Connected - Parent's Support Group for Autistic Teenagers

03/04/2026

In April and May, the Council for Disabled Children and the Department for Education are partnering to host a series of online and in-person engagement events as part of the SEND Reform: Putting Children and Young People First consultation.

These events are an important opportunity for anyone with an interest in the consultation to share their views on the proposals - including parents and carers, local authorities, schools, early years and further education settings, and social care and health representatives.

Each event will provide an overview of the consultation areas and the vision for reform, followed by breakout groups to discuss key consultation themes – you can choose the groups that are of most interest to you. These breakout sessions will be:

- Working together to respond to needs early
- Parents as partners in the system
- Inclusive mainstream system
- Specialist support and EHCPs
- Support across the whole system and join up between organisations
- Accountability, redress and appeals
- Recording needs across all layers of support

Space at events is limited so that conversations can be meaningful and the content will be the same at each event. Please only register for one of these events, so that as many people as possible can take part.

All dates, details and booking information are available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/work-us/events-training/events-training-calendar/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people

30/03/2026

Supported Internships are a great step forward for some young people with SEND.

Today we’re celebrating !

And the amazing achievements of young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) across Warwickshire who are gaining new skills, growing in independence and shaping their futures through supported internships. 🙌

Ryan and Luis both completed internship placements at the Crowne Plaza in Stratford-upon-Avon. With hands-on experience and personalised job-coach support, they discovered their strengths, built confidence and progressed into employment and further training.

Their journeys show just what’s possible when young people are given the right opportunities and the right support.

Read their full story and find out how supported internships are transforming futures - link in first comment 👇

21/03/2026

Young people with SEND leading the way in Warwickshire! 🌟

Over the last 12 months, we've spent over 290 hours listening to, learning from and working alongside young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in Warwickshire. 💬✨

Our young people are not only contributing — they’re leading.

IMPACT, our Young Person's Forum for SEND, is enabling young people's voices to shape SEND services in some really important ways:

🗣️ Young people now sit as representatives on the SEND & Inclusion Partnership Board and the Autism Partnership Board, making sure decisions are guided by lived experience.

🎓 IMPACT has been invited back three times to present at the Regional SEND Leadership Course, sharing how youth voice is making a real difference in Warwickshire.

At the most recent session, they presented for a full hour and then confidently answered questions for another 30 minutes. They’ve already been invited to return again!

📄 Young people’s feedback is directly influencing new Education, Health and Care plans. Following their input through the Multi‑Agency Quality Assurance Review Panels (MAQAR), the order of Section A in new plans is changing to better reflect who the young person is — their story, their views, their aspirations.

One of our own IMPACT members has already received a reissued plan written in this new, more person‑centred format. This is a big step forward in making sure young people are truly heard.

We’re so proud of every young person who has shared their time, experiences and ideas. Your voices are driving change, shaping services, and helping make Warwickshire a more inclusive place to grow up. 💛

If you'd like to be part of this change, register your interest today! Check the link in the comments for more info 👇

05/03/2026

Carry autism alert cards for peace of mind. The durable plastic cards and fobs discreetly convey important information about your condition.

05/03/2026

Sunflower Extra is now available.

🌻 More control over the support you receive.
🌻 More privacy when sharing your needs.
🌻 More confidence in everyday interactions.


With a simple tap on a phone, Sunflower Extra instantly shares your personalised support details - no explanations needed.


🌐 📖 Get yours today and find out more by visiting Sunflower Extra - Shop ➡️ https://bit.ly/3DE6guj

Alt: A graphic promoting "Sunflower Extra" with a white background. The dark and light green text reads, "Sunflower Extra is here!" A contactless card with the "Hidden Disabilities Sunflower" logo and Sunflower design is shown at an angle. On the left, there’s a pink contactless signal icon, with a green lanyard decorated with yellow Sunflowers.

05/03/2026

Better support for autistic adults in Warwickshire! 👥

We’re bringing together social care professionals and people who have experience of adult social care to a free online event to share insight into how we can better support autistic adults in Warwickshire.

Join us to hear live speakers share personal stories, and through interactive activities help increase understanding of autism and challenge misconceptions!

Thursday 19 March
12pm–1.30pm
Online

Your perspective can help make a real difference; everyone is welcome.

Book your place here:

https://orlo.uk/Experience_Exchange_isTtT

24/02/2026

There’s a lot to take in from the Schools White Paper – and much that we are concerned about.

The Government has described the proposals as a “radical expansion of rights”, but it is difficult to see how that description is consistent with elements of the reforms which appear to weaken existing legal protections.

We’re still analysing the proposals in full and looking at the implications these will have for children, young people and their families. We’ll be publishing a full response shortly. For now, here are some of our early observations.

🔸The proposed changes to future Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans raise significant questions - both about the threshold for entitlement, the nature of the provision children and young people will actually receive, enforcement and the power to seek changes.
🔹The proposed new “Individual Support Plans” represent a significant change, and there appear minimal rights about the content and creation of these for parents.
🔸Placement rights appear fundamentally changed and weakened, and the Tribunal’s powers to order an appropriate placement would be removed.
🔹The matters which can be appealed and the orders the Tribunal can make also appear to be fundamentally changed.

At IPSEA, we remain committed to defending every child and young person’s right to an education that meets their individual needs. We will continue to analyse the detail and share further thoughts as soon as we can.

23/02/2026

Some highlights from the White paper.

All schools will have to create an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for every child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) that clearly set out the help a child will receive, the government has announced today. The support will follow a national framework and be tailored by teachers and...

23/02/2026

Govt White paper is finally here.

Generational reforms to transform outcomes for children with SEND and end one size fits all approach.

07/02/2026

Important information about submitting an EHCP in Warwickshire.

We have heard from a few parents that they were told by their child's school that Warwickshire County Council are no longer accepting requests for EHCPs - this is false (and would be unlawful).

The update below explains the information that was sent to schools. The project was trying to automate the process so that information from schools and families went straight into the database rather than it being on separate documents - this has caused challenges (mainly with the save and complete later function) so the process is reverting to word documents for school requests after half term.

The parent request form is staying online but the save and return function wil be removed and there will be a separate document that explains the questions you will be asked so you can have the information you need together before starting the process.

We tried to use one form for both the parent request and the family views but this has been confusing with SENDAR sometimes ending up with two requests for the same child / young person so these are now going to be separate with the family views for school requests going back to a word document - the school should work with you to do this document as part of the submission but you can send in your views separately if you would prefer.

05/02/2026

Words fail me at this shocking display of ignorance ! Shame on you Amanda Spielman. 😡

Conservative peer and former Ofsted chair Baroness Spielman talks to Sienna Rodgers about the SEND crisis, her time at the regulator and why some p...