This online course introduces partnership with families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It is designed for school and SEND service professionals in England who want a clearer understanding of respectful involvement and shared communication.
This free course explores family expertise, participation principles, rights awareness and the pressures families may experience. It also explains rebuilding trust, meaningful co-production and the contribution of parent carer forums, while retaining professional responsibilities and boundaries.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Families bring knowledge that can improve understanding of a child’s experiences. Clear communication and reliable follow-through help professionals respond to concerns and recognise barriers created by service arrangements.
This course will help you to:
- Recognise family expertise alongside professional knowledge
- Keep the child or young person’s own views visible
- Understand participation within the England SEND framework
- Identify reliable information and independent advice routes
- Acknowledge structural pressures without blaming families
- Recognise approaches that can support trust over time
- Make everyday communication more accessible
- Distinguish consultation from meaningful co-production
- Understand the contribution and limits of parent carer forums
- Connect family feedback with accountable service review
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define SEND parent partnership, participation and co-production
- Describe how family knowledge contributes to shared understanding
- Outline the England participation principles and advice routes
- Explain child and young person voice alongside family views
- Identify pressures that can affect parent carers
- Describe approaches for rebuilding trust and responding to disagreement
- Give examples of inclusive, two-way communication
- Explain recording and sensitive-information boundaries
- Describe meaningful service participation and parent carer forums
- Identify signs that family contributions are influencing practice
SEND Parent Partnership Awareness Course Outline
The course contains six modules, covering relationships around the child and participation in wider SEND services.
Module 1: Understand partnership in SEND
Learners will explore two-way partnership, family expertise and the child’s own perspective. The module introduces participation and co-production, explains the limits of outcome evidence and recognises structural barriers. It places adversarial experiences in context without assuming every family has the same experience.
Module 2: Know the England SEND participation framework
Learners will consider the Children and Families Act participation principles and the role of the SEND Code of Practice. The module distinguishes SEN support, EHC assessment and plans, introduces rights awareness and explains changing decision rights. It identifies local and national information routes without providing individual legal advice.
Module 3: Understand pressures and rebuilding trust
Learners will recognise practical pressures and wellbeing concerns that may affect parent carers. The module considers how service experiences can affect confidence, how acknowledgement and reliable action can support trust, and how professionals can respond to disagreement while preserving rights and role boundaries.
Module 4: Know accessible everyday communication
Learners will explore preparation, communication preferences and practical access needs. The module covers strengths, observations, listening, accurate records and follow-up. It also explains privacy and information-sharing boundaries, including the need for appropriate organisational advice.
Module 5: Understand co-production and parent carer forums
Learners will distinguish collecting views from giving families meaningful early influence. The module covers clear scope, accessible involvement, resources and feedback. It explains collective forum participation and an improvement cycle that connects family experience with delivery and review.
Module 6: Know how to sustain partnership
Learners will identify signs that participation is affecting decisions and everyday practice. The module considers leadership oversight, competence limits and continuity when contacts or services change. A concise recap connects rights awareness, accessible communication, trust and accountable service participation.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- SENCOs
- Teachers
- Social workers working with children and families
- Local authority SEND officers
- School governors
- SEND service managers
No previous specialist knowledge is required.
FAQ
Who is SEND Parent Partnership Awareness suitable for?
It is for school and SEND service professionals who work with families or oversee participation arrangements in England.
Do I need any previous experience?
No. The course introduces the topic at foundational awareness level and explains relevant terminology.
What will I learn on this course?
You will explore family expertise, rights awareness, trust, accessible communication, co-production and parent carer forums.
Will this course help with day-to-day practice?
It provides a basis for recognising communication barriers, explaining responsibilities and considering whether family contributions influence practice.
Does the course cover practical skills?
It includes examples of everyday communication and partnership approaches. It does not assess practical competence or authorise diagnosis, therapy prescription or individual legal decisions.
Does it cover relevant responsibilities or good practice?
Yes. It introduces England SEND participation principles, reliable advice routes, professional accountability and information-sharing boundaries. Current guidance, local arrangements and specialist advice remain necessary.
How long does the course take?
The course is self-paced and usually takes around 1 hour to complete.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.
Understanding partnership helps professionals consider both the family’s experience and the service’s responsibilities. This course provides a clear starting point for accessible involvement, honest communication and sustained follow-through.
Enrol now to build your understanding of SEND parent partnership.
