Hello and welcome to your latest update from HPCI.
There’s been a lot of talk in the news about SEND, and we know it can be hard to keep up. In this newsletter, we’ll help you make sense of what’s going on and point you to reliable sources for accurate information.
At HPCI, we have a clear mission: to make sure the voices of SEND families in Hertfordshire are heard, and that our children get the support they need to thrive. In this edition, we’ll also update you on what’s happening locally and ask you to share your views on mental health support in schools.
Plus national items:
News: The new leadership of Hertfordshire County Council and what they are saying about SEND
Following the recent local elections, the Lib Dems were the party with the most seats. They do not have enough councillors to gain majority control, but have formed a minority administration rather than making a coalition with other parties. You can see the full results here.
In his first statement as Leader, Cllr Steve Jarvis set out their immediate priorities: potholes and SEND. He also said “We’ll also bring together young people, parents, schools and teachers together for an in-depth SEND summit, to inform our plans to reform this vital service.”
We understand that this SEND summit is likely to take place soon after the summer holidays and we look forward to being part of the conversation about how we improve the system for our children. As soon as we know more about how families will be part of this event, we will let our members know.
Survey: Improving how schools support mental health and emotional wellbeing
The SEND Mental Health Support Team (MHST) works in schools to support students with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. They have asked us to host a survey for them, to help understand how schools support mental health and emotional wellbeing and what families would like to see in the future.
You can access the survey here and it will only take five minutes to complete. Please do share your views, as we know mental health is one of the key areas of concerns for families. The survey is open until 13 June.
We will be sharing the results with the MHST. HPCI will also be using the information to feed in family views to other parts of the mental health system in Hertfordshire.
Event: Inclusive job fair – Hatfield (19 June)
Step2Skills are hosting an Inclusive job fair where participants can find out about local recruitment opportunities and chat with Step2Skills supported employment team. Further details are available here.
National issues: Will the law change on EHCPs?
We know there are some scary headlines in the media at the moment and that families are worried about what this might mean for their children. For now, nothing has changed and all SEND legislation is still in place. This means local authorities must continue to act in line with those rules.
HPCI will continue to represent the voices of Herts families with children or young people with SEND locally, as well as feeding those views to bigger organisations like the National Network of Parent Carer Forums and Contact – For families with disabled children which are both helpful places to get updates.
If you wanted to share your concerns about potential changes to the law on EHCPs, a parliamentary petition has been set up and is available here.
Survey: Department for Education (closes 27 June)
The Department for Education is running a short study to better understand everyday family life and learn more about the challenges families are facing in 2025. They would be very grateful for your input which will help them prioritise and shape future support. It would be great to make sure that the views of families with SEND are included in this work. The survey closes on 27 May and the link to the survey is here.
And finally… a shout out for Elaine, one of the HPCI staff members
Huge congratulations to our HPCI colleague, Elaine, who completed the London marathon last month. We are so proud of what you achieved. Elaine is one of our PINS Officers (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools), an HPCI rep and a parent carer. She was running to raise money for the National Autistic Society. If you would like to contribute, her fundraising page is still open.
Thanks for reading and, as always, if you have any feedback either about this update or your experiences of SEND services in Hertfordshire, please let us know.
