Improving Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services for children, young people and families across Derbyshire
News update – October 2025
Have your say on SEND services in Derbyshire
Derbyshire Parent Care Voice (DPCV) represents parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.
They would love to hear from you. This message is from Derbyshire Parent Care Voice.
If you’re a parent or carer of a child or young person aged 0–25 with Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND), we’d really value your feedback. This includes families whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), are on SEN support, or who may not have any formal support in place yet.
DPCV will be sending out a survey in November. Please look out for it in the 'Latest' section of the Derbyshire Local Offer, or by visiting Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice (DPCV). It will give you an opportunity to share your views on what’s working well and what could be better in the SEND services for children.
We know the survey takes around 30 minutes to complete, but we also know how important your experiences and insights are.
The information you share helps us understand what’s working well and where improvements are needed and it will be shared with service providers and Ofsted to help shape future SEND services in Derbyshire.
Your views matter. Whether your experience has been positive or you feel things could be improved, this is a real opportunity to share what’s working well and what could work better.
The survey will stay open from after October half term until the end of the year, so there’s plenty of time to take part and encourage others to do the same.
We’ll be sharing the results with SEND service providers across education, health and social care. It’s a chance to make sure your voice is heard and help shape future services. SEND services include any support for children and young people with SEND from schools and nurseries to health professionals, social care teams, charities, and community groups.
Thank you so much for taking part and helping us make a difference.
Mental health wait times to be cut for children and young people
Waiting times for an appointment to see a children’s mental health practitioner are set to fall, following a £1.5m investment in services.
Specialist child and adolescent mental health services (known as CAMHS) for young people aged up to 18, are provided in Derbyshire county by Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and in both the county and city of Derby by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Waiting times for a CAMHS assessment (excluding urgent care and eating disorders) have increased in recent years due to rising demand and have been highlighted as a concern.
NHS Derby and Derbyshire has now agreed to use over £1.5m from the NHS System Development Fund during 2025/26 to fund additional services.
This is recurrent investment and it is for the first year of a three-year programme to improve services.
It will allow for recruitment of more children and young people’s mental health practitioners.
The aim is for all children and young people to wait no longer than four weeks between referral and first contact, in line with the national target set by NHS England.
The extra investment will mean the two trusts can see more children and young people who have moderate to severe mental health needs.
To learn more, please visit: Joined Up Care Derbyshire - Mental health wait times to be cut for children and young people
School students' video helps promote Local Offer
Students at Ashgate Croft special school have helped to make a video to promote the Local Offer website.
The Local Offer is the place where information is published about all services that support children and young people who have SEND.
The children at Ashgate Croft School worked with the county council's children's rights team and the digital team who manage the Local Offer to make it happen.
They have narrated the 'Introduction to the Derbyshire Local Offer' video which provides a fun and engaging way to promote the Local Offer.
The video was given a premiere at the school earlier this year and is now available to be used.
Please do share the video and promote the Local Offer.
New cabinet member for SEND and education
Councillor Simon Mabbott has been announced as our new Cabinet Member for SEND and Education.
Councillor Mabbott is the councillor for Ilkeston South and Kirk Hallam and had held the position of Cabinet Support Member for SEND and Education before accepting the role as Cabinet Member.
His appointment follows Jack Bradley’s resignation as councillor for the Long Eaton North Division and Cabinet Member for SEND and Education last Thursday for personal reasons.
To learn more, please visit: Derbyshire County Council - New cabinet member announced