Have Your Say (1-4), Meeting Others & News 14th October 2016 Dear All Please do respond to as many of the four requests below as possible. Our views, for our children and young people, are sought and listened to. We are making a difference…
Have your Say… 1. Occupational Therapy - Richmond Does your son or daughter use Richmond's occupational therapy services? Would you like to have an opportunity to say what matters to you about this service? Richmond’s occupational therapy services are going to be reviewed, so families are being invited to state what matters to and for their children/young people. Part 1: You can do this by ranking the five areas listed below in order of importance (ie: 1=b, 2=d and so on), then answering the question beneath. a. b. c. d. e.
Consistency of occupational therapeutic service Continuity of occupational therapists Experience level of occupational therapist Specialist knowledge of specific disabilities Regular reports, detailing specific occupational therapeutic interventions
Part 2: What does good Occupational Therapy services for your child look like? The deadline for initial responses is midnight Monday 17th October and they can be sent to sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com. Thank You!!
2. All Age Learning Disabilities Services - Kingston This consultation workshop is for young people, living in Kingston… “We will talk about what good lives for all people with learning disabilities in Kingston should look like.” 20th October – 5pm to 8pm Moor Lane Centre, Chessington, KT9 2AA For more information, please contact Stephan Brusch (project manager): Stephan.brusch@kingston.gov.uk Grace Over (youth participation): grace.over@achievingforchildren.org.uk
3. Shaping services and support for children and young people – Kingston and Richmond SEND Family Voices will be running consultations on this subject, on behalf of both Richmond and Kingston councils. The idea is to get into the nitty gritty of our community’s needs beyond the number crunching of a survey. We hope you will join us… more news to follow. In the meantime, please complete the survey. “Your views will be used to develop the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) for your borough. The plan sets out what services and support will look like over the next four years.
Our research shows that we need to base these plans on five key values: 1. Keeping children and young people safe and supported at home and school 2. Helping children and young people to be healthy and make good choices about their health 3. Ensuring children and young people enjoy life, do well in school and get involved in activities 4. Prevention: Helping families when they need it 5. Making sure services are right for families and work well The organisations that provide services and support include the Council, children’s services, health services, the police and the voluntary and community sector. We would like your views in relation to each of these values. In particular: What are the most important issues to you around each of the five values? What changes would you like to see in local services and support in relation to each value? Above all, this consultation is your opportunity to shape what local services and support for children, young people and their families look like in your local over the next four years.” The link in Richmond is open (Kingston to follow) and we can send a paper/Word copy if that would help: Richmond - https://consultation.richmond.gov.uk/afc/cypp16
4. Parents Panel for Ofsted - nationwide The panel lets parents of school-aged children give their views and shape how Ofsted works. “At Ofsted we believe that parents have a valuable contribution to make to the work of our organisation. We have set up our parent’s panel to provide parents in England with a channel for feeding in their views. This means that they can help shape how Ofsted works for their benefit and the benefit of their children. How it works We contact members regularly to seek their views on a range of topics. Recently we have asked about: parents’ hopes for their children the re-design of our reports site apprenticeships governance” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofsted-parents-panel How to join the panel: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ofstedpanel
Meeting Others The first of our informal meetings is next Monday (the rest are after half-term). You can meet other parents and, whether you are new to the world of SEND, or an 'old hand' we aim to answer your questions and facilitate open discussion on what is important to you. The first informal meeting is at Express CIC offices – they are expert at autism and related conditions. Joining Tracey and Annette as hosts will be Caroline Bern, also a member of SFV steering group. Hope to see you there! Monday October 17th - 7pm to 9pm at Express CIC, 452 Ewell Road, Surbiton, KT6 7EL
What can a school do to support your child? And what can't it do? This workshop, run by members of the SEND Family Voices at the invitation of the host school, focuses on children and young people in mainstream schools where needs are often being identified for the first time (eg dyslexia, high functioning autism and adhd). There will be a focus on dyslexia and what both school and home can do. Similar approaches can be considered best practice for high functioning autism, social communications and adhd. Both parents and professionals are welcome to attend – irrespective of borough. Please contact us for more information. Wednesday 19th October - 10am to 12noon and Wednesday 19th October - 7pm to 9pm St.Paul's Cof E Junior School, Princes Road, Kingston, KT2 6AZ
Coffee, Cake and autism… “Please do come along for Coffee & Cake at the Rose Theatre, meet other parents/carers and share information and experiences. Find out more from the Express team, who will be there to talk to you about t he groups and services we offer: Art Therapy Groups SIBs Group Girls Group Parent Support Groups - including specific groups: TYA, MUM's & DAD's as well as 2 general support groups Pre & Post Diagnosis Support as well as specific EHCP & DLA Support We look forward to seeing many of you there.” Thursday 20 th October – 11am to 12.30pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/express-cic-coffee-morning-20th-october-2016-tickets28330620649?aff=ehomecard
Was this in the plan? We’ve sent this article to various commissioners… we’re pleased to say they read it! All are interested in knowing if this is our community’s experience… “Sometimes it feels like I'm a character in some Orwellian nightmare. Not because of losing Andy or because of any of the children's issues but because my life, my plans, my hopes are all controlled by someone called "The Commissioner" ” http://www.wasthisintheplan.co.uk/2016/10/we-are-family-not-cost.html?m=1
What’s new on the Local Offer We are receiving an increasing number of requests about Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). The Local Offer has included some new links – with this caveat: "AfC follow the guidelines in the DSM-V or ICD-10 manuals of diagnostic criteria currently used in the UK. These guidelines do not recognise PDA as a condition and therefore diagnostic services such as CAMHS would not make a separate diagnosis of PDA and do not fund independent assessments. However, we recognise that some parents and carers may have an interest in understanding more about this subject. We have therefore included information on PDA on this website to meet this need but for reference only."
https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/site_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_site%5Bterm%5D=pd a Single Point of Access (SPA) - The referrals process explained… OK, so it’s a flow chart – as parents/carers, we just need to know that we can call 020 8891 7969 for help! https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1582/SPA_Referral_Process_ Flowchart.pdf Not on the Local Offer – but an interesting article… http://blogs.psychcentral.com/anxious-kids/2016/10/a-child-therapist-answers-what-makesa-child-have-anxiety/
Role Models for disability Is this something you’d like your child’s school to be a part of? It has been sent to all schools in both Kingston & Richmond – but if you’d like to prompt the SENCo or Headteacher… “Scope Role Models is an exciting new education programme which will educate 11-16 year old students about disability, stereotyping and the social model. From our experience, young people welcome openness and stories and that's what we offer through this programme. By presenting facts about disability and having a frank and open discussion with the students, we hope to change attitudes at an early age before they become embedded further.” http://www.scope.org.uk/Get-Involved/Campaigns/School-RoleModels?utm_content=buffer8c01b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaig n=buffer
“Think Different …was the heading on Apple’s legendary ad campaign; unknowingly featuring a large number of dyslexics – Steve Jobs, John Lennon, Richard Branson, Albert Einstein and many more. It was an appropriate headline, as even if dyslexics may be bad spellers, they [often] compensate with an ability to be creative and think differently…” http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/blog/why-every-boardroom-should-hire-dyslexic-thinkerchris-arnold
Access Earth From Ireland – we like this… “Access Earth is a community of people working to make travel easy and equal. Our mission is to empower more people to embark on new adventures. Access Earth members give each other the specific information they need to try new restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions without worrying about accessibility. ‘Accessible’ means something different to each of us. That’s why Access Earth members can search and share specific, relevant accessibility information based on our set criteria.” http://access.earth/ As ever, if you have any queries at all, please ask and we'll always do our best to find an answer. With best wishes, Romany (for Richmond) and Caroline North (for Kingston) Phone: 07469 746 145 www.sendfamilyvoices.org