Mind Map Focus

03/03/2026

The Government consultation on the Schools white paper for England is now open.

We understand that consultations can feel difficult or time consuming, so we've put together a guide on how you can have your say.

It covers:
• what we believe each relevant question is asking
• which questions may matter most to you
• how to share your lived experience
• why your voice is essential
• what the proposals could mean in practice

The consultation is open until 18 May 2026. Your voice can make a difference.

We've also put together some answers to some frequently asked questions about the Schools white paper.

Read the full guidance on our website https://bit.ly/4rqO1vj

27/02/2026

New update re ADHD/ASC assessments for this area.

🔵 FURTHER UPDATE: AUTISM & ADHD ASSESSMENT PATHWAYS – LANCASHIRE & SOUTH CUMBRIA ICB 🔵

We are sharing a further update following new information received today.

📄 Screenshots of the full official statement are attached below.

📌 What is happening now:

- The Trust will continue to accept referrals for Autism & ADHD assessments until the end of March 2026

- This is a temporary extension while longer term arrangements are agreed

- There is no change to the mental health pathway for children/ young people who have a mental health need

👨‍👩‍👧 What this means for families right now:

✔️ Referrals can continue to be made during this period
✔️ There is short-term stability while longer-term plans are agreed

❗ This does not resolve the existing long waiting times families have told us about

❗ Full detail about the future model is still not yet available

We know waiting times remain the biggest concern for families and we are continuing to raise this at every meeting.

📌 Right to Choose (RTC) providers

We are aware some RTC providers are saying they are pausing referrals. We have raised this with the ICB.

They have been very open and are currently unclear why this has happened, and are urgently looking into it.

We will update as soon as we have confirmed information.

26/02/2026

💛🩵 Just look how close we are to 3000 followers!!

How amazing would it be if we could hit 3k before opening day 😱 Please help us reach that target 💛🩵

Follow us, share us, post and comment, engage any way you see fit, but please help us get those likes and follows 🙏

26/02/2026

The MindMapFocus team continue to wait to hear when new providers can apply to the local commissioning board to become NHS Right To Choose providers, and we welcome the ongoing support from our local MP ⬇️

23/02/2026

1 in 5 UK students. One SENCO. A system at breaking point.

In the UK, 20% of our students have a special educational need or disability (SEND).

At the heart of their support stands the hashtag .

They are hashtag , hashtag , and administrators.

Let's be honest, a lot of the time they are the "punching bag" for a system that isn't working. "Stretched thin" doesn't even begin to cover it.

At Spectrum Dynamics CIC, we believe technology should empower inclusion, not add to the paperwork.

That’s why we’re building SpektraBot, a tool designed to bridge the SEND inequality gap and give SENCOs the breathing room they deserve.

hashtag
We don’t have a massive marketing budget.

We have bootstrapped this journey through Access to Work funds, supporting DWP claimants, and delivering neuro-inclusive training to workplaces. It has taken a mountain of personal time and passion.

We aren't just building a bot; we're building a more inclusive future for 1 in 5 children.

🚀 Will you help us get the word out? We’d be forever grateful if you could like, comment, or share this post to help us reach the schools and families who need this most.

Join the waitlist: Link in Comments

18/02/2026

AI-powered support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

17/02/2026

🔵 UPDATE: ASD & ADHD ASSESSMENTS – THE PAUSE HAS BEEN ‘UNPAUSED’ 🔵

As of today, there will no longer be any immediate changes to the autism and ADHD diagnosis pathways.

After our meeting with the ICB today, we can now share a clear and factual update.

✅ What is happening right now

The previous pause to the ADHD and autism pathways has been reversed.

This means:

All Autism and ADHD Referrals are being accepted again

Assessments are continuing as they were before the original announcement

There is now no immediate change for children and young people.

This will remain in place until the end of February.

This position has been reached because the issue was escalated to the highest level across NHS leadership, including meetings between ourselves, other Parent Carer Forums and the ICB, and our public posts have generated a lot of media and political attention.

🔄 What happens by the end of February:

During this time, the ICB is working on putting a new plan in place for the ADHD and autism assessment process. The current model is not fit for purpose. They are looking at funding options, and which providers (organisations) can carry out the assessments, including continuing with LSCFT.

By the end of February, there are two possible outcomes:

A. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust will continue to deliver assessments as normal under a new agreement with the ICB.

Or

B. There will be another provider(s) carrying out the assessments instead, with children moving under their service from LSCFT. This will be commissioned and fully funded by the NHS.

We have been assured that:

This will be a seamless transition, no matter which route happens

Families will not be asked to do anything

Children’s place in the process will not be affected

In practice, this means your child will continue their pathway ‘journey’ and assessment with another organisation.

🏛️ Our next steps

We have formally requested a meeting with the Chief Executive of Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and the Director of Nursing in the ICB to take place before the end of February so we can be part of those next step discussions.

This is to ensure families’ experiences and concerns are heard and communication to families is clear and appropriate going forward.

We will update you following that meeting.

🗣️ About the Trust’s latest public statement

We are aware that an updated statement has been published on the Trust website detailing the ‘reversal of the pause’.

We received this information by letter this morning and, as with the previous communication, we are extremely disappointed with how this has been worded to families. We know this will have caused further confusion at an already very stressful time. We have raised this to the most senior people within the NHS.

💙 From us as parent carers

Everyone running Parent Carer Forums is a volunteer who is also raising children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

A lot of us have been through this very pathway, and the very systems ourselves. We completely understand the worry, frustration and uncertainty this situation has caused.

Throughout half term, whilst caring for our own children, we have been attending urgent meetings, challenging decisions, pushing for clear answers and making sure the voices of families are heard at the highest level, and we will continue to do so.

You may sometimes notice a short delay between information appearing elsewhere online (the media and other organisations) and us posting.

This is because we take time to cross - check the details in meetings and in writing so that what we share with you is factual, accurate and reflects the full picture. We also must do this around meeting our own children’s needs during the half-term.

That can occasionally mean our updates follow a little later, but it ensures families receive confirmed and reliable information rather than speculation.

Because of the speed at which this situation has been moving, other organisations or the media may sometimes publish before we do and may not have the full or most up-to-date detail.

Please continue checking updates on our page to ensure you get the correct information. Our next planned meeting with the ICB is Tuesday 24th February, unless there are any other updates before then.

The ICB are still planning to complete an FAQ sheet for parent carers and families, answering any questions about what is happening with pathways in Lancashire and South Cumbria. If you have any questions, please either comment or email them to us and we will pass them on to the ICB.

Thank you for your patience and your support while this was escalated and challenged. 💙

14/02/2026

Latest information re NHS Children & Young People ADHD/ASC assessments for parents & caregivers ❤️

🔵 UPDATE : ASD AND ADHD ASSESSMENTS – INFORMATION FROM OUR MEETING WITH THE ICB – CHANGES THAT HAVE NOW HAPPENED🔵

We know how worrying and unsettling the last few days have been following the announcement about Autism and ADHD pathways being paused in some areas covered by Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT). Because of this we are sharing what we now understand following our meeting with the ICB and the changes we have been assured will now take place.

📄 The original Trust Communication from LSCFT was:

✋The listed pathways have been stopped completely
✋Those on the waiting lists will not be seen
✋Referrals would be paused. There is no alternative in place.

This triggered an urgent escalation, so things are changing quickly and being managed at the highest level across NHS leadership. 🚨⤴️

This escalation resulted in, the ICB and Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust being in urgent crisis level meetings this week. A crisis meeting was also held yesterday between the ICB and Parent Carer Forums from across the area, including LPCF, SENDAC and Blackburn with Darwen PCF.

Below is the most accurate information we have right now ⬇️

As things are changing quickly, this may prompt more questions, but this is all the information we have right now...

❓Who made the decision to make these changes to the assessment service?

➡️ The decision was made by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT). This was not an ICB decision.

• Trusts = provide the service.
• ICB = decides who provides the service.

➡️ This was due to capacity pressures and risk management within the trust

➡️ This decision has triggered crisis level meetings between LSCFT and ICB Chief Executives.

🔄 📌 CHANGES that have been made due to the crisis level meetings (what we know so far):

🧠 Mental Health Support:
• Children and young people with mental health difficulties or other comorbidities will continue to be supported by CAMHS / ELCAS.

📅 If Your Child Already Has an Appointment:
• If your child has been given a date for their first assessment appointment, that assessment will now still go ahead with LSCFT - There are no changes for you or your child.

• If your child has already had their first appointment and is part way through the process, they will now continue their assessment with LSCFT- There are no changes for you or your child.

🕒 If Your Child Is on the Waiting List:
• Children already accepted onto the waiting list following their screening appointment will remain on the list.

• Children will not lose their place on the list.

• However, they will be transferred to a new provider once this has been commissioned by the ICB – they will not continue with LSCFT.

• Waiting times overall are still unknown, but prioritisation will follow how long each child has already waited.

• We have not been given confirmed timescales. We did push for estimates and were told this is expected to be weeks rather than months.

• No child will be discharged and be made to start again.

⚖️ Right to Choose:
• Right to Choose will not be affected. This is your legal right under NHS patient choice law.

🔄 Is this part of the new neurodevelopmental pathway?

• No, the long-term neurodevelopmental pathway redesign is still ongoing.

• What is happening now is an emergency response to current waiting list pressures.

🏗️ What the ICB are doing now:

• ICB and LSCFT Chief Executives are meeting urgently to establish next steps. We will be informed of these next steps as soon as the decisions are made.

• They have committed that no child will be removed from a waiting list. All children will transfer to a newly commissioned provider once this is in place.

• They are urgently exploring investment options, shifting NHS resources and commissioning alternative providers to ensure children are placed with a new provider as soon as possible.

🛡️ Assurances that the ICB are giving parent carers right now:

🧭 As your Parent Carer Forum, we will hold them to account for the following assurances:

• No child is being dropped from the waiting list. Waiting lists will be transferred.

• The time your child has already waited will be protected, although we do not yet know how this may affect overall waiting times.

• Assessments already booked in will still go ahead.

🟦 PCF Position :

• The original communication from LSCFT about the changes to ADHD and ASD assessment pathways was unclear for parent carers and added to worries and concerns about what would happen to children and young people who are already waiting or seeking referral.

• Behind every waiting list number is a child who needs support and a family who has already been waiting far too long. That is what we are keeping at the centre of every conversation.

• No child or family should be left without access to the care or support they need, including assessments. The loss of a clear assessment route must be resolved urgently.

What we are doing as your Parent Carer Forum:

☑️ Parent Carer Forums are now directly involved in crisis level
meetings and will continue pushing for clarity, accountability and timely solutions.

☑️ We have formally raised our concerns with the ICB highlighting the significant impact these changes have on families.

☑️ We formally highlighted the poor communication with families and our significant concerns relating to replacing of diagnoses with a ‘needs-lead approach’ - this will not take place.

☑️ We have asked them to arrange a meeting with ADHD North West to discuss support for families during this time – they have assured us one will take place.

☑️ we have told the ICB to check their website links to ensure families can still access signposted support, some of which we found were unusable.

Questions we are pushing for clear answers to: ❓

• When will a full mitigation plan be in place?
• When will families receive direct communication?
• What will the alternative provision look like?
• Who will be carrying out future assessments?
• How will individual circumstances be handled?
• What is the impact assessment of this decision?
• Will this be a like for like pathway?

️🗣🛡️ Assurances we are pushing for:

• Protection of the time children have already waited
• Clear and direct communication to families
• Assessments to restart as quickly as possible
• Transparency around next steps and decision making

📅 Next steps:

We will be meeting again with the ICB on Tuesday (during half term) for further updates.
Please bear with us as we gather verified information before sharing it.

📢 We will update you with facts as we receive them. We won’t be vague or silent.

📨 We are also creating an FAQ list, so please send us any questions you would like included: secretarylpcf@lancashireparentcarerforum.org.uk

We understand how distressing and unacceptable this situation is. We are pushing for answers, transparency and urgent action, and we will continue to update you as soon as more information is confirmed.

14/02/2026

Happy Valentines Day from MMF 💙 let us know how you are celebrating 🍾

13/02/2026

As we come to the end of Children's mental health week, our Friday Fact today, is that we are here, reach out anytime, our first consultation is always free. You can find us on social media, the website or email us. www.mindmapfocus.co.uk 💙

13/02/2026

Half term support from Lancaster and Morecambe Family Hub 💙

Why not check out what we are offering for those children who need a little extra support over Half Term? Your child does not need to have an official diagnosis to attend.

12/02/2026

During Children's mental health week, YoungMinds have some really useful advice and support on their website & socials. 💙