In STRM- SEND the Right Message Charity is dedicated to ensuring that the lived experience of disabled and neurodivergent children, young people and their families informs discussions at both local and national levels.
In addition to our frontline services across Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, and Thurrock, we actively participate in professional, academic, policy, and parliamentary discussions to ensure that reform discussions are rooted in real family experiences.
We believe that meaningful change occurs when lived experiences are combined with professional expertise to shape services, systems, and legislation.
19 May 2025
STRM hosted a SEND listening event attended by David Burton-Sampson MP and Bayo Alaba MP, where families shared direct experiences of navigating the local SEND system.
10 June 2025
STRM – SEND the Right Message Charity was formally referenced by David Burton-Sampson MP during the first sitting of the Mental Health Bill [Lords] in the House of Commons.
This ensured that parent carer voices were recognised within national parliamentary debate.
20 October 2025
STRM’s CEO attended a SEND provision roundtable at Parliament hosted by Bayo Alaba MP, contributing lived experience insight into early years SEND reform discussions alongside Raw Learning, MPs and representatives from the Department for Education.
9 January 2026
STRM participated in the #SeeEveryNeed workshop with David Burton-Sampson MP, alongside representatives from the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board. The workshop explored how SEND provision can be:
Accessible early
Embedded locally
Fair for all
Effective across education, health, and care
Through sustained engagement with elected representatives, STRM helps ensure that democratic decision-making reflects the realities families face.
National Children’s Bureau Conference – 2024
Maggie from STRM and Paula from MyOTAS represented the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and young people at a national conference led by the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, hosted by the National Children’s Bureau.
The event brought together policymakers and senior leaders including representatives from:
The Children’s Commissioner for England
The Department for Education
The Department of Health and Social Care
The Council for Disabled Children
This provided an opportunity to contribute lived experience insight into national discussions about inclusion, early intervention, and system reform.
6 June 2024
Maggie from STRM and Paula from MyOTAS attended the Whole School Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing event at the British Psychological Society in London.
The event brought together psychologists, practitioners, and sector leaders to explore inclusive mental health approaches within education.
14 March 2025
Maggie from STRM and Paula from MyOTAS presented at the Law’s Role in Shaping and Responding to Disability and Motherhood conference at the University of Reading.
The conference explored the intersection of disability, family life, and legal rights — bringing together academics, legal professionals, advocates, and lived experience voices to examine how law can better protect and support families.
We are proud to have co-authored the 220 page guide ‘Supporting Your Neurodivergent Child’ with Myotas and Essex Family Forum. This invaluable resource has already reached thousands of families and professionals across Essex, offering practical advice, real life insights and supportive guidance.
Essex parents and carers can order a FREE printed copy (including delivery), or access a FREE digital download with interactive, clickable links.
This practical and accessible resource supports families navigating diagnosis, education, mental health, legal rights, and everyday life.
Since publication, over 18,000 hard copies have been distributed directly to families across Thurrock, Southend, and Essex, ensuring trusted, accessible information reaches those who need it most.
Families regularly tell us:
“It answered the questions I didn’t know I needed to ask.”
The book has also been commissioned across 14 NHS and Integrated Care Board areas in England:
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Hertfordshire and West Essex
Mid and South Essex
Norfolk and Waveney
Suffolk and North East Essex
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Devon
Dorset
Gloucestershire
Somerset
Swindon and Wiltshire
Bath and North East Somerset
The guide is freely available in both printed and digital formats and continues to support families and professionals nationally.
Through raising awareness and understanding, contributing to professional dialogue, developing accessible resources, and engaging in parliamentary discussions, STRM strengthens the understanding of neurodivergence and disability within communities and systems.
By amplifying parent carer voices beyond local settings and into decision-making arenas, we support:
– Better-informed conversations
– More inclusive thinking
– Earlier and more appropriate support
– Stronger partnerships between families and services
Raising awareness is not separate from service delivery; it is integral to our efforts to improve outcomes for families today and in the future.
