About the project

The Every Child Thriving? project aims to better understand multicultural perspectives on child development and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across North West London. It is funded by the North West London ICB (now part of the West and North London ICB) and is a partnership between Brent Council, Brent Parent Carer Forum, and King’s College London.

Home to over two million people, North West London is one of the most ethnically, culturally, nationally, and linguistically diverse places in the world. But in super-diverse urban areas, Western conceptions of “SEND” may not translate neatly into all cultures, which can pose a challenge for equitable and culturally competent delivery of health and education services to residents.

Across 2026-2027, the Every Child Thriving? project will explore how culture, nationality, religion and language shape how people make sense of child development, SEND, disability, neurodivergence and difference, and how this affects families’ encounters with health, care and educational services. We will do this through focus groups with professionals in education, health and social care, parents, carers, and North West London communities.

Our aim is to improve the cultural competency of current SEND systems. The final outputs from the project will be shared in writing and video format, and will include summaries of key findings, recommendations, and a set of project-led training resources for practitioners in the West and North London Integrated Care Board.

The full title of the project is: Every Child Thriving? Multicultural Understandings of Child Development and SEND across North West London.