Havering’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Working Together Promise 2025 - 2026 Developed by children, young people, parents and carers, Havering Council and a wide range of representatives from Education, Health, Social Care and the Voluntary and Community Sector in Havering.
Havering’s Working Together Promise – At a Glance We will value, respect and care for each other We will be clear, transparent, and honest
We will improve children and young people’s lives together
We will be clear on how, when, and why we share information, and make sure it’s easy to access
We will be solution-focused and open to learn and evolve
What is the Working Together Promise? Welcome to our Working Together Promise. This Promise sets out how key partners from across Health, Education, Social Care and the Voluntary and Community Sector will work together with children and young people with a special educational need and/or disability (SEND), and their families in Havering. By signing this Promise, we commit to working together in equal partnership, to strive towards shared goals, finding better solutions, and creating a common understanding. We commit to working together to understand, review, and improve the services and support available for children and young people with SEND, and their families. Our vision is for children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision (AP) to be supported by skilled and confident practitioners, have a wide range of services available to them to meet their needs, prepared for adulthood, and be valued and, visible within their community. The SEND system will be easy to navigate for families, with the system led by leaders who work together, ensuring health, education and social care teams do what matters well, in a timely way. We will listen, support, respect and be kind to each other, even when it feels difficult. We will achieve this by ensuring all those working locally to support children and young people with SEND, and their families, are aware of and understand the Promise. This Working Together Promise should be read alongside Havering’s SEND Strategic Outcomes Framework, Havering’s SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy, and Havering’s Starting Well Plan. All four documents share a vision for Havering to be a place where children and families lead happy, healthy lives.
How Will We Work Together? We will value, respect and care for each other What this means We will work hard to build trust with children, young people and their families, and approach every conversation and interaction with empathy and kindness. We will respect everyone’s expertise, including children and young people’s, parents’ and carers’, and practitioners’.
We will achieve this by: • Understanding and using the lived experience of children, young people and families to shape services, create opportunities and be led by them in terms of what matters most. • Actively listening to children and young people and those who support them, by creating environments where differing views can be shared safely with no fear of repercussions • Ensuring families are treated as equal partners throughout their journey. • Acknowledging and understanding that family members may have their own needs and offer support (if appropriate) • Linking in with the Youth Council to encourage participation in coproduction.
Principle in practice: People who make decisions about services seek the views of children, young people and families in all work to improve the SEND system
How Will We Work Together? We will be clear on how, when, and why we share information, and make sure it is easy to access What this means We will make sure that important information is accurate and appropriate, and that everyone has access to the information they need, when they need it.
We will achieve this by: Being clear on how to access information on what is available locally. This includes having accurate and up to date information on the Local Offer website. Making sure that all information and paperwork is understandable and provided in a clear and accessible way. The correct adjustments are made for families, such as the use of easy read, visual images, QR codes, signers and translators, and acknowledging that not everyone’s first language is English. Information will be repeated and clarified, with the most important bits highlighted. Ensuring information and key messages are available and shared in community spaces such as A&E, job centres, schools, GP surgeries and disability hubs. Holding well publicised events, workshops, groups, and surveys before developing or reviewing services that affect children and young people and communicating about any decisions made in publicly available and easily accessible ways.
Principle in practice: Providing information in a range of formats, including video versions and versions translated into other languages
How Will We Work Together? We will be clear, transparent, and honest What this means We will communicate in clear and accessible ways and avoid using jargon. We will be honest about what is and is not possible.
We will achieve this by: • Being accountable, owning up to mistakes, putting them right quickly and learning from them. • Explaining jargon and acronyms, considering the language, structure and amount of text we use, and making people feel okay to ask if they are unsure. • Explaining why things are done a certain way – how things work, who can get services, if there are any limits or priorities, and why a certain method of engagement has been chosen over another. • Inviting feedback, enabling twoway communication using the ‘You Said, We Did’ approach and, when possible, reporting back to everyone who took part on how things progress. • Communicating with openness and honesty about support, settings, and services.
Principle in practice: Professionals using accessible language in their reports
HowHow Will Will We Work Together? We Work We will be solution-focused and open to learn and evolving What this means We will be available and approachable for children, young people and their families. We will be flexible and acknowledge that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. If we don’t know the answer to something you ask us, we will find out.
We will achieve this by: •W orking together when issues arise, with the aim
of getting appropriate help in place early, at the right time •B eing accessible, via telephone access,
named professionals/teams where appropriate, and contact details being shared. • Responding promptly and
following-up on actions.
• Considering and seeking out
new approaches, solutions and perspectives and working in different ways to achieve the best outcomes. • Communicating clearly and
compassionately, celebrating successes and explaining our thinking.
Principle in practice: Setting a standard for the timeliness of our communication and committing to reply within that time frame
How Will We Work Together? We will improve children and young people’s lives together What this means We will understand our own and others’ roles and responsibilities and make this clear. We will make sure that we have the right people in the right room at the right time. We will take ownership for what we need to do, whilst supporting those around us to fulfil their roles.
We will achieve this by: • Ensuring staff have the skills, knowledge, understanding, and support to do their job well and work to the law and professional standards. • Making sure everyone’s role in the process is clearly understood and expectations are managed. • Enabling everyone to take part in ways that are appropriate for each person, so they are empowered to actively participate in meetings and events. • Ensuring engagement opportunities reach relevant parts of the community – we will be proactive in seeking the views of underserved groups and individuals. • Purposefully using feedback gathered in a timely fashion to bring about change. • Ensuring positive transition experiences at all ages, by all services. • Including partners in the development of things that matter. • Ensuring meetings have agreed aims and agreed measures of success and impact, i.e. what difference will it make by everyone contributing. • Empowering parent carers and young people by supporting training needs and building their confidence, knowledge, and understanding to be able to participate and engage fully.
Principle in practice: Giving as much notice as possible for meetings, holding meetings at times that parent carers can attend and in venues that are easy to get to
Havering’s Working Together Promise Signed by: Tara Geere Director of Starting Well London Borough of Havering
Luke Burton Joint Director of Partnerships, Impact and Delivery North East London Integrated Care Board
Councillor Oscar Ford Cabinet Member for Children and Young People London Borough of Havering
Havering SEND Family Voice The Steering Committee of Havering’s SEND Parent Carer Forum
We want to extend our thanks to all those who contributed to the creation of this document. This includes children and young people from Havering who attended our focus groups, parents and carers who joined our workshops, including those from our SEND Parent/Carer Forum, Havering SEND Family Voice, as well as representatives from across Havering’s schools, colleges, early years settings, voluntary and community sector, and local education, social care, and health teams. Thanks also go to the Council for Disabled Children, who supported the facilitation and delivery of activities to deliver this document.