Wiltshire Council is due to host its first in a series of SEND (Special Educational Needs and or Disabilities) events across the county.

According to the local authority, it’s an opportunity for families to be “open and honest about their experiences”.

The first session for parent carers will be held on Tuesday, October 1, at 9.30am at The Vale Community Campus in Pewsey.

READ MORE: Wiltshire Council's cabinet approves new SEND strategy

The strategy was signed by key stakeholders, including the BSW ICB, Wiltshire Parent Carer Council, and Nathan Huntley, a young person with SEND.The strategy was signed by key stakeholders, including the BSW ICB, Wiltshire Parent Carer Council, and Nathan Huntley, a young person with SEND. (Image: Wiltshire Council) This comes a few weeks after a new plan designed to improve support for children SEND and those in Alternative Provision (AP) was approved by Wiltshire Council’s cabinet.

The strategy is called “Meeting Needs Together – ambitious for all” and lays out how the council will support families, children and young people with SEND over the next five years.

Wiltshire Council is urging SEND families to attend the events planned in the first half of October.

SEE ALSO: Wiltshire Council gets £67m funding to support SEND in county

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for SEND, said: “I would encourage SEND families to join us at one of these sessions as it's a great opportunity to find out more about the latest updates as well as a chance for them to have their say. 

“Being able to meet with families, whether it's face-to-face or virtually, is an invaluable way for parent carers to engage with us.

“We want people to be open and honest about their experiences, so we can understand the best way to support and work together.”

After Pewsey, the next events are held in Salisbury on Monday, October 7 at 10am (The Training Room, St Mark's Church of England Junior School, Brunel Academies Trust, Somerset Road, Salisbury, SP1 3BL), online on Tuesday, October 8 at 6pm (Teams), in Chippenham on Thursday, October 10 at 10am (Monkton Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 1ER), and in Melksham on Monday, October 14 at 1.00pm (Melksham House, 27 Market Pl, Melksham, SN12 6ES).

The new SEND strategy vision is to “create a future where every young person in Wiltshire has the tools and support needed to thrive and achieve their dreams”.

It reads: “We want to support children and young people to be aspirational and hopeful, to increase their confidence, to have the resources to live the futures they want to live and to foster a culture of empowerment and inclusion.”