The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) has celebrated outstanding achievements across the SEND sector with the first ever CDC SEND Awards, recognising innovation, collaboration and dedication to improving the lives of disabled children and young people and those with SEND.
Brent MHST picked up an award for Best Integrated Service or Team, which celebrates outstanding collaboration across services to deliver joined-up support for disabled children and young people and those with SEN. Brent MHST delivers school-embedded, integrated mental health support that is easy to access and timely for children and young people. Its multidisciplinary team works closely with schools and the local authority, with clinicians providing one-to-one and group work, workshops and whole-school activity that builds trust and reduces stigma.
Barking and Dagenham Council, Progress Project and True Cadence – Better Person won the Partnership with the VCSE Sector award. Better Person is a youth-led anti-bullying project showing equitable partnership between statutory services and the VCSE sector in Barking & Dagenham. Co-produced following a 2024 needs assessment, it was built around shared decision-making and youth-led creative direction. The local authority provided alignment and safeguarding; Progress Project brought trusted SEND youth work; and True Cadence delivered community-based music production with young people.
Held last week at the University of Birmingham and hosted by CDC, the national awards brought together practitioners, leaders, parent carers and young people from across education, health, social care and the voluntary and community sectors. The event shone a spotlight on effective practice at a time when SEND services continue to face sustained pressure.
The awards were opened by Georgia Gould OBE MP, Minister of State for School Standards, alongside senior sector leaders, and were sponsored by IMPOWER and PA Consulting, with category sponsors including Peopletoo, the University of Birmingham, KPMG and Bates Wells.
Celebrating SEND excellence
The CDC SEND Awards recognise both everyday excellence and system-leading innovation, highlighting approaches that are inclusive, co-produced and grounded in lived experience. Other award categories this year also included:
Excellence in Co-Production – The Multi Schools Council (MSC) based in Essex
Partnership for Inclusion (Local Authority and Schools) – Mountjoy School/Dorset Council
for Accessible and Inclusive Communications Strategy for SEND – Southend-on-Sea’s Local Offer Team, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) and partners
Unity in Leadership for SEND – Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB (SEND Champions Group)
Shared System Vision for SEND – Rochdale Borough Council
Preparing for Adulthood – Imagine the Possibilities Team (Somerset)
Partnership for Early Years Inclusion – North and South Sefton SPOT Teams
The Service that Made the Difference to Me – Child’s Play Day Nursery, Penistone
Co-produced by young people
The event itself was co-produced with disabled children and young people, who helped shape the awards, design the trophies and award categories and choose the music for the ceremony. CDC FLARE member and co-chair Jacob Lennon sat on the awards judging panel and said:
‘It was a huge privilege to be asked to be involved in the Council for Disabled Children SEND Awards as one of the co-chairs. The awards ceremony bought to the forefront innovative teams and individuals involved in groundbreaking work to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as their parents and carers. The dedication, determination, and sheer tenacity of each and every nomination was truly inspiring.’
Amanda Allard, Director of the Council for Disabled Children, said:
‘I have always been struck by the commitment and passion of those working with and for disabled children and young people. Too often this work goes unseen, particularly in the context of the crisis within the SEND system. These awards shine a light on what is working well across the SEND system: thoughtful practice, strong leadership, genuine co-production and collaboration across services. At a time of significant reform, these examples of effective practice matter more than ever.’
Driving improvement nationally
Many of this year’s finalists and winners demonstrated approaches that can be replicated nationally, from embedding co-production at system level and strengthening inclusive leadership, to delivering joined‑up services and supporting smoother transitions into adulthood.
By sharing these examples, the CDC SEND Awards aim to support local areas as they develop SEND Reform Plans and respond to the changing national policy landscape.
