The NNPCF have been part of a steering group where research has been carried out on the effects of SEND services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and the reopening of services following the easing of restrictions.
The research has been carried out by a team at Newcastle University, and they have looked at national and international data, interviewed parents, carers, young people and professionals.
The aim of the research is to make policy recommendations in case of future pandemics or emergencies. The next step in the process is to take the recommendations to stakeholders to share the findings and receive feedback on them.
The following text has been written by the NIHR Policy Research Programme. Please continue reading for details on how to take part in the project and how to have your say.
The NIHR Policy Research Programme commissioned research to provide policy recommendations on improving services for children with disabilities, learning from experiences during the pandemic PRP Reset. The research is led by Newcastle University and includes NHS and Local Authority professionals, parent carers, researchers, and advisory groups of family representatives and young people.
For the project we reviewed international evidence on the impacts of changes to services during the pandemic. We interviewed families, professionals, service leads and commissioners about which changes worked well and/or were not helpful.
We have drafted recommendations for practice and would like your feedback on them. We want to know if the problems and solutions fit with local experience. Your feedback will help to refine the recommendations, ensure they are relevant and practicable, and directly inform national guidance.
We are running 1-hour workshops on Teams from 6-15th September for professionals and parent carers to provide feedback on the recommendations.
You can sign up to participate in a workshop by following the relevant link below:
Professionals: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/professionals-your-views-needed-on-resetting-services-to-disabled-children-tickets-387005191947
Parent carers: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-carers-your-views-needed-on-resetting-services-to-disabled-children-tickets-388784634307
We will send you the draft recommendations and joining instructions once you have a place. If the workshop you have selected is full, we would like to keep you informed about the findings.’’