Read the feedback we received from you in 2014 and what we did in response.

Over 2014 a number of groups of children and young people have been consulted about the Local Offer, both about the content and the layout of the pages. Their comments and suggestions are summarised below:

• information is easy to find because it has subheadings
• I would want to look at the information with my family so that they can read it to me
• I would use it to help me choose which school or college I went to next
• it would be good to have a children’s version with more pictures and videos on it – like the Yorzone!
• I would like it to read the information to me
• I would like to see more information about individual schools or links to their websites – particularly on the who’s who section so I know who’s who at my new school
• I would like to be able to make the writing bigger
• there should be a big sign on it saying “Don’t Worry” so that parents know that everything will be OK

Common themes and messages from families

Through consultation work with families and practitioners it was clear that the Local Offer should:

• be easy to use and navigate, no jargon and simple language (not too wordy)
• include information of support prior to diagnosis
• not just be web based and include a phone number to speak to someone
• some feedback suggested people would like it to be called something more meaningful than the "Local Offer"

Unfortunately we can't change the name of the Local Offer, because this is a term the Government has asked all Local Authorities to use.

• signpost to useful, relevant websites and organisations
• signpost to more in-depth information if needed
• include a search option
• build up a bank of frequently asked questions
• include case studies from real local families

What we did

It would be good to have a children's version with more pictures and videos on it - like the Yorzone!

We have started to put more pictures on our web pages. You can see the final result on the Local Offer's landing page and in the Fun Things to do, getting around and discounts section.

Include case studies from real local families

We have started to bring together case studies from practitioners, families and young people in York.

You need to raise awareness of what the Local Offer means

We have produced a flyer explaining what the Local Offer is and where to find it. This will go out to a number of services:

• GPs
• Health Visitors
• the Child Development Centre
• parent support groups
• schools
• specialist teachers

The Family Information Service (FIS) will increase their signposting to the Local Offer though Twitter, Facebook and over the telephone. They have scheduled the following tweets so far:

• July – activities and things to do
• August – support in starting school and in school
• September – Short Breaks
• October – childcare for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• November – Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• December – SENDIASS

Do people know what the local offer is? The terminology is confusing

Unfortunately, we are not able to change the name of the Local Offer as this is a legal requirement.

The title needs to do what it says on the tin

We have listened to your suggestions and we have reviewed other local authoritie's sites and we have now named the site “York’s Local Offer for Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities."

There is too much text (on the site), I get bored going through it, pictures would break it up, too much information, need the text to be straight to the point, just facts.

We agree! We are starting on a process of reviewing the whole site, stripping out unnecessary text and links and rewriting it to remove confusing terminology.

The Local Offer is a bit of information overload with some duplicated information

We agree! We are also going to review the front page of the site and pull some areas together to remove duplication.

Create a “who can help list" with contact details

We agree - this is a good idea.

Who do you contact if you need help or advice?

We're looking into how we can put this together and keep it up to date and relevant.

Make parent support groups easier to find

We agree. We need to ensure that these important services and quick and easy to find. This will be done as part of our review of the front page.

As a parent you don’t know if the groups listed are suitable for your child or not, have to call them up, spend time explaining what you need, then get told no the group isn’t suitable for your child. I don’t want to have to do this – this is what the Local Offer should do

We agree.

We would like ideas about accessible places to go in the community where young people can enjoy their time safely with friends

The information listed on groups and activities is regularly reviewed but we acknowledge that information can become outdated quickly, so please let us know if you find something that needs to be changed.

We will link a separate disability sport website run by City of York Council to the Local Offer.

This offers clear, concise and accessible information, available in a number of different formats, on a range of sports and activities available across York.

Young person:

We would like more information on transition and independence – what are housing options and criteria? Direct payments....Practical information about how to get a bus pass....help with managing money...

We agree – this is all really important information.

There is a young people’s section on the Raise York website that answers all of these questions. However, it isn’t linked to the Local Offer.

We'll review the front page of the Local Offer and introduce a young people’s tab which will link all this information together.

It would really help to have an A to Z on the front page and a glossary of terms

We have looked into producing an A to Z and unfortunately this is not something we are able to do at this time.

We will be simplifying the home page of the Local Offer to make searching the site clearer and easier.

We really like the idea of a glossary of terms and will be working on producing this to add to the site.

Provide a blog for parents...somewhere to comment on positive things like good changing rooms....we can help shape it

We really like the idea of parents sharing hints and tips and keeping the information on the Local Offer alive and relevant.

We're looking into how this can be done within the Local Offer or if it might be better run externally by a parents group.

It would be good to demonstrate how feedback has changed the Local Offer, to show it is worth giving feedback

We'll change the front page of the website to make it easier to find the link to give feedback and we will include as you said, we did section to demonstrate how you have helped shape and improve the site.

The way the information is presented on the Local Offer needs to be more accessible

We have viewed the disability sports website and would love to adopt their layout and accessibility options.

The search engine doesn’t work

We're aware of the problems with the search engine.

We're looking at what we can do to improve this but we are also ensuring that we simplify the front page and the links within the Local Offer to reduce the need to use the search option.

As a parent first stepping in, needs to be a place, drop in centre, coffee place with changing facilities – Library are very happy to do something. You don’t know what you need so you don’t know what to look for – need someone to explain what things are

We're working on developing a new volunteer role to bring the Local Offer to life and incorporate this idea of a drop in centre. The Volunteer Parent Supporters will speak to parents face-to-face, or by email and guide parents through the information on the Local Offer.

Thanks to your feedback we have now produced a checklist of key information that you can find on the Local Offer Landing page.