Celebrating National Co-production Week

West Sussex has reached an exciting milestone with the launch of a new co-production charter. Local government officers, Young Voices, the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum, and NHS colleagues collaborated to create it.

Children First co-production charter (PDF, 841KB)

This charter marks the start of a strong, shared commitment to true partnership working. It sets out clear principles and expectations for co-production, making sure that children, young people and families don’t just have a voice, they help shape the decisions and services that affect their lives.

The charter is built on mutual respect, trust and transparency - the foundations of effective teamwork.

This is more than just a document - it represents the beginning of a real culture change and a better way of working together.

The way the charter was created reflects the values it promotes: listening, sharing and acting together. Everyone involved brought their experiences, ideas and passion to the table, helping to shape a charter that reflects real voices and real lives.

Looking ahead, the charter will guide how co-production is embedded at every level. It’s a powerful reminder that when we work together, we create better outcomes and a better future for everyone.

When the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum launched the Together for Change panel in Autumn 2024, they had big ambitions. However, they didn’t expect that, just eight months later, the panel and its approach would be recognised across the region as a leading example of excellent co-production.

The West Sussex Autism in Schools project is funded by the NHS and aims to improve school life for autistic children and young people.

At the heart of the project is co-production - working together with families, schools and professionals to create inclusive environments where autistic pupils feel valued and their strengths are celebrated. The project encourages schools to support neurodivergent thinking and embrace different ways of learning.

The Autism and Social Communication Team at West Sussex County Council runs the project in partnership with the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum. Together, they promote open and positive communication between schools, parents and students. They make sure autistic children, young people and their families are heard, respected and included in decisions.

So far, the project has developed:

• a SEND parent carer involvement policy for schools
• an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) template for parent carers
• a transition toolkit for schools, with guidance for families
• autism ambassador groups that work with researchers and the project team to create resources that support wellbeing and resilience

The team also created a short film to show how the project helps autistic pupils express their needs and take part in school life. The film highlights real experiences and shows why inclusive education matters.

You can watch the film below: Sussex Autism in Schools project.

 

We value your feedback at the Local Offer and want to hear what works well when you visit our website or use our services and what we can improve. We listen to your suggestions and do our best to act on them.

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve just launched our Summer holiday SEND events page. You told us this would be helpful and we agreed! We’ll keep updating the page as we hear about more events.

We’ve also worked with the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum to co-produce our new banner and information leaflet. We’ve made sure the leaflet is clear and easy to read, so you can quickly understand what the Local Offer is and how it can support you.

Look out for our leaflets in Family Hubs, libraries, schools and other places across the county.

Find out more about working together to improve the Local Offer.

This year, our amazing Young Voices team visited two local Family Hubs to inspect them and suggest ways to make them more welcoming, accessible and engaging. These young inspectors shared honest feedback and creative ideas to help us improve the spaces, signs, information and how we connect with families. Their input is already helping us make real improvements for local children, young people, and families.

Some of the suggestions included:

• adding public transport links and disabled parking space information on websites
• having a box of focus tools and ear defenders to help young people concentrate
• a sign with pictures explaining who is in the building today

Young people really enjoyed carrying out the inspection, gaining new skills, supporting staff and also improving services for other young people. They said:

“Staff were friendly and wanted to make the space better for young people and SEND visitors.”

To find out more about Young Voices go to Young Voices - A group for young people with SEND and/or additional needs.

We hope you’ve been inspired by this week’s news of co-production projects and would like to get your own voice heard. You can get involved:

• if you are a young person with SEND aged 11 to 25, you may be interested in finding out more about Young Voices. They are a group for young people with SEND and/or additional needs. Some Young Voices projects are aimed at young adults aged 16 to 25 and the team will be interested to listen to what your interests are if you would like to get involved
• if you are a parent of a child or young person with SEND, consider joining the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum (WSPCF). You can also join the WSPCF as a professional if you work with families and young people with SEND
• in influencing NHS projects by going to NHS Sussex’s Get involved web page
• if you are a parent or carer, ask your school whether they have opportunities for parents to participate or even a parent carer forum attached to your child or young person’s school
• if you are a young person, ask your school about ways in which you can get involved with the decision-making at your school
• if you want to share your experience of using SEND services or Local Offer information, you can complete a feedback form on any page of the Local Offer website, or email us at localoffer@westsussex.gov.uk. We listen and pass on feedback to managers or use your comments to improve our information
• by following Local Offer, WSPCF and NHS Sussex on Facebook to make sure you are informed of any surveys or opportunities to influence specific projects