WHAT WE DO

The Bromley Parent Engagement SEND Service (BPESS) is a parent participation and engagement service, giving parents/carers a voice to improve and shape education, health and care services.

Parent/carer participation and engagement enables parents to be involved in service planning and decision making so that service provision meets the needs of families and carers of children & young people with SEND and resources are not wasted on services, which parents and families do not take up.

Enabling engagement in this way helps parents understand the complexity involved and the challenges faced by the professionals who have to bring about that change. Working together and sharing knowledge enables parent/carers and professionals to find solutions that work.

There are three essential ingredients for successful parent participation:

Good information (inform)

All parent/carers need timely and relevant information to help them access the services and support they need to care for their SEND children & young people. Yet parent carers often struggle to get this information and to make sense of what is available. The more informed that parents are, the more they will feel confident and able to make appropriate choices for their children and families.

Honest consultation (involve)

Consultation requires a two-way communication. YVHSC will host regular open meetings and focus groups to seek parent/carers views on how services can be improved. Formal consultations are held when changes to services are planned. As many parents as possible should be informed about proposed changes to a service and invited to give their ideas and raise concerns about the proposals before final decisions are made.

Effective participation (influence)

Parent participants inform decision makers about the experiences of parents and ensure that parents’ views are fed into decisions about services at a strategic level. Supported by quantitative data from community feedback that highlights positive and negative service delivery as well as gaps in service provision.  Through this process parents and professionals reach a common understanding about effective services for children & young people with SEND and their families. Parent representatives represent all parents.