Held across the county, the SEND Roadshows are free events that have been carefully designed to support families who have a child or a young person aged 0 to 25 with additional needs regardless of whether they have a diagnosis.
Up to 21 services are available to help at each roadshow including:
- Kent PACT (parent carer forum)
- Information Advice and Support Kent (IASK)
- Together with Parents
- NHS services
- Portage
- SEND Enquiries Hub
- The Education People
- and more!
Naomi Stock from the SEND Information Hub said she has found people are often “overwhelmed” by the amount of information on offer. She said: “There are loads of different services at the roadshows that can help you from early years through to school age and post-16. It’s a friendly happy place, and somewhere you can talk to someone directly.
The browser you are using is not supported or you do not have JavaScript enabled. Update your browser or enable JavaScript to view this video.
Professionals at the SEND Roadshows explain how they can help you. View the transcript.
"People have been overwhelmed by how much information advice, guidance and services are out there and a lot of them are free to access.
"We have found it is so beneficial for families to be able to come here and speak to someone face-to-face. Having someone who can understand exactly what it is you need and then send you in the right direction is so important."
Emelia Fox, from Kent PACT, the parent carer forum for parents of children and young people with SEND, said by meeting families at roadshows, they can signpost them to services tailored to their individual needs.
She said: "We believe there are a lot of services out that that our parents and carers don’t know about so firstly coming to the SEND Roadshows is not only important so we can find the organisations themselves, but secondly so we can speak to parents and carers and directly and signpost them to further support. Nine times out of 10 we are able to direct them to organisations already here at the roadshows.
"They might have a personal experience they want to share with us about their child whether they are just starting school or going through a transition, there are lots of common questions that can come up, but we are there to point them in the right direction."
Each service has its own table display full of information and a professional to speak to
Since the very first roadshow in November 2023, we have reached more than 500 families across Kent.
Whether you want to speak to KCC staff about the Kent’s Local Offer, or connect with community groups in your area, each service will have its own stall set up and a person available to speak to offering information, advice and guidance on what they have to offer.
There is no need to book, you are welcome to just drop in and ask any questions you like.
Matthew Bates, from the SEND Enquiries Hub, said: “You can talk to people about anything from EHCPs and the process involved, to what the alternatives might be. There is no hard sell, you can come along and get involved as much or as little as you like.”
Kerry Miles, from IASK, a service which provides confidential and impartial information advice and support to parents who have a child with SEND, is among regular attendees at the SEND Roadshows.
She said: “A lot of parents don’t know about us, and they often tell us in feedback, ‘I wish I knew about you sooner’. When we come out to the community, we can share that info with lots of people and they can take our info away and share it with other parents and young people.
“Sometimes people are directed to come and speak to us by somebody else which is great. People are surprised to find this service is here and its free, they are relieved they can talk about their circumstances.” Louisa Thomas-Knowles, from NHS Immunisations Service, said: “We come out to the community events to promote the vaccine schedule because that can get quite confusing because there is a lot of information out there and a lot of myths and misunderstandings.
“The roadshows are quite an informal setting to be able to talk to families and it’s good to be able to answer any anecdotal questions they might have.”
When will the next roadshows take place?
- Goodwin Academy, Deal - Friday 24 October, 9:30am to 1pm
- Whitstable Family Hub - Wednesday 12 November, 9:30am to 11:30am
- Dartford Football Club - Tuesday 18 November, 10am to 12pm
- Leysdown Family Hub - Tuesday 25 November, 9:30am to 11.30am
To keep an eye out for further updates on when we are visiting an area near you visit: https://www.facebook.com/KentFamilyHub
For more information, or to be added to the mailing list about upcoming roadshows, email: sendroadshows@kent.gov.uk .
