Things to Read, Things to Do, Places to Go & more… 29th March 2018 Dear All First of all, thank you to all the parents who come to the consultation on additional SEN places on 27th March. It was a lively debate and we will publish our report in this newsletter after Easter. In the meantime, this is a bit of a bumper edition… we’re taking the chance of a few nonschool/working days to include all sorts of extra things… The serious stuff 1. Transfers from Statements to EHCPs 2. Kingston's Education Budget for 2018/9- point of clarification 3. And a Consultation regarding Kingston’s SEND provision The practical stuff 4. Things to Do, Places to Go – including activities, Ruils sitting & befriending service, Online Safety and parent workshops News and insights 5. Rights in Reality (ie what the law actually does) 6. Council for Disabled Children - March newsletter – highlights 7. In brief 8. Tweets from @SENDFamilyVoice 9. Lots on Autism – lots ! And more 10. More about the Local Offer and who to contact 11. Dorset orchestra forms 'first ensemble of disabled musicians'
1. Transfers from Statements to EHCPs - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Two days to go until the statutory deadline of 31st March. Here’s a reminder of our FAQ document on Transfers from Statements to EHCPs: http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/golden-binder Remember, the deadline is not our (parents) deadline. It is the Local Authority’s (Achieving for Children) deadline. We must be happy that the EHC Plan is accurate. The EHC Plan is a legal document and is binding. If you are having any difficulty. do get in touch with us as we have agreed with the SEN team that we can contact them on behalf of any parent who is unhappy or has a problem. T: 07469 746 145 E: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com
2. Kingston's School Budget - clarification Following on from our last newsletter, dated 24th March…
The discussion
This report and its recommendations were discussed at RBK’s Children & Adult Services Committee on 22nd March. To watch the Committee meeting, look here, going in at c 0.48 minutes: https://kingston.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/280457
Point of clarification Counsellor Richard Hudson, Chair of the above and Kingston’s Children's Social Care and Health portfolio holder, asked that we make a point of clarification regarding the source of the £1.3million. We wrote: “Additionally, RBK are proposing to reduce the schools budget further by £1.3 million” “I must ask you to correct a serious error on school funding, the £1.3m is not being taken from schools it is staying in schools but being reallocated to the high needs block - i.e. to SEN. Additionally £300k of the £1.3m transferred to the high needs block had already been approved by the school’s forum. Here are the links to see the committee [see above] and access the committee papers.” Item 6 on this webpage: https://moderngov.kingston.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=611&MId=8255
3. And a Consultation regarding Kingston’s SEND provision Achieving for Children are very interested in hearing the views of all stakeholders on ways to meet future Kingston's SEND needs for children and young people in a different & earlier, more proactive ways. Initial consultative events were held last week for all local mainstream school professionals, Heads and SENCO's, as well as one for parents, where 'A New SEND World' was presented. The slides from this event have now been put on to the Local Offer (see link below) and we would urge all Kingston parents to look at these. They include a flavour of the future possibilities and 5 specific areas for comment: Inclusion, Day to Day Support, Difficult Times, Educational Psychology and EHCP Progress. https://5f2fe3253cd1dfa0d089bf8b2cdb6a1dc2999fecbc372702016c.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/3 320/RBK_SEND_school_consultation_March_2018.pdf An online consultation will also be launched shortly, in early April and all are invited to respond as it will run only until the end of the month. If anyone would like to send in their views ahead of this, they are invited to do so by email to Julia Hunt: E: julia.hunt@achievingforchildren.org.uk
4. Things to Do, Places to Go Easter Activities A reminder to look to the Local Offer website for events and activities – or contact the website direct through their Contact Us page https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer/events
Movers and Makers Holiday Playscheme Do you have a primary-aged child with a moderate to mild special need who would like to attend a fun activity day this Easter? Is your child between ages 6 and 12? Can they take part in a small group within a primary school setting, if supported by trained staff?
https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer/events/26867-movers-and-makers-holidayplayscheme?date=2018-04-09
The Sitting & Befriending Service from Ruils “We can help find a Sitter/Befriender to support your family, give you a break from caring or to be a companion to your child or teenager helping them to access social and leisure activities. Sitters are interviewed, DBS checked, referenced and trained. Families do need to pay for the befriender, however we take away all the hassle of being an employer, and finding and training staff etc. The service has been successful in Richmond and we are excited about bringing it to Kingston borough at the end of April this year. T: 020 8831 6083 E: info@ruils.co.uk W: http://www.ruils.co.uk/services/sitting-befriending/
Online Safety Mindful that our children and young people may enjoy the internet and all it has to offer… here is a reminder of our pages on online safety: http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/online-safety/ Plus a link to the latest edition of Digital Parenting: https://parentzone.org.uk/system/files/attachments/Digital_Parenting_6_0.pdf
FestABLE “The UK’s first National Festival of Specialist Learning will bring together young people, parents and professionals to debate, challenge, learn and to look for solutions facing young people with disabilities in specialist learning. FestABLE is driven by young people with disabilities and learning difficulties and their families, engaging professionals from all sectors who work with them. Anyone who is working towards enabling young people with disabilities to achieve better outcomes is welcome.” Follow this link for more information and booking. The ticket price for parents is £15, under 16’s and carers are free. http://www.festable.org/
Kingston Mencap - Annual Railway Outing Free entry and free train rides plus cakes and refreshments! Wheelchairs can be taken on some trains. Sunday 17th June - 2pm to 5pm Thames Ditton Model Railway Claygate Lane, Thames Ditton, KT7 0DL For more information, please contact Kingston Mencap on: T: 0208 547 4700
Are you concerned about your child’s behaviour at home? Would you like to talk to a member of Achieving for Children’s Educational Psychology or Emotional Health teams about this? Please come along to one of these workshops (booking details below): For parents of children, 8 to 12 years: Thursday 19 April ,2018, 9.30am to 12.30pm The Moor Lane Centre, Moor Lane, Chessington KT9 2AA For parents of teenagers, 13 to 17 years: Friday 18 May, 2018, 9.30am to 12.30pm
Express CiC, 452 Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 7EL For parents of children, 3 to 7 years: Thursday 14 June, 2018, 9.30am to 12.30pm Heatham House, Whitton Road, Twickenham TW1 1BH For parents of children, 8 to 12 years: Thursday 12 July ,2018, 9.30am to 12.30pm The Moor Lane Centre, Moor Lane, Chessington KT9 2AA Please contact Beth to find our more or to book your free place. T: 020 8547 6799 (Thursdays only) E: beth.hitchens@achievingforchildren.org.uk
5. Rights in Reality (ie what the law actually does) by stevebroach - Updated 19 March 2018 - RIGHTSINREALITY “Thoughts on the crossroads of law, politics and society – for when a tweet isn't enough. This blog contains general information and commentary on legal matters. It is not intended to provide legal advice. This blog discusses the law in England, unless otherwise stated.”
About “I am a barrister at Monckton Chambers specialising in public law – that is, challenges to state policies and decisions. My background is in policy and campaigning work with and for disabled children and adults and their families. Many of my cases involve the intersection between law, policy and politics.” https://rightsinreality.wordpress.com/about/
Solicitors with expertise in disability and SEN cases “I am often asked to recommend solicitors for SEN and disability cases. The following is a list of solicitors’ firms with whom I’ve worked and who I know have good expertise in SEN and disability issues. All these firms offer legal aid and will be able to advise disabled people and families about eligibility for public funding. All can help with judicial review cases and most advise and represent people in the First-tier Tribunal (education appeals) and the Court of Protection (Mental Capacity Act cases). However not every firm does every type of case. If in doubt, check the website or call the new enquiries number for the firm to ask. “ https://rightsinreality.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/solicitors-with-expertise-in-disability-and-sencases/
6. Council for Disabled Children -March newsletter This just popped into our inboxes as we were finalising our newsletter. Here are a few highlights:
Bercow: Ten Years On “What has been the impact of austerity on support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in England? The full picture is revealed in the Bercow: Ten Years On report, released by I CAN, the children's communication charity and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).” http://www.bercow10yearson.com/
Case law update 24 - Nascot Lawn “In this update, the High Court quashed a decision by a CCG to stop funding for a respite unit (Nascot Lawn) for children with complex medical needs. The CCG was wrong to determine that Nascot Lawn was not providing ‘health services’.”
https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/cdc-case-law-update24-%E2%80%93-nascot-lawn?mc_cid=e2c721ea07&mc_eid=60f4a5767d
NCB's Response to the Spring Statement “Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive of the National Children’s Bureau said: ‘The Chancellor did his best to paint a rosy picture of the country’s economic outlook but in reality far too little of that prosperity reaches the children and families that need it most.'” https://www.ncb.org.uk/news-opinion/news-highlights/ncbs-reaction-chancellorsstatement?mc_cid=e2c721ea07&mc_eid=60f4a5767d
7. In brief GPODHH The Global Coalition of Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (GPODHH) is an international collaboration of parent groups dedicated to promoting improved systemic protocols and practices which encourage informed choice and the empowerment of families with a deaf or hard of hearing child throughout the world. http://www.gpodhh.org/
SEND Team - contact details and case allocation lists “The SEND Team is responsible for drafting and issuing all education, health and care plans (EHCPs), working in collaboration with the family, child or young person and professionals. Contacting the SEND Team. All initial or general enquiries and requests for an EHC Needs Assessment should go through the general contact point not the EHC co-ordinators.” https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/assessment-andeducation-health-and-care-planning/the-role-of-the-sen-team-case-worker-and-contactdetails/send-team-contact-details-and-case-allocation-lists
Music & Magic (more from 2017’s event) SWL London NHS Trust are delighted to let you know that we have just published their “You said we did and are doing” document which brings together all of the feedback they heard at the grassroots events during 2016/17 and how they are addressing the feedback received. https://www.swlondon.nhs.uk/get-involved/responding-to-what-youve-told-us/you-said-wedid-and-are-doing-2016-17/
@SENDFamilyVoice Does your child have Williams Syndrome, Down Syndrome or ASD? Are they starting secondary school in 2018? The Child Development & Learning Disabilities at Kingston University are conducting research into transition experiences. Have a look here for further details https://twitter.com/ku_cdldunit/status/978191855144898560?s=21 Williams Syndrome & EHCPs http://www.jovanherwegen.co.uk/index.php/blog/rase-ws/ Support & factsheet from solicitors, Irwin Mitchell on children with medical conditions https://www.irwinmitchell.com/medialibrary/im%20com/home/documents/children%20and %20families%20act%202014/pls-ap41-cfact_14_%20support.pdf?la=en From high achiever to school refuser: an all too familiar story for girls with ASD - a great blog here http://blog.optimus-education.com/high-achiever-school-refuser
The new Rough Guide to Accessible Britain is now out https://www.motability.co.uk/news-views-and-events/rough-guide-to-accessible-britain/ Looking for information on how to access social care & services? Contact have updated their 52-page publication: https://contact.org.uk/media/1183267/services_and_support_from_your_local_authority.pdf Academy award-winning film, The Silent Child, is being shown on BBC1 this Friday at 7.40pm https://twitter.com/ndcs_uk/status/978304502414696453?s=21 York-based research on making ASD assessments better for deaf children https://twitter.com/comicresearchuk/status/975704347765100544?s=21 How the best schools make use of teaching assistants https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/how-the-best-schools-use-teaching-assistantseffectively/?utm_sq=fn5ummlmjy&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign =JDMakingMostOfTAs&utm_content=TSL+Evergreen+Blog+post
9. Lots on Autism From the Local Offer “Some of you may remember that the Local Offer team was developing a dedicated Autism section for the SEND Local Offer website. We can now confirm that this has now gone live. We hope that you will find many of the resources in this section helpful. You can access this via the link below.” https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/information-andadvice/autism-information This section will continue to be co-developed by the Local Offer team, young people, parents/carers and local community representatives. If anyone has any queries, comments or suggestions for future development, please contact Karen (Website Manager): T: 020 8547 4722 E: karen.lowry@achievingforchildren.org.uk
Skiing helps me take on the outside world George is autistic and has other health conditions. See how learning to ski has given his confidence a vital boost. 4 mins 10 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-43371541/skiing-helps-me-take-on-the-outside-world
You don’t have to have autism to appreciate this! A scheme to let parents close their streets to cars so children can play is hugely beneficial to one young resident, who has autism and severe anxiety. 2.8 mins http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-42722559/how-community-spirit-helps-a-girl-withautism-and-severe-anxiety
Women and Girls “Designed to support the diagnosis of autism in women and girls, this module has been developed in conjunction with autistic women and leading clinicians including Lana Grant, Sarah Hendrickx and Dr Judith Gould. The module takes around two hours to complete and has a range of interactive features including exercises and scenario-based learning, reflective activities and short film clips.” Through sponsorship, this 120minutes module is Free for the first year…
https://www.autism.org.uk/professionals/training-consultancy/online/women-andgirls.aspx?utm_source=The%20National%20Autistic%20Society&utm_medium=email&utm_ca mpaign=9229058_Women%20and%20Girls%20module%20launch&dm_i=YA3,5HT6Q,NX86NI,L AYF5,1
10. More about the Local Offer Whilst the Local Offer fundamentally a website, it is run by a person who we know is as keen to make it as good as it can be… Here, Karen Lowry writes about what she does… https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer
Who answers enquiries “Email and telephone enquires are received by me - Karen Lowry AfC info and Local Offer website manager (unless I am on leave and then cover is arranged). I will try my best to answer enquiries or signpost you but if I can't I will contact the appropriate service to find an answer for you. Any feedback about the Local Offer is recorded and required to be published in a regular "You said, we did" report on the Local Offer. Feedback is published anonymously. The latest report will be published soon.
Social media The Local Offer has a Twitter feed @ AfCLocal_Offer. I also manage this account. Whilst we will respond to contact made through Twitter (preferably via Direct Message) we encourage all enquiries to come through the Local Offer or directly to sendlocaloffer@achievingforchildren.org.uk . This is standard protocol for most organisations. I also manage another Twitter Account for @AforC_info. This is where we focus on non-SEND specific content which is contained on the community section and young people's section of the AfC info website, although in reality there is a lot of crossover.
Facebook This can be found at @afcinfopage. There is a separate group set up on the page for the Local Offer with only two members so far. But I have been posting a mixture of content on the main page which include SEND specific. It would be interesting to know your thoughts on the pluses and minuses of having separate social media accounts for SEND subjects. Let me know - hopefully you now know how to contact me! “ E: sendlocaloffer@achievingforchildren.org.uk E: karen.lowry@achievingforchildren.org.uk
11. Dorset orchestra forms 'first ensemble of disabled musicians' “Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is thought to be the first professional orchestra in the world to form an ensemble of disabled musicians. The group is led by a disabled conductor, James Rose, who has cerebral palsy. He does not have control of his arms so uses a baton attached to his head to lead the musicians.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-43407047/dorset-orchestra-forms-firstensemble-of-disabled-musicians 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) T: 07469 746 145 E: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com W: www.sendfamilyvoices.org