Tell us what is important to you about our service

We're keen to know what you think is important about what we offer, so there's a survey for parents and carers who have used the service. Please take part if you can - it's important that we meet your needs in the best way possible with the resources we have.  There are five questions and it will take a couple of minutes to complete. 

New website due to launch April '22!

We’ve had our current website since 2015. It’s now got a lot on it for parents and carers to use. But, there isn’t much for young people and we also know that it’s sometimes difficult to find what you want or to know what’s there.

The new website has a fresh new look and feel, alongside improved navigation, so there is more than one way to find what you need. Information is grouped into logical ‘journeys’ so you can move step by step though processes. We’ve kept the Question and Answer format and the small chunks of user friendly information. It’s based on the things you ask us, and there’s a brand new section exploring SEN support in school and what that looks like.

The new site goes ‘live’ at the end of this month – we’d love to hear what you think.

New guide to Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and reviews!

Based on the kind of questions we get asked by parents, this new booklet is full of practical tips and advice. Available as a PDF and a printed booklet, it takes parents and carers step by step through the EHC plan and the review process, including sections about:

• The EHC plan – what should be in it and what it’s for.
• Draft EHC plans – why you’re checking it and what you need to do.
• The final EHC plan – what happens depending on whether you agree or disagree with the final plan.
• Reviewing your child’s EHC plan – the process, the review meeting, the part you and your child play and what happens after a review.

This booklet is the second of several planned guides for parents and carers. We already have a guide to the EHC needs assessment. You can order a printed copy directly from us.

An update from our Children and Young People’s Workers

Anna is supporting children and young people to have their voice heard. She reports “It is brilliant to see children motivated by being involved in decisions that affect them. One young person recently returned to school after a period of absence because the school put support in place that he wanted, rather than the support they thought he would benefit from.”

We have some new resources that are written specifically for young people, explaining What is an EHC Needs Assessment? and What is an EHC Plan? Maria is also working hard on content for the new website.

A new staff member joins the team!

 Michelle Johnson has recently joined our team as DiAS Officer for North Devon. She’ll be working with Kate Boyd.

Michelle says “I believe that getting the right support at the right time can make a significant difference to the lives of young people and their families so I am really pleased to be joining the team at DiAS who provide this important and much needed guidance. My background is in Communications but I am also a mum to 3 amazing children with SEND and am looking forward to supporting parents and carers, sharing knowledge and helping empower them to feel more confident to make informed decisions about their child’s education.”

An Ambassador Volunteer (AV) comes in many shapes and forms

The AV project is looking for more volunteers - people who are already actively involved in some way in their SEND community perhaps attending a group, supporting parents in a school or active online, having positive experiences with schools/services.

Volunteers become links into their community cascading information from DiAS and the Parent Carer Forum Devon, feeding back to these organisations to ensure policy makers are listening to parent voices.

If you know of anyone who would like to know more, there is an online induction event on May 19^th  10-1pm. To register for the event please complete the form.

New DiAS training sessions for next term

All of our training for parent carers is free and online. Each of the sessions below runs three times over a term. 

• Demystifying SEND - Information session for parents and carers of children with SEND about how to find clear information and support. 25th April, 24th May, 8th June and 4th July 2022 all sessions 10.30am-12.30pm
• EHC plan Review Mythbusting - Breaking through some of the misconceptions around the Education, Health and Care Plan review processes. 17th May, 30th June and 14th July 2022 all sessions are 10.30am-12.30pm.
• Listening to your Child's Views - Helping your child to express themselves and tell you how they feel about life at school. 4th May, 23rd June and 12th July 2022 all sessions are 10.30am-12.30pm

Updated guide to elective home education

Elective home education has been a bit of a hot topic and the number of children being educated at home has been rising since the start of the pandemic. So we’ve reviewed and updated our comprehensive guide, to help you learn more about it and choose what’s best for your child or young person. We’ve worked with parents and professionals to answer the questions we get asked everyday about home education. The updated guide will give you information about:

• what to think about, including some of the pros and cons
• the help that’s available to home educators and how to get the most out of it
• home education if your child has an EHC plan
• how to help your child go back to school after a period of home education
• flexi-schooling

The guide will be available on the new DiAS website next month.

 Join the direct payments focus group

Devon Children’s Services are currently working to improve the short break offer for disabled children and their families. And as part of this work, they’re creating a focus group of parents/carers to help improve the direct payments system. Working with Parent Carer Forum Devon, they want to bring together a group of 8-10 people whose child gets a direct payment from Devon County Council’s Disabled Children’s Service.

The first session is 28 April from 10am-2pm. The session will be held at the Parent Carer Forum Devon office in Heathfield, Newton Abbot, with lunch and refreshments provided.

If you would like to attend, please sign up here.

SEND review Green paper published

Last month, the government published the SEND and Alternative Provision green paper. The green paper sets out its vision for a single, national SEND and alternative provision (AP) system that will introduce new standards in the quality of support given to children across education, health and care. It’s the result of a review, commissioned to improve a system that can be challenging for parents and carers to find and use the right support for their child.

There is a now a 13 week consultation about the green paper, which closes on 1 July 2022. Parents and carers are being asked for their views. So if you feel strongly about what’s in the green paper, or about how SEND services are funded and organised, this is your chance to have a say.

Legal case about EHC plan amendments timescales

In March this year, the High Court has ruled in favour of three claimants in a dispute over whether there is a fixed timeframe in respect of steps in the amendment of an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. The court ruled that local authorities must have specific timescales for when they tell a parent or young person about the decision to change the EHC plan and what the proposed changes are. They must also have a specific timescale by when a final amended EHC plan must be issued (following an EHC plan review)..

Find out more in our web information about reviewing an EHC plan, or on the IPSEA website.