Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Youth Forum Terms of Reference
Purpose
The SEND Youth Forum exists to provide children and young people with Special Educational Needs and or Disabilities (SEND) a platform to share their views, experiences, and ideas to influence and improve services and support across education, health, and care in Stockton-on-Tees.
The Forum ensures that the voice of children and young people is heard and acted upon by decision-makers and helps shape the design and delivery of inclusive, accessible services.
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the Youth Forum is to:
- provide a safe, inclusive space where children and young people can express their views about services that affect them
- co-produce improvements in local SEND services, including participation in planning, commissioning and evaluation
- ensure children and young people feedback is embedded in local SEND governance for example Operational Partnership Group and Strategic SEND board
- raise awareness of the rights of children and young people with SEND and promote inclusion
- support personal development, confidence and leadership among members
Membership
It is open to all children and young people aged 11 to 25 with SEND who live in or access services in Stockton-on-Tees. Members will include a diverse representation of age, disability, gender, ethnicity and educational setting. Participation is voluntary, with flexibility in how members engage for example in-person meetings, online platforms, one-to-one conversations. It is also open to individuals who are in education, training, employment, or transitioning to independent living.
Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of the Youth Forum are:
- Youth Members: Share their views, attend meetings, co-design projects and give feedback on services
- Local Authority Representative and Facilitator: Provide support, adjust, ensure accessibility, and link the Forum with professionals and governance boards
- Professionals (by invitation): Attend sessions to hear directly from members, provide updates, and respond to feedback
- Parent Carer Forum (optional): May provide support or links for members but will not participate directly to preserve the child and young person led nature
Governance and Accountability
The Forum reports to the SEND Strategic Group via the Operational Partnership Group.
Key feedback will be summarised quarterly and shared with:
- SEND Strategic Group
- local authority SEND teams
- health partners (via the Designated Clinical Officer)
- Parent Carer Forum
A Children and Young People summary report will be shared with Forum members to show what has changed because of their input in the form of a "you said, we did".
Frequency of Meetings
The Forum will meet monthly in term and special sessions may be held to support consultations, evaluations, or inspections for example Ofsted or Care Quality Commission (CQC) visits. Digital engagement opportunities will also be offered in between meetings.
Ways of Working
Meetings will be designed to be fun, engaging, and accessible. Members can contribute in different ways including speaking, writing, drawing, video or through trusted adults.
Reasonable adjustments will be made to meet individual access or communication needs. Information will be presented in an accessible format, using plain English or Easy Read where needed.
Forum members will agree a shared code of conduct to support respectful and inclusive participation. By joining the SEND Youth Forum, members agree to uphold these Terms of Reference and actively contribute to the group's success.
Review
These Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually, or earlier if significant changes are required, in partnership with Forum members.
