Wolverhampton Written Statement of Action

Wolverhampton is continuing to make 'strong accelerated progress' to further improve services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities' (SEND).

That is the finding of the most recent review meeting between the city's SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board, the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England, which concluded that the city continues to make 'sustainable progress' and that this work is 'having a positive impact'.

It follows a Local Area Review of SEND services which looked at how well partners – including the City of Wolverhampton Council, the Black Country Integrated Care Board, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Early Years’ settings, schools and further education providers – identify, assess and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

It highlighted a number of areas of good practice and also those areas which required further development, and a Written Statement of Action was produced to outline the steps that would be taken by partners to further improve SEND services in the city in six key areas.

The review meeting, the latest in a series of regular progress checks, found that clear and sustained progress had been made in addressing another of these key areas – how partners share information – meaning it will no longer be monitored going forward.

Assessors found Wolverhampton's 'Local Offer' of information and support for children and young people with SEND and their families had been relaunched with the development of a new website, www.localofferwolves.co.uk. As a result, awareness of the Local Offer had 'significantly increased' and people now 'feel better informed and know where support is available'.

Four of the other areas for improvement have already been 'closed off', and assessors will continue to monitor the one remaining area over the coming months.

To find out more visit Wolverhampton SEND Local Offer news

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2024: Our Children, Our Future

The 2024 Director of Public Health Annual Report was based on the children within our city and how we can help to create a healthier, happier future for our young Wulfrunians.

The journey within the report begins during the first 1,001 days where the critical stages of emotional and physical development begin, including support for parents and what services we have within Wolverhampton that help shape the early parts of a little one’s life. The report then continues the life journey into early adulthood, including school readiness, oral health, Family Hubs, Physical Activity, Youth Justice and Youth Violence.

Throughout the report there are stories from parents that have accessed support within the city, alongside external colleagues giving an overview of the partnership work taking place at different stages of a child’s development. You will also find voice overs from our young Health Champions giving the voice of the child during different topics on the digital report throughout.

To read the full report, view Director of Public Health's Annual Report 2024

NHS England (NHSE) SEND Best Practice Awards 2025

NHSE’s Best Practice SEND Awards was held on 13^th February 2025.  The event recognised outstanding best practice in Health for children and young people with SEND and allowed teams and individuals who are making a significant impact to drive change. There were ten different award categories and Wolverhampton were thrilled to receive two Special Recognition Honour Awards.

V4P (Voice for Parents) won in the Parent Carer Voice for Change category (how the Parent Carer Voice has influenced, shaped and improved services for Children and Young People with SEND, which was accepted by Sarah Baker (Chair of V4P).

The award was a testament for the key pieces of work that they have progressed and supported over the years, ensuring that parent carer voices are always heard and at the heart of all our work.

They also developed the Power of Words (POW) collaborative training package, which demonstrates how language used by a range of professionals could either create barriers and negative experiences or provide supported, inclusive environments which ultimately leads to positive experiences and improved health outcomes. 

The POW training has been delivered to a range of professionals and received positive feedback and interest from other regional Parent and Carer Forums and NHS England.

HY5! (Youth forum) won in the Children and Young Person Voice for Change category (how the Child or Young Person(s) Voice has influenced, shaped and improved services for Children and Young People with SEND.

The award that HY5! received was around the work they have done developing and delivering training sessions to professionals who work with children and young people with additional needs and disabilities; raising awareness of SEND, allowing young people to share their journey so that they can be heard and understood and ultimately inspiring change. Dr Cathy Higgins collected the award on behalf of HY5!