The Rotherham Charter developed from research involving Rotherham children and young people with special educational needs, and their parents and carers, highlighting the relationship between parental involvement in learning, emotional wellbeing, and positive outcomes for children and young people.
Parental involvement has a significant effect on children’s achievement and adjustment even after all other factors such as social class, maternal education and poverty have been taken out of the equation…
Desforges with Abouchaar 2003
At first funded by the Department for Education (DfE) as an innovative project following publication of the “Lamb Inquiry: Special Educational Needs and Parental Confidence” (2009), what followed has enabled genuine and exciting partnerships to flourish between services, parents, schools, settings, children and young people.
The Rotherham Charter way of working is recognised as best practice by the National Charities Council for Disabled Children and Contact a Family. It underpins Rotherham’s Inclusion Strategy and contributes to Rotherham Council’s Participation and Engagement Strategy, making sure the voices of children, young people and their families are genuinely heard.
At Rotherham’s first ‘In It Together’ event in July 2014 keynote speaker and DfE advisor on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) expert Brian Lamb OBE talked with enthusiasm about the influence of Rotherham Charter on SEND legislation. The 2014 Children and Families Act and SEND Code of Practice emphasise how genuine partnership working is the most effective way to make outcomes better for children and young people with SEND aged 0-25, and their parents and carers.
The Team quickly recognised that the Charter principles should be equally reflected in our relationships with all the children and young people of Rotherham, and their parents and carers.