Gathering and Responding to Children/Young People’s Views

Children and young people with SEND have the same rights as non-disabled children and young people to participate in decisions and issues that affect them. The importance of the participation of children and young people with SEND is reflected in both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in duties placed on the local authorities to support and involve children and young people in decision-making. Sadly, research suggests that despite this children and young people with SEND in practice remain inactive in decisions about their education and future.

Why gather the views of children and young people with SEND?

Research suggests that listening to the views of children and young people with SEND is beneficial for several reasons. There are clear advantages including increased motivation, independence, perception of personal control and progress. Todd (2003) found that if children and young people are part of decision-making processes they can provide appropriate information about their skills and abilities and offer their views about possible interventions; enhancing the likelihood of successful outcomes. The SEND Code of Practice makes it very clear that throughout the process of assessment the child/young person’s views should be sought. Every cycle is an opportunity to enable the children and young people to be involved in decision making. It is important to have regard to the views, wishes and feelings of the child/young person and for these views to be clearly incorporated into Assess-Plan-Do-Review Cycles. ‘Planning should start with the individual and local authorities must have regard to the views, wishes and feelings of the child, child’s parent/carer or young person, their aspirations, the outcomes they wish to seek and the support they need to achieve them.’ (SEND Code of Practice, 2015, pg. 147).

Throughout the assessment/planning process staff should:

  • Focus on the child/young person as an individual.
  • Enable child/young person to express their views wishes and feelings.
  • Enable child/young person to be part of the process.
  • Ensure what is being discussed is easy for child/young person to understand.
  • Highlight the child/young person’s strengths and capabilities.
  • Elicit what they have done, what they are interested in and what outcomes they are seeking in the future.

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    Using a person-centred approach, involving child/young person and their families, is key.

    1. Things to consider
    • The developmental stage of the child/young person;
    • How they like to communicate and their level of understanding (e.g. are they able to share their views verbally or would they be best supported with a visual activity, such as picture sorting, or multiple-choice questions?
    • Whom they like to communicate with – is there a member of staff whom they feel most comfortable being honest with? Are parents/carers better placed to gather views at home?
       

    1. What views to gather?
    • Likes and dislikes (What subjects do they like / like less? What do they like to play with?)
    • What support they value (What helps them in school? What helps them less?)
    • Who supports them in the setting/school (Who can they go to in setting/school that can help them? Who helps them feel safe or manage their feelings, who helps with their learning?)
    • Long-term goals and aspirations (What would they like to be better at? What job would they like when they are older? What college courses / qualifications might they like to do?)
       

    1. How can we do it?

    A variety of methods can be used to gather children and young people’s views. Some children and young people will be happy to talk and complete questionnaires whereas others will need the practitioner to be more creative (e.g. children/young people with speech and language difficulties or children/young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties). All pupils should be encouraged to give a view, to gain a realistic view of how they perceive their setting/school experiences. This will then help highlight actions that will support adaptations to Ordinarily Available Provision and other more targeted interventions.

    For children and young people who may not communicate verbally or prefer using visual supports try non-verbal methods e.g.

    • taking photos of all of their favourite parts of the classroom;
    • card sorts to pick favourite subject / least favourite;
    • line up photos or pictures in order from favourite to least favourite;
    • projective techniques in which they might select a picture that shows how they feel e.g. the Blob School resources

     
    For children and young people who are able to communicate verbally, use verbal or written methods (adults could scribe / pupil could use speech to text / they could write their own views if they wish). For example (templates included in the Appendix):

    • Three wishes – if you could have three wishes about school, what would they be?
    • Perfect week – describe your perfect week in detail;
    • Good day/bad day – describe what happens on a good day (from the moment you get up)
    • Relationship circle (who is important in your life?)
    • Decision making profile

     
    Older children/young people can contribute to planning in well-structured meetings. Here are two ways of sharing views and representing planning of actions jointly with child/young person in a visual and inclusive way:

    • MAP – a visual way of planning for child/young person with SEND.
    • Planning Alterative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) – a visual tool for longer term planning as a group.

     
    The importance of enabling children/young people to have a voice in decisions regarding their life and learning is central to SEND policy. Pupil participation should be encouraged in all decision-making processes including setting individual targets, support plans and contributing to assessments and reviews. Schools and settings need to promote a culture of ensuring pupil voice across a range of issues and children and young people need to be taught and supported to contribute appropriately and effectively. It’s up to the adults to ensure children and young people see the impact of their contribution, as many children and young people become frustrated when their voice appears to be ignored.

    1. Pupil views within Annual Reviews

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    Annual Reviews can be an intimidating experience for some children and young people as they are sometimes asked to express their views in a room full of adults. It can be helpful to ensure that the child/young person’s views are gathered well in advance of the meeting, perhaps over several weeks. The child/young person may prefer to be supported by a key adult or trusted member of staff, in articulating their ideas. The child/young person may also wish to be supported by their key adult in the review meeting, for moral support. Alternatively, the child/young person may wish to prepare a video or PowerPoint to share their views, or to ask a trusted adult to share their views on their behalf without the need to attend the review meeting in person. It may be helpful following the Annual Review for the child/young person to talk through the meeting with a supportive adult to answer queries or highlight the actions of the review and the next steps.