In May 2023 Barnsley Council published a co-production survey to find out how parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in Barnsley want to work together with the local authority and partners to shape decisions made about SEND services.
A total of 249 people responded with 218 of those responses from parents and carers. If you want to read the full survey highlight report you can find it here.
59.43% of parents and carers taking part in the survey told us that they wanted a group made up of parent carer group representatives to be brought together to create a co-production plan. Because of this 22 people came together to discuss what a Parent Carer Consortium might look like for Barnsley, they represented 7 different parent carer groups and services from across education, health and care. You can see the outcome of those discussions here.
Following on from the workshop, parents and carers from the 7 groups met with the SEND Participation Officer, Designated Clinical Officer for SEND (DCO) and the Head of SEND and Inclusion to co-produce a plan for how we can all work together to shape SEND across the local area. The groups came together numerous times between September 2023 and February 2024, with one group withdrawing from the process part way through.
6 Parent Carer groups decided they wanted to continue to work together, long term, with Barnsley Council (BMBC) and the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to ensure that parent and carer voice is represented across the Local Area, including in strategic meetings related to SEND. They have come together to form a Consortium where all groups are equally recognised.
94.01% of parents and carers taking part in the co-production survey told us that they think that an agreed plan for co-production would help us all understand what co-production is and how we work together. Alongside colleagues from BMBC and the ICB the Parent Carer Consortium have created a plan that outlines how they will work together, this is called their Terms of Reference.
The first Terms of Reference for the Barnsley SEND Community Consortium was signed by 6 parent carer groups in February 2024. The consortium are currently reviewing it ready to renew for their second year. The original version can be found here and more information about the Barnsley SEND Community Consortium can be found here on the Barnsley SEND Local Offer.
We are now in our second year and revising the Terms of Reference. A further three new groups are at various stages in the process of joining the consortium.
After 12 months we remain committed to this way of working and that the consortium model is best for Barnsley, taking into account the learning from our previous models. The consortium is one method of participation that we use in Barnsley, it is not the only one, we welcome a wide range of opportunities for parents and carers to help shape our local area.