“If you give me time to express what I’m feeling and if you understand me, we can reach agreement, however difficult the issue is.”

As part of our work to build better support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), BCP Council and NHS Dorset have agreed a new set of SEND values with parents, carers and young people.

Feedback has been gathered from a wide range of families, and we have worked in partnership with parent-carer groups and colleagues in education and health to agree how SEND professionals should work and behave, to ensure families are always treated with the respect they deserve. 

The values apply to all SEND professionals, in education, health and care. They are:

Every parent understandably wants the very best for their child. SEND professionals should always be transparent and honest about the demands on services, but work in partnership with parents, carers, children and young people to achieve the right outcome for every child.

And professionals should always keep families informed and included.

You can read more about how families can expect SEND professionals to work and behave.

What to do if we’re not getting it right

It is important that families tell us if we aren’t meeting the right standards, and our values aren’t being upheld. Families can do that in a number of different ways – in person, via email or via letter – and we will explain the options to you when we start working with you. You can also read more about how to make comments or complaints at [link to organisation’s process on website]

Watch our videos

Watch a video about our values and how we are working with you.