Birmingham SEND and AP Surveys

Lived Experience Survey Feedback

In March and April of 2025, two online surveys were published so that children, young people, and parent carers could share their lived experiences of SEND and AP in Birmingham. Each survey contained 16 questions and was carried out to determine a baseline for the measures of success and impact measures in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan. They were not intended as an evaluation of services.

In this section, you will find a summary of the findings from each survey, as well as links to the full reports. These include our reflections in light of the findings and the next steps we plan on taking.

Survey Findings and Full Reports

The findings demonstrate that while there has been an improvement in the lived experiences of children, young people, and parent carers in Birmingham since the 2021 revisit, these experiences are not consistent.

A summary of each survey is available below, along with a link to view the full report.

Children and Young People
Parent Carers

Children and Young People

79% say Education Services support them, but 21% do not.
68% feel Social Services support them, but 32% do not.
83% say they are supported by Health Services, but 17% do not.
32% say their EHCP has the support they need in it, but 28% do not.
45% of those with Autism or ADHD feel supported, but 37% do not.
32% agree SEND Services in their locality meet their needs,17% unsure, but 51% say not.
11% living in a Residential Home say it meets their needs, but 5% do not.
51% with multiple Health needs say people understand what they need, but 14% do not.
21% have been involved in service improvement, 31% were unsure, and 48% have not.
49% were happy with their last Annual Review, but 22% were not.
46% have been spoken to/listened to by local leaders, but 54% have not.
51% are involved in activities outside of School, but 49% do not.
86% feel happy and valued in the community, but 14% do not.
35% are satisfied with their AP setting, but 14% are not.
17% are happy with their AP location, but 5% are not.
35% are satisfied with careers advice they have received, but 14% are not.

See Full Report

Parent Carers

55% say Social Care supports them, but 45% do not.
63% say Health services support them, but 37% do not.
54% say they feel supported generally as parent carers, but 45% do not.
68% able to access suitable school-age education, but 27% cannot.
46% able to access suitable early years education, but 54% cannot.
13% were involved in deciding their child’s part-time timetable, but 30% were not.
35% say they feel satisfied with SENDIASS, but 22% do not.
68% say they feel supported by partnership professionals, but 32% do not.
24% said the Annual Review process is positive, but for 29% it is not, and 29% were unsure.
7% are involved in the QA of services, 23% unsure, but 70% are not involved.
35% of complaints are dealt with satisfactorily, but 32% are not (33% n/a).
17% said they did feel appropriate SEND Pathways have been developed, but 55% did not and 28% were unsure.
46% said it was easy to contact appropriate professionals for help, but 54% did not.
19% stated their child/young person’s AP Provision meets their needs, but 15% said it did not.
18% said that their child/young person’s AP Provision is in their locality, but 12% said it wasn’t.
12% were satisfied with the careers advice given to their child,13% unsure, 16% said no, and 59% felt it was not applicable.