Sian Smiley, Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Engagement and Participation Officer received a Special Acknowledgement Honour for outstanding work in SEND.
At the event Sian was recognised for her achievements in elevating the voice of the child with SEND in Somerset and the South West region through her work with the Unstoppables and the Children and Young People Self Advocacy (CYPSA) group. Sian received her recognition by Lorraine Mulroney, the Head of SEND at NHS England at the NHS Best Practice event in Sheffield on February 13th 2025.
There were ten categories at the event ranging from Positive Outcomes for Children and Young People and Excellence in SEND Co-Production to health and Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise and Improving Access to SEND Health Services. They saved the best for last, with Sian’s category SEND Health Practitioner recognition coming at the end of the day.
Sian said: “Wow what a fantastic day celebrating work in SEND that’s happening across the country! I had the privilege of being nominated & selected for this national NHS England special recognition honour in the category ‘SEND Health Practitioner Recognition’ for my work in the local and regional area for SEND. I don’t do this work for any other reason than young people with SEND deserve a voice and for someone to advocate for them – but I must say this is one of my proudest achievements in my career to date…really enjoyed the occasion with my lovely manager Fi.”
The Unstoppables is a forum for young people with SEND aged between 13-25 years who live in Somerset and want to have their voices heard about their lived experiences and help to shape and make changes to the services that affect them. The Unstoppables have recently worked on the Childhood to Adult Charter and supporting animation, as well as discussing topics such as support in schools, their experiences in becoming adults, health, feeling included and their school experiences. For more information about the Unstoppables visit: www.somerset.gov.uk/children-and-young-peoples-voice/
CYPSA is a self-advocacy forum for children and young people with SEND across the South West region aged 0-25 years to share their opinions and experiences of services in order to improve them. CYPSA have worked on topics including annual health checks, recruitment of health professionals, barriers to health care and co-production among others. For more information about CYPSA, visit: www.swriia.org.uk/send-children-and-young-people-self-advocacy-group/
Well done, Sian, very well deserved!
