SENDIASS Parent/Carer Feedback Survey (August 2025)

Background

West Berkshire's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) exists to ensure that children and young people with SEND, and their parents or carers, can access free, impartial, and confidential advice.

The service is a statutory requirement under the Children and Families Act 2014, which ensures that every local authority provides families with support to help them understand their rights, make informed decisions, and navigate education, health and social care processes.

SENDIASS is available to:

• children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND, whether or not they have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• parents and carers of children and young people with SEND living in or accessing education in West Berkshire

The service can help with:

• understanding the SEND process and statutory rights
• applying for and maintaining SEN Support or EHCPs
• preparing for and attending meetings with schools or local services
• support with mediation or SEND tribunals
• signposting to additional local support services and networks

West Berkshire commissions this service to ensure that families receive the guidance they need to secure the right provision and to feel confident in the support available to their children.

As part of the upcoming recommissioning of this statutory service, we are seeking feedback from families and stakeholders to understand how well the current service meets local needs and how it could be improved. This builds on the work already undertaken, including:

• reviewing the current SENDIASS contract and delivery model with Rose Road
• gathering input from the Parent Carer Forum and local schools
• benchmarking with neighbouring local authorities to understand variations in delivery and funding
• engaging with internal teams and SEND stakeholders to identify strengths and areas for improvement

Why we want your views

We are seeking feedback from parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) about their experiences with the West Berkshire SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service). Your views are vital in helping us evaluate and improve the service, so we can make sure it continues to meet the needs of our families.

How to take part

If you'd like to tell us about your experiences with the service, please complete our survey by midnight on Friday, 22 August 2025. It should take about five minutes.

Complete our survey

If you have any questions about the survey, please email our School Improvement Adviser (IT and Strategic Education)

For general enquiries about our SEND local offer, please visit our webpage here.

What happens next

The feedback gathered from this survey will be used to:

• inform the recommissioning of the SENDIASS service and shape the new service specification
• ensure that the future service meets statutory requirements and reflects the needs of West Berkshire families
• highlight areas where families would like additional support or improvements

Once the survey closes, responses will be analysed and shared with the commissioning team. Key findings will also be summarised for stakeholders to demonstrate how feedback has influenced the service design.