Welcome to this edition of the SEND News Bulletin. This week includes information on
- Aids, Equipment and Adaptations
- Carers week 7 - 14 June
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Apply for SEN school transport
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Emotional Wellbeing Sessions for Parents/Carers
- Parenting Insight - Autism Beds
- Autism Bedfordshire - Free Summer Programme for 18 - 25 year olds
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Kids in Action
- Childrens Community Health Hub
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Parents and carers: tell us what you think about our Short Breaks statement
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Have your say on changes to the educational support and provision for children and young people identified with SEN
- What's On
- Children's Centres SEND Support Coffee mornings
Aids, Equipment and Adaptations
Contact for Families with Disabled Children have produced a guide for parents: Aids, equipment and adaptations.
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Carers Week 7 - 13 June
Carers Week is a national annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to society.
The theme for this year’s event is ‘Making Carers Visible and Valued.’ Carers in Bedfordshire are running a series of events and activities you can take part in.
Transport applications for children and young people with SEND
The deadline for transport applications for children and young people with SEND has passed but we want to reassure parents that we will continue to process applications. Please send applications to the Transport Team as soon as possible otherwise we can’t guarantee a place for September 2021.
If you have received a request from the team for student information, could this please be returned to them as soon as possible, to allow them to review current and future transport arrangements.
Emotional Wellbeing Sessions for Parents/Carers
These are virtual information and advice session which will provide parents and carers with ideas on how to support their children on a wide range of subjects such as Anger, Anxiety and school transition.
The session will be split into 2 parts:
30 mins: Presentation from Chloe Lovell - CBC Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner
30 mins: Opportunity to ask questions
The event will be run as a webinar designed to give information but there will be an opportunity to ask questions using a chat function or by sending an email in advance. Once parents/carers have signed up a link to the event will be sent the morning of the session over email. This will contain all joining instructions.
Monday 28th June- 4.30pm-5.30pm- Middle Schools- Anger and Anxiety
Monday 28th June- 4.30pm-5.30pm- Upper Schools- Anger and Anxiety
Friday 15th June at 10 - 11am – Lower School Parents – Anger & Anxiety
Parenting Insight - Autism Beds
Thursday 24th June
This is a virtual information session from Autism Beds
The session will be split into 2 parts:
16.30-17.00 - Presentation from Sandie Allen - Autism Bedfordshire
17.00-17.30 - Time to ask questions
Autism Bedfordshire - Free Summer Programme for 18 - 25 year olds
Kids in Action
Childrens Community Health Hub
The ‘Bedfordshire and Luton Children’s Community Health HUB’ is the new name for our Single Point of Access (SPA) service and over the coming weeks and months we will be eventually bringing together all our children’s services under one new email address and one contact number across Luton and Bedfordshire.
Across Luton:
- A new contact number and email address for our Health Visiting and School Nursing 0-19 teams.
- A new contact number for our Looked after Children services and Community Paediatrics (Edwin Lobo Centre).
Across Bedfordshire:
- A new email address for our Health Visiting and School Nursing 0-19 teams.
- The phone number will remain the same, but the opening hours will change to 9am - 5pm (Mon-Fri)
- A new contact number for our Looked after Children services.
Our trained HUB administrators will be at the end of the phone to help and advise, and to signpost to the correct services.
Parents and carers: tell us what you think about our Short Breaks statement
Caring for a child or young person with a disability or health condition can be highly rewarding, but is also at times demanding. We offer ‘Short Breaks’ to provide an opportunity for parents and carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities and recharge their batteries, while giving children and young people who have disabilities an opportunity to take part in new activities.
The statement outlines what Short Breaks are, and how families in Central Bedfordshire can access these services. We want to make sure it’s easy to read and understand, but that it also contains all the necessary information, as there is some information that has to be included by law.
The survey is open until 13 June 2021.
Have your say on changes to the educational support and provision for children and young people identified with SEND
A consultation is now available for you to provide feedback on proposed changes to special schools and additional resource provisions within mainstream schools, to support children and young people identified with SEND.
The public consultation is open until July 8, as part of the Schools for the Future programme, which is a long-term plan to raise education standards and make sure we have the right schools, in the right places, delivering the best education.
The proposals are:
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Special Schools – to increase places at The Chiltern School, Ivel Valley School, Oak Bank School and Weatherfield Academy
- For these four Special Schools to either relocate or expand
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Additional Resource Provisions – to increase additional SEND places in mainstream schools, with a greater geographical distribution across Central Bedfordshire. This would be in line with future need in:
- Dunstable and Houghton Regis -
- Harlington
- Sandy
- Shefford and Stotfold
- Biggleswade
- Leighton-Linslade
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Mainstream schools – to also include multi-use/nurture spaces, where there is space to do so.
Further information, plus a consultation questionnaire, is available online at the Schools for the Future website.
What's on
More events and workshops that are being held this month are on our Events Calendar
Do you provide a service or run events for children and young people with SEND and their families?
We would like to offer providers the opportunity to advertise local SEND services and events in our fortnightly SEND news bulletin, on our local offer Facebook page and to be included in the local offer events calendar.
If you would like to be featured then please email details about your service and/or event to local.offer@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Children's Centres SEND Support Coffee mornings
SEND Support face to face coffee afternoon every other Wednesday,
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Leighton Buzzard Children’s Centre
Booking is essential due to Covid restrictions please call 01525 384368. Children welcome.
SEND Support virtual coffee afternoon every second and fourth Monday of the month,
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Dunstable Children’s Centre
If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8106/0300 300 8104
SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Wednesday of the month,
9:30 – 10:30 am
Shefford and Stotfold Children’s Centre
If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8112
SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Thursday of the month,
10:00 – 11:00 am
Flitwick Children’s Centre
If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8111
SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Friday of the month,
10:30 – 11:30 am
Houghton Regis Children’s Centre
If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8115
Super Kids Online – virtual support group for parents or carers with children who have SEND
Sandy Children's Centre - every other Thursday, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Fortnightly catch ups and support online. A chance to speak to professionals from the CDC, Early Years Support Team, Speech and Language plus more.
To book a free place contact Karen on 0300 300 6009 or email karen.burton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Please visit the Local Offer for more information on activities, services, advice and support across Central Bedfordshire for children and young people with SEND or follow us on Facebook
We hope you have found the information in the bulletin helpful. We would love to hear your feedback and what you would like to see in future editions. Please let us know by emailing send.feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
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