SENDLO’s 1st Birthday: “SENDLO is a game changer”

Since the launch, the site has gone from strength to strength.

A year after the revamp of a website which shares information about support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), parents, colleagues and support services have shared their feedback about the positive difference the site has made.

The SENDLO site, which was co-produced with parents, young people and a range of partners, raises awareness of the SEND ‘local offer’ in the borough, signposting families to the services they need.

Since the launch, the site has gone from strength to strength. The average number of monthly visitors to the site has increased from around 4,500 a month in 2023 to more than 10,000 a month in 2024. In fact, July 2024 saw almost 14,000 visitors – a new record for the site.

Following feedback from the 2021 Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) joint local area SEND inspection, SENDLO has been developed to not only be directory of SEND services, but also a means of engaging with families and young people. SENDLO has already made great progress in this area as they are involved with:

• Parent/carer sessions, invited by third sector organisations to support families

• SEND information sharing events (marketplaces with 15 send support services) each month

• SEND Youth Voice group, who meet weekly to suggest content and share their experiences to improve the site

A major new addition to support for SEND families is the SENDLO holiday programme which offered  creative play sessions throughout the summer break. This was developed as a direct response to parents who said there was a gap in the services provided for SEND children during the school holidays.

Adele Curley, a Wirral parent who played a key role in creating the programme, said:

SENDLO was instrumental in bringing professionals to the table to listen to and learn from the real-life experiences of parents.

Through SENDLO, I have not only been heard but have also been empowered to be part of the solution, ensuring that future provision is better tailored to the needs of children like my son. The collaboration fostered through this platform has made me hopeful that real change is on the horizon.

The website is also a place to share good news stories, case studies and examples of collaboration across communities to help families know they are not alone. It enables parents to engage, share their views and suggest content.

Elaine Collings, a parent to a child with special educational needs in Wirral, said:

SENDLO has been a game changer. The world of SEND is so complicated and it has saved me hours of worrying to be able to visit [the website] to get answers to my many questions.

The information is written in language that is easy to understand and clearly a lot of time has been spent listening […] No acronyms, no jargon, more videos, less text and a much better search functionality. The tool to adapt the content to the readers’ needs (Dyslexia, ADHD friendly) is such a great addition.

Support services also use the SENDLO site to signpost the families they work with. Tamara Gilbert, from The Positivitree a social enterprise supporting SEND children and families, said:

The SENDLO site has been a crucial resource, consistently assisting families in navigating the often complex SEND processes SENDLO has made everything more accessible and straightforward.

The site empowers parents by ensuring they feel informed, which makes a significant difference. I highly recommend SENDLO for the tremendous impact it has on families.

SENDLO is also highly valued by local school SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Coordinators).

Fiona Barrick, SENCO at Dawpool Primary, said:

SENDLO has become more than a website to access as a SEND hub - it’s a community that is tangible from in-school workshops to local authority wide marketplace sessions. The local offer has become a living and breathing reality where all stakeholders are heard and supported.

To read more about what SENDLO means to local parents, schools, community groups and more, visit: SENDLO Wirral. Wirral's Local Offer of SEND Services.

A SENDLO Live event is planned for 2025, with details to be announced in due course.