National Network of Parent Carer Forums

16/06/2026

Some really helpful information from Dingley's Promise 💡

Still struggling to identify emerging SEND needs? Looking for a simple, time-effective way to assess need and plan next steps?

Dingley's Promise worked in collaboration with the Department for Education to create a practical SEND Assessment Guidance and Toolkit for early years educators.

Built around a child-centred, strengths-based approach, the guidance helps educators identify emerging or existing needs, track progress, and respond quickly with the right support for each child.

Designed to reduce unnecessary paperwork and support confident decision-making, it's a must-have, practical resource for any early years setting.

Download the guidance and accompanying handbook via our website: https://buff.ly/CxF7mIj

16/06/2026

NNPCF Update: Consultation on EOTAS

The Department for Education has confirmed that it intends to launch a consultation on Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) in the coming weeks.

This follows concerns raised during the SEND Reform consultation that there was limited information about how the proposed reforms would affect children and young people currently receiving EOTAS provision. The NNPCF understands the importance of EOTAS, and that is it a vital provision for some children and young people whose needs cannot be met within a school setting.

The Government has stated that children and young people accessing EOTAS will be considered within the future SEND system and that the consultation will seek views on how EOTAS should operate going forward.

The NNPCF welcomes the opportunity for families, Parent Carer Forums and wider stakeholders to contribute to this important discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, what consideration was given to education otherwise than in school or at school (EOTIS/EOTAS) provision when developing the White Pa...

05/06/2026

The Department for Education has announced the appointment of a national panel of experts to help shape the future SEND system, with the aim of ensuring that children and young people with SEND receive better support in every classroom.

The NNPCF welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important work and to ensure that parent carer voices are reflected in the development of the future system.

Read the full NNPCF statement here:

The Department for Education has announced the appointment of a national panel of experts to help shape the future SEND system, ensuring that children and young people with SEND receive better supp…

05/06/2026

📢 Experts at Hand – New Government Guidance Published

The Department for Education have published the Year 1 guidance for the new Experts at Hand programme, a key part of the SEND reforms.

The guidance confirms that Parent Carer Forums should be involved in the strategic planning, governance, commissioning and co-production of local Experts at Hand offers, helping to shape how specialist support is delivered in mainstream settings.

NNPCF has published a short statement outlining what this means for Parent Carer Forums and why engagement in local discussions will be important over the coming months.

📄 Read the NNPCF statement:

The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) welcomes the publication of the Department for Education’s Developing and delivering the Experts at Hand offer in year 1: supporting guidan…

19/05/2026

The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) has now submitted its response to the Department for Education consultation: SEND Reform – Putting Children and Young People First.

Views and experiences of the SEND system will naturally differ, and no single response can fully reflect every individual perspective. This submission has been shaped by feedback shared through Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) across England, informed by engagement with the families they represent locally.

NNPCF representatives and PCF members are parent carers themselves, many with direct lived experience of a system that has not always worked effectively for their own children and young people. Ensuring parent carer and CYP voices remain central to both SEND reform and implementation continues to be a key priority.

Every response submitted by individual parent carers, children and young people, alongside those who support or represent them, is important. All experiences, perspectives and concerns should be heard and considered as part of shaping future reform.

Please see the link to our response here: https://nnpcf.org.uk/2026/05/19/nnpcf-response-to-the-dfe-consultation-send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-first/

The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) has now submitted its response to the Department for Education consultation: SEND Reform – Putting Children and Young People First. The resp…

28/04/2026

We would like to signpost you to https://easyread.co.uk

They offer a free easy read version of news and current affairs which may be helpful for our families.

This link shows how they have reported recent news in special educational needs: https://easyread.co.uk/feed?q=special+educational+needs&view_mode=cards&commit=Search

This is a demonstration site of the EasyMaker application from Photosymbols and how it can be used to automatically create Easy Read from original news stories that are often complex.

28/04/2026

Dingley's Promise are hosting a series of facilitated online sessions for parents of children with SEND under 8 to discuss early education.

On 23rd February, the Department for Education published its SEND white paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, outlining plans to reform support across early years, schools and colleges. These online sessions will explore the key proposals, break down the consultation, and give families the opportunity to share their experiences, discuss concerns, and have their voices heard.

Session dates & times:
- Tuesday 12th May, 12–1pm
- Wednesday 13th May, 6–7pm
- Thursday 14th May, 6–7pm

Sign up via Eventbrite: https://dingley-parentconsultation.eventbrite.co.uk

28/04/2026

Take a look below ⬇️

We want to understand the experiences of parents of young children (aged 0–5) in England who may need extra support, have learning differences, or whose development is raising questions.

We’re running a short questionnaire - it should take no more than 10 minutes to complete: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ContactEY2026

If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

21/04/2026

The following from Dingley's Promise may be of interest......

On Monday 23rd February, the Department for Education published its schools white paper Every Child Achieving and Thriving, which sets out plans to reform special educational needs and disability (SEND) support across early years, schools and colleges. Alongside this, a national consultation titled Putting Children and Young People First is open until 18th May 2026.

As early years SEND specialists, Dingley’s Promise is hosting a series of face-to-face engagement events for parents of children with SEND under 8 years of age, between April 20th and May 14th. These sessions will explore the key proposals in the whitepaper, break down the consultation questions, and provide families with the opportunity to share their experiences and have their voices heard.

We would really appreciate your support in sharing these events with families, colleagues, and local contacts who may benefit, particularly those working with or supporting children with SEND in the early years.

You can view the dates for all of the upcoming events and find registration links on our website: https://dingley.org.uk/send-reform-engagement-events/

Thank you for your continued support.