In compliance with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years (January 2015), Havering Local Authority has published the comments about the Local Offer received on or on behalf of children with SEN or disabilities, and parents and young people with SEN or disabilities’
We have used a “you said, we did” format to respond.
This information was updated in October 2017
You Said, We Did
You said
You wanted a colourful, easy to navigate site with photos that are relevant.
We did
We now use vibrant colours and images that are familiar to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.
Since making the changes, a group of young people aged 16-25 with special educational needs and disabilities have said that they like the images and colours used.
You said
There were too many external links to information and not enough content displayed directly on the Local Offer.
We did
We’ve re-written many of the information pages on our website to ensure it is clear and to the point of the messages we’re trying to relay.
We know people are finding our pages useful as returning visitors to the site are accessing more pages, and are, in turn, using the site for a longer period of time.
Comparing the data from 2016, the site has increased its hits by 256% and new users have increased by 40%.
You said
It was difficult to find out what activities, groups and clubs were on offer in the local area.
We did
We’ve reviewed the layout and have created more specific menus so that information is easier to find. We also have filters, which mean you can find the activities, groups and clubs available in your local area, rather than searching by service provider.
You said
Accessibility of the site needed to be improved.
We did
We’ve added Browsealoud to the site which enables users to change the page into different colours and sizes, reading panes, translation options, audio options and downloadable to MP3.
You said
The ability to feedback needed to be more obvious.
We did
We have added ‘Give us your Feedback’ to every page of the site, including on every service record page.
We Will
Our continuous improvement plans
To ensure our Local Offer best meets the needs of people in Havering, we will:
- continue to liaise with, and seek feedback from, children and young people in Havering with SEND and their families
- work with our partners to obtain feedback and suggestions
- continue to collect data on a monthly basis that tells us what users are finding good and what needs to be improved upon
- continue to develop the layout and image of the Local Offer to ensure it is clear, concise and user-friendly
- improve the range of services that are displayed on the Local Offer
Tell us what you think
We’re constantly looking for feedback on our Local Offer website and your suggestions can help us develop and improve.