Sandwell Parents Voices United
Welcome to our news page. SPVU are heavily involved with all things SEND within the Sandwell Borough. Here, we will use this page to feedback upto date information, changes and use it as a space to keep you informed on what is happening within the SEND world.
This page is currently being updated, so may not show much at present however there is much work going on behind the scences! Keep an eye on our facebook page for more information.
21st April 2026
Dear Parent Carer,
We would like to invite you to join us for a SEND Parent Carer Workshop on Co‑production, taking place on Wednesday 6 May 2026, from 10:00am to 12:30pm, online.
This workshop will be delivered by the brilliant Genuine Partnerships and is a great opportunity for parent carers to come together in a safe, welcoming space.
The session will help to:
Understand what co‑production means and why it matters
Learn how to get your voice heard
Find out how parent carers can work alongside Sandwell Local Authority to help shape SEND services and support
Hear more about parent carer forums and how they work with local authorities and health services
Take part in shaping our local Sandwell Parent Carer Co‑production Charter
Whether you are new to co‑production or already involved, your experiences and views are really important, and we would love you to be part of this session.
The session will be relaxed, interactive, and supportive, with plenty of opportunity to listen, ask questions, and share ideas.
To join us on the workshop, please email Amanda Tickle – SEND Engagement and Development Lead at amanda_tickle@sandwell.gov.uk . If you have any further questions, please do get in touch.
This is a really exciting opportunity to put parent carers of children with special needs and disabilities right at the heart of our local area work, and we hope you can join us and help shape the future of SEND services in Sandwell.
Warm wishes
Amanda Tickle
SEND Development and Engagement lead.
20th April 2026
The Educational and Child Psychology (ECP) team in Sandwell is working hard to use language and ideas that respect and support neurodivergent children and young people (CYP).
This means we are focusing more on what Children & Young People are good at, what helps them shine, and how the world around them can sometimes make things harder than they need to be. When we understand this, we can think about how to change the environment so Children & Young People can learn, play, and grow in ways that work for them.
We want to talk about your child with care, respect, and kindness, and we want to help others do the same.
As part of this work, we want to learn what matters most to parents and carers when we talk and write about CYP with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
To do this, we are asking parents and carers to fill in the questionnaire below:
https://online1.snapsurveys.com/bn8vdu
Your answers will help us understand what is working well and what needs to improve in our assessments for the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process.
⏳ The deadline for this survey is 27th April. It only takes a small amount of time to complete, but your input will make a big difference to a hugely important project supporting children and young people with SEND.
15th April
Supported waiting - SLEEP.
As part of the new 12 month SEND local partnership plan, Claire Wilkinson and Dr Bannerji, Sandwell`s designated clinical and medical officers, are exploring Sandwell`s supported waiting offer, with sleep identified as a key priority area for children and families.
As a first step, they are seeking input from all health care services to help to understand the current sleep offer across universal, targeted and specialist levels within their service / organisation.
In particular, They would like to know:
What services currently offer in relation to sleep support (e.g. advice, groups, interventions, resources)
Which age groups or cohorts this applies to, and any referral criteria
Where services typically signpost families for further information or support around sleep
They will collate the responses into a shared document with a view to:
Building a resource for families with everything in one place, utilising Linktree/the Local Offer
Use this to inform exploratory discussions about future partnership and commissioning opportunities where needed.
Claire and Dr Bannerji would like responses from services by 11th May. Once SPVU know more, we will update as we can.
SPVU would like to know, if your children & young people are on a waiting list for health services, what information would you like to see that could help whilst waiting for appointments??
We have mentioned a mapping exercise related to sleep.
What else should we be seeking information on please?
Please get in touch with your thoughts via our email: admin@spvu.org
25th February
The Neurodivergence Task & finish group report
The neurodivergence task & finish group report, published on the same day as the SEND reforms document, was commissioned by Department for Education to examine how mainstream education in England can better support neurodivergent children and young people
Priorities identified are:
1 Timely identification of strengths and needs, focusing on needs rather than diagnosis to get support earlier and more effectively.
2. Workforce development improving training so teachers and support staff understand neurodiversity and how to respond.
3 Inclusive learning environments and assessment adapting curriculum, learning spaces and policies so neurodivergent learners can fully participate.
4. Funding, accountability and commissioning ensuring funding reflects need, strengthening local planning and giving parent carers clear routes to resolution when challenges occur.
The report highlights the importance of listening to neurodiverse children, young people and their families and embedding their voices and lived experience into decision making and school practice.
You can find the report here
25th February
SEND reform: putting children and young people first - British Sign Language (BSL) version
You can find the video here
25th February
A new initiative from Mencap Supported Internship programme launching at Asda Tipton in September 2026. Please see the attached PDF link to find out more and how to apply! Click here to find out more
A transition to work program for young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
24th February
Each year Healthwatch Sandwell use public intelligence to identify priority projects that the public would like us to focus on. One of these has been parents and schools experiences of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision in mainstream schools. The purpose of this project is to find out if children with SEND needs are receiving the right support in mainstream schools. We want to find out what's working well and how the school accommodates a child's needs, and whether there are gaps in provision that impact the child's care.
https://engagingcommunities.welcomesyourfeedback.net/s/lykxe0
19th February
Sandwell have produced a new SEND bulletin! You can see all the latest happenings in the world of SEND is Sandwell. Aswell as organisations, such as ourselves, that can help support your families journey.
You can find the latest edition by clicking here: SEND Bulletin February 2026 Issue 1
If you haven’t already signed up to recieve your copy, please follow this link to register : Sign up for Sandwell SEND bulletin
11th November
SPVU have been approached by Attend well Study team from University of Cambridge seeking help from parent carers.
Should you be interested, please email admin@spvu.org and we will ensure you are contacted.
Dear parent carers
We are conducting a study to better understand why some young people find it difficult to attend school, and how we can support them, their families, and staff to make school a more positive experience.
⭐ We would be grateful for your support in sharing information about our study with those who may want to take part. ⭐
If you’d like to find out more about the study, you can visit attendwell.org.uk or watch this short video. The study has been approved by the University of Cambridge Psychology Ethics Committee.
To help us, SPVU will forward a short email to the parents interested in your forum.
This will explain the study and how they can take part.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Your support will play an important role in helping us learn how best to improve young people’s school experiences.
With best wishes,
Hayley
Attend Well Study Team
University of Cambridge
Department of Psychiatry
11th November
A job opportunity has arisen with the National Parent Carer Forum - Please see details below:
Dear Forums
Now we are having regular regional meetings we need some support with the regional admin, I am sending this on behalf on the chair of the West Midlands Regional Network Debbie Hobbs. I have attached a job description for a regional admin person, please could you share it with your forum to see if anyone is interested in putting their name forward for this role. It would be only require ad-hoc hours (roughly two hours per week) but it is an essential role for the smooth running of the region.
If you are interested could you let myself, Debbie Hobbs (admin@pcvherefordshire.com) or Elaine Lambe (westmidlands@nnpcf.org) know we all happy to have further conversation with anyone regarding the role.
Best Regards
29th October 2025
Stay Informed: Sandwell SEND E-Bulletin Launches This Autumn
Sandwell Council is launching a brand-new SEND e-bulletin this autumn, designed to keep everyone up to date on the borough’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement Programme.
Whether you’re a parent carer, young person, professional, or part of an education setting, the e-bulletin will deliver the latest news, events, and opportunities straight to your inbox.
It’s the easiest way to stay informed about important developments and SEND news in Sandwell. Don’t miss out—sign up today to receive regular updates and be part of the SEND community. Visit the Sandwell Council website to subscribe to the Sandwell SEND Bulletin.
Sandwell Council - Sign up to our Sandwell SEND Bulletin
22nd October 2025
SEND parent carers ”Front door”
SPVU have a copy of a SENCO newsletter, which is circulated to Sandwell`s schools.
Within, we are aware of a “Parent carer front door” which is a contact form should you wish to contact SEN service.
With regret, SPVU have not been made aware of this “front door”, so we have taken it upon ourselves to share information!
Please use the following link
We are aware, from the SENCO newsletter parent carers should have a response within 3-5 working days. If this is not the case, please advise SPVU, as we will raise this!
If you require any support, please let us know and we will try to support where we can.
10th October 2025
There was a 6 month review of Sandwell’s SEND area inspection on 19th September 2025. Please find the meeting feedback letter here: Sandwell Review Meeting