New toolkit launched to help schools and parent carers work together

A new toolkit has been launched to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

02 October 2026

West Northants Voices in Partnership (WNVP) and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) made the toolkit with local schools, parent carers and SEND services.

Families and professionals helped shape the toolkit. They shared their views in surveys, interviews, and group talks.

The toolkit will help schools and parent carers work well together. It will also help them support children and young people with SEND.

It covers:

• building positive relationships
• good communication
• working together in meetings
• handling difficult conversations
• supporting families through change
• barriers that can make it harder for families to take part

Schools can use the full toolkit or choose the sections they need. It includes practical advice, tools, and questions. These can help schools look at how they work with parent carers and what they could improve.

The toolkit is available to download here.

WNVP, said: “As parent carers, we know how important it is to feel heard and included. We created this toolkit to help families and schools work better together, improve relationships and, ultimately, achieve better outcomes for children and young people.

“Although it was created here in West Northamptonshire, we hope its reach goes much further. The tools could be useful across different services and settings. And we would love to see them shared and adapted more widely.

“If the toolkit helps more families and professionals work together, feel heard and feel empowered to have their voices heard, that would be a wonderful legacy for this work.”