The Hertfordshire SEND Young People’s Health & Wellbeing Survey was developed and delivered by Public Health Hertfordshire in partnership with Services for Young People (SfYP) to find out more about the experiences of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), what is important to them and the challenges they face. The questions cover many aspects of their lives, from diet and physical activity to mental health and the support they receive.
The survey gives young people with SEND aged 11-25 the opportunity to have their voices heard and share their views on important health and wellbeing topics. It contributes to Hertfordshire County Council’s wider SEND improvement strategy and is part of our commitment to improving provision for young people with SEND in Hertfordshire and ensuring the voice of the child is central to all our work.
Young people attending Services for Young People (SfYP) SEND youth councils were involved in coproducing the survey. The youth council members reviewed the questions and provided thoughtful and honest feedback based on their experience. This resulted in some of the questions being simplified and the use of images within the questionnaire to enhance its accessibility. They enjoyed seeing how it is developed behind the scenes and being able to make a positive contribution.
The survey was open from 17 November 2025 to 6 February 2026 and was completed by a total of 635 young people. This included students from over 15 specialist SEND schools, home educated young people and those not in education.
Information from the survey enables schools, commissioners, and a wide range of agencies and service providers to gain a clearer understanding of the needs of young people with SEND and their families and improve the support they offer. The 10 SfYP district Youth Strategy Partnership Groups and SfYP youth councils will use the results to adapt local action plans, enabling different organisations to work together to support young people across the county.
The results of the 2025/26 SEND Young People's Health and Wellbeing Survey can be found here:
Learn more about how SfYP supports young people with SEND by visiting our Support for young people with SEND section of the website.
If you have any queries about the survey, please email yphws@hertfordshire.gov.uk.
