBLO) giving feedback on our current provision and also any ideas for how it could be improved. It should only take about 10 minutes to complete and your responses will be very gratefully received.

Many thanks, SEND Commissioning Team.

Fill in the Short Breaks survey now

Just Talk Campaign week

The Just Talk campaign week is 15 - 21 November. This year, Just Talk is focusing on the importance of kindness – how we can all benefit from being a little kinder to ourselves, and each other. Young people, as well as their parents and carers are invited to get involved and promote positive mental health in Herts. 

Following the success of 2020’s event, this year’s campaign week will be taking place online and in schools and colleges across the county. You and/or young people, parents and carers, will be able to access a range of FREE informational webinars throughout the week.

Visit the Just Talk website for more information and a schedule of free webinars

Anti-bullying week

Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. This is one of the reasons, that ‘One Kind Word’ has been chosen as the theme of Anti-Bullying Week taking place from 15 to 19 of November 2021.

The statutory guidance for schools and colleges - Keeping children safe in education 2021 - has been updated.  The Anti-bullying Alliance has outlined how this guidance relates to bullying and how these points differ from previous guidance.  For more information on this, and to read the report, visit the Anti-Bulling Alliance website.