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Happy New Year!! I trust your Christmas break was enjoyable even though it feels a long time ago now!
Welcome to a new look E-Bulletin, which will be hitting your mailboxes on a monthly basis from now on. As well as providing information about all things SEND, both within Coventry and nationally, we'd love to feature more input directly from you; do you know of any new support groups for young people/parents? Have you had a really good experience which has made a real difference to you/your family?
Should you wish to contribute something to a future edition, or have any suggestions on how we can make the bulletin better for you, then drop us an email at SENDNEWS@coventry.gov.uk.
Chris Firth
SENDIASS Manager
 The Department for Education has produced a new document which may be of interest to families.
On 1 September 2014 a new duty came into force for governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions. The aim is to ensure that all children with medical conditions, in terms of both physical and mental health, are properly supported in school so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy and achieve their academic potential. Download the document: Supporting pupils with medical needs
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At the end of last year Special Needs Jungle asked their readers to
submit their Top 10 questions to the Department for Education about their
experiences of the new SEND system. 10 'themes' have been covered, all with
responses from the DfE. View the Q&A session.
The safety of young people in our schools is paramount. Establishing the identities of children missing education is a priority for all concerned, and an important step in ensuring that these children are kept safe from harm. In response to Sir Michael’s concerns, we are seeking to amend the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006. This consultation, launched on 19 January, seeks views, particularly those of schools, local authorities, and parents on our proposals for doing so.
To help analyse the responses please use the online system wherever possible. Visit https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ to submit your response.
Respond by: 7 March 2016. The results of the consultation will be published in Spring 2016.
A new information hub on the NHS Choices website offers young people advice and help on mental health problems including depression, anxiety and stress. In addition, Young Minds have created The Parent Say toolkit in consultation with 900 parents, which aims to help health professionals to include parents and carers in every aspect of how young people's mental health services are delivered.
The Expert Parent Programme is an innovative online training programme for parents of disabled children. Developed with funding support from the Department of Health, the programme draws on current evidence of the positive impact of parent lead training and empowers parents of disabled children and young people to become more confident and resilient when engaging with health services.
 If you live in Coventry and want to learn new healthy recipes, saving you money on your food shopping and have some fun cooking new things for your family, then this course is for you:
- 9 week courses - one session per week.
- Venues across Coventry.
- Morning, afternoon and evening sessions available from Monday through to Saturday.
Book now: Tel: 0845 388 2369 www.cookandeatwell.co.uk
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Supporting wellbeing for ethnic pregnant women and mums.
- Are you pregnant?
- Just had a baby?
- Feeling low or anxious?
- Want to talk and meet other mums?
Come and speak to us and share experiences. Weekly coffee morning sessions at the Hillfields HUB on Wednesdays (a.m.) and at the FWT on Fridays (a.m.) . For more information contact: Dimple 024 7663 7693 email: dimple.rajput@fwt.org.uk
Venues
- Hillfields HUB, 6 Paul Stacey House, Coventry, CV1 5GU
- FWT, 70-72 Elmsdale Avenue, Foleshill, Coventry, CV6 6ES
This short film from the Anti-Bullying Alliance was created for disabled young people about bullying. It includes messages that disabled young people think are important.
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This e-resource is written for young people with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition who may be considering a personal budget. The easy to use guide aims to help young people decide if a personal budget is right for them. |
Carers' Trust has published this guide for young carers and young adult carers explaining their rights to assessment and support with their caring role. It aims to encourage those caring for a sick or disabled family member or friend to take matters into their own hands to ensure they recieve the right assessment and support from their local authority.
 Puberty is a challenging time for everyone but even more so for chldren with ASD. This guide gives a real life insight and experiences from the popular character, the girl with the curly hair. Topics covered include: physical changes associated with puberty, periods, sexuality and dating. This guide is intended to be read by girls on the autistic spectrum and their parents. Available from Amazon.
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 Kidscape - Preventing Bullying, protecting children, are running free workshops, funded by the National Lottery, which take place on a weekday during term time. The workshops are aimed at young people aged 9-16 years who have experienced bullying.
It is a fun, interactive day that encourages the development of assertiveness skills and raises young people's confidence so that they are able to deal with bullying situations effectively.
For further information please contact the ZAP project manager, Rachel Quinlan, on zap@kidscape.org.uk or telephone: 020 7730 3300.
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Thinking ahead is a guide, produced by the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, to help families think and talk about things such as money in a trust fund, finding good quality housing and support, and getting other people involved in their relative's life to act as advocates. The guide also includes information on the 2015 Care Act.
Would you like advice on saving energy? Worried about fuel bills? The National Energy Action's helpline could help you. Based in Coventry, they are contactable on tel: 024 7655 9191 or visit their website: www.nea.org.uk for further information.
 Looking to increase your weekly income and lower your bills? The Money Advisors at the Job Shop can help. They can help with:
- trust fund applications for water and fuel debts
- reducing ongoing water charges
- apply for warm home discount
- fuel tariff comparisons
- applications for new carpets, beds and white goods
- advice on permitted work which allow you to keep your benefits
To book an appointment pop into the Job Shop in the Bull Yard or call 024 7678 5740.
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 A free workshop for parents/carers of disabled children is taking place on Monday 22 February 2016, 10.00am - 12.30pm in Birmingham.
Gurvinder Kaur, specialist SEN solicitor with Access Legal will discuss:
- Getting the content of an EHC Plan right
- Understanding the transfer process from statement to EHCP
Gurvinder will be available to answer any questions you may have.
For more information or to reserve your place please telephone Contact A Family on 0121 415 4624.
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 New events open to parents/carers
Click on the links below to find out more about each event:
Please note these sessions are chargeable.
To find out more about The Girl with the Curly Hair project visit their website.
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The Carers' Trust is delivering the Hope Programme, a free 6 week course running for 2.5 hours per week. There will be a taster session which you will need to attend to find out more on Monday 21 March 2016, 11.00am - 1.00pm at "The Den", the back of the Central Methodist Church Hall, Coventry.
The course itself runs between Friday 15 April and Friday 20 May 2016, 10.30am. - 1.00pm.
For further information please telephone Gill Fleckner on 024 7663 2972 or via email gillfleckner@coventrycarers.org.uk
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We often tweet about training sessions and parent events which may be of interest to you.
Follow us @Coventry_IAS and we'll keep you up to date.
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Would you like to contribute something to the next bulletin? Email us directly on SENDNEWS@Coventry.gov.uk. It would be really nice to be able to share parent stories. Do you have one to share? Something that may give other parents hope? Get in touch with us.
We'd love to hear your views on this newsletter - What do you like about it? What don't you like? Do you have any questions? Send your questions, comments and opinions to SENDNEWS@coventry.gov.uk
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