Summer, Reminders, Recommendations & more 4th July 2016 Dear All Remember, any queries at all regarding special educational needs and/or disabilities, please ask…
Summer holiday club for MLD SEND Family Voices have been seeking holiday activities for children and young people with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) for the past eighteen months – ever since the eligibility criteria was tightened for other activities. The response from Achieving for Children is the GEM Summer Holiday clubs; these are for children and young people with moderate learning difficulties who do not meet the eligibility criteria for other Disabled Children’s Teams services, or have not had Aiming High funded activities agreed for the summer. There is a cost of £15 per child, per session. The request is that you complete the attached form and ask for a maximum of eight sessions – the providers (AfC ISCD) cannot yet tell you what activities are available on each day. So, it’s a bit of a lottery…! The age range is 8 to 18 (we’ve checked and this means up to, but not including, age 18 – so age 17). We would love to hear your comments and feedback on this offer. Does it work for you? What would you like done differently? Would you like activities offered for children younger than age 8? Please let us know: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com Application form attached. The deadline for applications is next Monday 11th July. If you would like more time to respond – please also let us know. Finally, search #summer in the Local Offer to find out what else is going on in the summer holidays https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/site_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_site%5Bterm%5D=%2 3Summer
Short Breaks – 8th July application deadline Deadline for applying for summer holiday short breaks funding (Aiming High) is 8th July… https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/394-aiming-high-short-break-funding-summerfunding-deadline
St.Francis Xavier SRP A while ago we announced the Richard Challoner School is opening a new Post-16 provision from September 2016 – based upon the Cheam PEP model (Post-Entry Programme) for those with moderate learning difficulties.
PEP stands for Post-16 Entry level Programme and is a further education course for young people with a Statement of SEN or an Education Health and Care Plan that states ‘moderate learning difficulties’ as their primary need. The curriculum isn’t finalised, but we can announce that Richard Challoner will be offering 8 PEP places from September 2016. Their course will be based on the Cheam PEP model: http://www.cheam.sutton.sch.uk/235/pep-post-16-entry-level-programme The provision will be called the St. Francis Xavier SRP (= Specialist Resourced Provision). This saint was an early co-founder of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits as they are more commonly known. One of the key movements of the Jesuit order is the theme of ‘serving others’. In this way, Richard Challoner intend the name to demonstrate their vision for the provision; serving the needs of young people who have barriers to learning. For more information, please contact: lsdept@challoner.kingston.sch.uk
More from our annual meeting We’re very pleased to show that the Local Offer has included our annual meeting reports and summary as a news item. Plus, we’re attaching the presentation from Richard Rieser on SEN & Disability Rights, plus updated advice on disability and inclusion from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC). https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/577-send-family-voices-sfv-publish-their-firstannual-report
What we identified as needs during the last year Communication and Information 1. Provide independent information to parents on the SEND reforms, other relevant legislation and local changes 2. Provide a local “single version of the truth” around the EHCP / Transfer review and other SEND reform processes to empower parents to get the best support for their child 3. Provide information on local services from both statutory, commercial and voluntary sectors Influence local policy and decision making around services 1. Create a strong, representative parent / carer community and voice 2. Ensure that the parent voice is heard when major policy or strategy changes are being discussed to directly influence commissioning and improve local services. Provide Support to the Parent / Carer Community 1. Provide an independent parent-led place to get questions answered, get advice and signposting to services, accessible to as many parents as possible 2. Get more help for parents and carers that are struggling with their responsibilities – in particular against the backdrop of changes in thresholds relating to social work
Reminders… ABA Free School - expressions of interest
"I am writing on behalf of a group of local parents looking into the possibility of opening a small ABA school in Richmond. The model would be intensive one to one tuition with inclusion opportunities in a local school. The first step for us is to determine if there is enough demand for such a provision in the borough. We would like to approach Afc by 20th July, so if you have not yet expressed your interest and would like to do so please contact Ella Culligan at abaschoolrichmond@yahoo.com"
Express CIC Many of you will know of Express CIC and their stated mission: 'creating a hub in the heart of the community, supporting young people with autism and their families, a place for everyone' SFV refer a lot of families to Express; they offer more autism focussed support groups and advice than anyone else locally. To help them achieve this goal, please take part in their survey (it took only four minutes when we did it). “Please be assured your details will not be passed on to any other organisation. Thank you.” https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ExpressEvidenceNeed
TAG youth club MeToo&Co’s new Youth Club with TAG… “is now well and truly up and running. It takes place every Friday evening, all year round, even in the summer holidays, from 7.30 to 9.30pm and is for young people aged 15 – 25 with any disability or additional needs, and is particularly suitable for those who would have difficulty accessing mainstream youth clubs. They have a different theme and different activities each week. The cost is £5 per session. If you live in the borough of Richmond and your young person is interested in joining the TAG Youth Club this summer, please email info@metooandco.org.uk NB: The TAG Youth Club is also open to young people from all other boroughs, who do not need to book through Me too & Co.
Phyz This new support group for families of children & young people with physical disabilities is going from strength to strength… Next Meeting: Friday 15th July 10:00 – 12:00 at The CrossWay Centre, East Twickenham, Richmond Road, TW1 2PD. Topic: EQUIPMENT Summer Holidays Family Picnic: Tuesday 2nd August 2:00pm – 5:00pm at the Woodland Garden, Bushy Park. (Meet by the Pheasantry Café) Pub social evening: Tuesday September 27th venue tbc (but probably Harts Boatyard, Portsmouth Road, Surbiton, KT6 4ES). No need to let us know you’re coming but we do appreciate it if you can. Contact us on: info@phyz.org.uk
Improving support To all parents & carers… please could you complete the Department of Health’s survey ‘Call for Evidence’ on the Carers Strategy: https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/carers/how-can-weimprove-support-for-carers
Please copy your response to sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com This way, we can also collate the input and submit a collective response from Kingston & Richmond parent/carer communities. Any questions at all, please reply to this e-mail.
PhD student seeking participants for research project Message for Headteachers and SENCo’s (Parents – please pass this on…) “Hayley Hunt, a PhD student at Kingston University, is looking for pupils to participate in research on complex emotion understanding in autism spectrum disorders. She is looking to tell parents about her research that will be taking place through July, August and September at Kingston University, and is looking for children and young people aged 8-18 with a diagnosis of Autism and those who do not have Autism, so she can match their performance on a task. The aim is to contribute to research in this area with a future focus of developing interventions for schools and to help parents further understand the needs of their child with ASD. It is also an opportunity for children and young people to find out about what it's like working with a scientist in a university environment. If you think parents would be interested, please ask them to contact Hayley direct at K0840946@kingston.ac.uk ”
CDC newsletter… Follow the link for the articles below, and more… An update on the support funded by the Department for Education to implement the SEND reforms in 2016-2017. An article from SIBS and Family Fund looking at the barriers faced by siblings of disabled children. Three new case law updates from Steve Broach looking at breaches of human rights, school transport duties and what education means post-18. A spotlight on NHS England's new project to empower children and young people with autism to make decisions about their lives. Member Focus - looking at The Children's Sleep Charity's work supporting families of children with autism to get a good night's sleep. http://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/attachemnt/Summer%20Dige st_2016_FINAL.pdf
LDAs Learning Disability Assessment (LDA) cease to have any legal status from September 2016. If your young person has an LDA that has not been transferred to an Education, Health & Care Plan – and if it should be – please contact the SEN Team, or go via the Local Offer Contact Us page.
SEND Ofsted In May 2016, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission started a new type of joint inspection to hold local areas to account and champion the rights of children and young adults This is known as SEND Ofsted and below is the guide for families. SEND Family Voices will play an active part in the local inspections when, sometime in the next five years, our local
areas are inspected (Kingston & Richmond will have separate inspections). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-area-send-inspections-information-forfamilies
Recommendations… Phyz – the leisure activities list Please contact phyz@info.org.uk for their list. Their list of activities is not meant to be exhaustive – it is simply a list of things that have been tried by members of the group and found to be fun / good / worth recommending for children and young people with physical disabilities.
Summertime “This summer, Role Models are running two Special Educational Needs Activity Camps for a maximum of 25 children per camp (aged 6-12) from July 25-29 and from August 30 – September 2 at Albemarle School in Southfields, SW19 6JP. Albemarle School is completely secure and designed for children. The special needs camp will be suitable for 6-12 year olds. We will do some whole group activities and split the group depending on age & interest. Funding is available from Wandsworth, Merton, Richmond & Kingston and Sutton local authorities. Other LAs may also support parents if you ask your relevant contact.” http://www.rolemodels.me/sen-summer-camps-2016/
Practical guide for parents of children with autism “This is an essential guide for parents and carers coping with children with autism. When Sarah Ziegel’s twin boys were diagnosed with autism, aged almost three, she realized there was very little practical information about what to do. When her next two children were also diagnosed with the condition, she was even more determined to put that lack of information right. This book is the result of Sarah s experiences dealing with autism in the family. While covering personal aspects such as coping emotionally with a diagnosis, A Parent’s Guide to Coping with Autism also tackles practical matters, such as education and the EHCP process, how to get help and support, and also considers the medical side of autism.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parents-Guide-Coping-AutismZiegel/dp/0719819407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464337184&sr=81&keywords=A+Parent%27s+Guide+to+Coping+with+Autism
Petition on teacher training… “Early intervention can have a significant effect on quality of life and is one of the keys to success for children with neurodevelopment conditions (3-4% of children in England) including, ASD, HFA, sensory processing difficulties, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and FragileX” https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/126146 At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament “
What is pathological demand avoidance? (PDA) The National Autistic Society has updated their pages on this – it happens we’ve had a few parents asking… http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/pda.aspx
Express CIC July newsletter
Their most recent newsletter, with details of their impressive range of autism focussed support groups http://us3.campaignarchive2.com/?u=f01719d4eb48d6a9956c5eea9&id=dc0d51ffeb&e=4a6df307ec
What’s new on the Local Offer… Youth Health Movement social media survey - for young people aged 14 - 24 “At the Youth Health Movement, a group of organisations and young people working together to improve young people's health, we know that social media is a fact of life, and has loads of great benefits. We want to find out what some apps are doing well to support young people's health, what some apps aren't doing so well, and what they can do better.” https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/583-youth-health-movement-social-mediasurvey-for-young-people-aged-14-24
Richmond CCG… “Richmond Council and Clinical Commissioning Group are refreshing their joint strategy for the period to 2019. The refreshed version is now available for comment, prior to launch later in the year. A consultation was carried out in March 2016, which has helped to inform the strategy; now we are seeking feedback on the draft document…” https://www.afclocaloffer.org.uk/blog_articles/584-richmond-carers-draft-strategyconsultation
Channel 4 apprenticeships “Our apprenticeships are about helping bright people to get experience in this industry, get a new qualification and get paid at the same time. In 2016 Channel 4 will again broadcast the Paralympic Games to British viewers, we are incredibly proud of the work we did to change perceptions of people with disabilities in 2012 and are excited to continue this work. This year we particularly welcome applications for our Apprenticeship Programme from people with disabilities. If you have a disability or work with people with disabilities, please contact Laura Boswell on lboswell@channel4.co.uk for more information.” http://4talent.channel4.com/get-involved/work-programmes/apprenticeshipprogramme?utm_content=buffer3c745&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_cam paign=buffer 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