At Leeds Parent Carer Forum, we hear from lots of families with different backgrounds, languages and experiences. One message has come through clearly: when English is a second language, it can be much harder to access SEND information and support.
Many parents have told us that written information isn’t always easy to understand or that they would prefer it in a different format. We know this creates barriers at a time when families simply want clear, reliable guidance.
What’s Happening in Leeds
To help change this, a number of services across the city have been working together to make SEND information more accessible.
Cultural Buddy Programme: Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council has launched a cultural buddy programme designed to support services, such as ours, in translating key information for families who need it. This means more materials are being offered in the languages families use every day.
Improving the Leeds Local Offer Website
As part of recent development work, the Leeds Local Offer can now be translated into multiple languages. This helps families quickly find the information they need in a format that feels familiar and easier to understand.
New SEND Information Videos
SENDIASS, the Leeds Local Offer team and Leeds Parent Carer Forum have worked together to co-produce a series of short videos for parents and carers. These explain some of the key SEND services in clear, simple language – then translated into multiple alternative languages.
These videos will be shared with SENCOs across the city and hosted on relevant websites so they’re easy to find and use.
You can view the videos in the following languages:
- Farsi – فارسی (fa) (RTL)
- Polish – Polski (pl)
- Romanian – Română (ro)
- Slovak – Slovenčina (sk)
- Tigrinya – ትግርኛ (ti)
- Urdu – اردو (ur) (RTL)
What’s Next
This work won’t stop here. SENDIASS, Leeds Local Offer, and Leeds Parent Carer Forum will continue visiting support groups within local communities to share information and listen to what families need.
Our aim is simple – to make sure every family in Leeds can access clear, meaningful information about SEND support, no matter what language they speak at home.
If you know a family who might benefit from translated materials or support, please do share these resources with them.