Collecting parent carer voice 

Surveys are useful for gathering numeric data to show that a poor service affects lots of people, and how.  

There are lots of different online tools to create surveys, which your members can complete on the internet. This is much more efficient than sending out surveys on paper as:  

• Forums can email the survey to members and advertise it on their website and through social media, rather than sending it by post.  
• Parent carers type their responses onto the computer, saving forums the time involved in entering data manually.  
• Totals are automatically added up for forums, saving time and less risk of being inaccurate.  
• Responses are immediately available once submitted.  
• Forums do not have to rely on people posting surveys back, or waiting for them to arrive.  

If you want to give parents alternative options for completing the survey, you can:  

• Send paper copies to members without internet access.
• Ask people to complete surveys when attending meetings or an event.
• Offer telephone interviews where parents answer the survey questions over the telephone.

Top tips for designing a survey include: 

• If you keep surveys short, simple and easy to fill in, people are much more likely to complete them.  
• Explain at the top why you are sending out the survey and what you will be doing with the results.  
• Use a few ‘closed’ questions, which allow people only a few options which can be used to generate hard-hitting statistics. 
• Use a few ‘open’ questions to find out how the poor service is affecting disabled children and their families. For example:  
• Please tell us how is this affecting you and your child?  
• Quote some of these in your report, as this will help motivate people to want to improve the service.  
• Before sending out the survey, ask a few parent carers to test it. They can let you know if they found anything difficult to understand.  
• At the end, thank people for completing it, and remember to tell them where to send the survey.  
• Give a realistic, clear deadline for replies. Mention how, when and where parents will be able to see the results.  

Parent carer forums can use various digital tools to help evidence the needs of children and young people with SEND. Here are some examples: 

• Survey and Form Builders: Platforms such as Google forms, Microsoft forms SurveyMonkey, or Typeform allow parent carer forums to create and distribute online surveys and questionnaires. 
• Online Discussion Forums: Hosting an online discussion forum or community platform, such as Facebook Groups or Discourse, provides a space for parent carers, and professionals to engage in conversations, share information, and exchange ideas about SEND-related issues. 
• Data Visualisation Tools: Tools like Tableau, Google Data Studio, or Microsoft Power BI enable parent carer forums to analyse and visualise data collected from surveys, interviews, or other sources. This makes it easier to identify trends, patterns, and areas of concern. 
• Collaboration and Project Management Tools: Platforms like Trello, Asana, or Microsoft Teams can facilitate collaboration among forum members and volunteers by organising tasks, deadlines, and project workflows related to evidence-gathering activities. 
• Online Webinars and Workshops: Hosting webinars or online workshops using platforms like Zoom, Webex, or Microsoft Teams allows parent carer forums to engage with a wider audience and gather input on SEND-related topics, challenges, and solutions. 
• Online Surveys for Events and Consultations: During consultation events or workshops, parent carer forums can use online survey tools like Mentimeter or Poll Everywhere to gather real-time feedback and input from participants, enhancing the evidence-gathering process.