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As we come to the end of the academic year, with schools breaking-up for the summer holidays, we asked Kellie Knott, our SEND Improvement Director, for her reflections having been in post for almost a year.
"During that time I have had the genuine pleasure of meeting so many children and young people with SEND and their parents and carers.
"I've spoken to them about their lives and aspirations, their challenges, frustrations, and about their expectations. I'm under no illusion about how difficult life can be for many parents and young people, and I share their desire for things to be better.
"I know that there is so much more to do, but as we reach the end of the academic year, it's a moment to see that progress and improvements, step by step, are being made towards the future we all want to see."
With warm wishes,
Kellie
You can read the full article, in Kellie's own words, about her first year in post, on the news page of our SEND Local Offer website.
Hello from the team at DiAS!
 If you haven’t heard of us before, DiAS stands for Devon Information Advice and Support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We offer legally-based information and advice about SEND, and we support children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers. Our service is impartial and confidential, and at ‘arm’s length’ from Devon County Council.
Some of our support is given through our advice line, but we also support at online and face-to-face meetings, deliver training for parents and carers, visit school events to meet with families and school staff, hold drop-in sessions, and much more. We also work jointly with Parent Carer Forum Devon to deliver peer support for parent carers through our Ambassador Volunteer Programme.
Most people get in touch with us by filling in the contact form on our website or calling our enquiry line. In an average day, we take around 20 calls from families asking for advice or support on a whole range of issues. This can be about what’s happening for their child in school, questions about how to access services, what to expect from certain types of meeting, or help with a situation which has got a bit stuck.
Our website explains what we do and how to contact us. You’ll find resources about a whole range of topics that families have told us they want, including SEN Support, how to get the most out of meetings, and help with how to share your own and your child’s views. There's information and resources especially designed for children and young people, and information about how they can get advice and support from us on their own or with the help from someone else.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sending out posts on our Facebook page about activities or resources that you can access over holidays, and advice about moving to a new school or year group. Next term, we’ll be offering face-to-face and online training sessions for parents and carers. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website for more information nearer the time.
 Young children given extra support to help them move from pre-school to primary school
We've heard from parents and carers about how emotionally and physically challenging the transition from pre-school to primary school can be for many children, particularly those with complex needs.
So we've been piloting a project with 100 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aimed at making their transition from pre-school learning to primary school as easy as possible. None of the children on the project had Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) but they were identified as those who struggle the most with transitions, and some were at risk of being excluded due to social and emotional needs.
Early Years Consultants conducting the pilot initially visited the pre-schools to gain a clear picture of each child involved with the pilot and the additional support and resources they needed. The schools were given additional support from the Early Years Consultants for a period of time following the child's move. This included visits to schools, observations with the children, reviewing the learning environment and further planning. Additional support was provided by a small team of Educational Psychologists, and some schools were also given a small amount of funding to pay for additional support and resources needed to have maximum impact on the child's inclusion and progress.
Feedback from the children involved, their parents, pre-schools and primary school staff has been positive. The wrap-around and individual support over that period meant that the transitions were a less stressful, and instead were a much more positive experience for pupils, parents and staff.
We are pleased to be able to offer transition support again this September and will continue for the academic year.
Read the full story on the news page of the SEND Local Offer website.
 Making Egress easier to use
Information about a child or young person’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is sensitive, so when we send emails about it, we use a security software system called Egress to keep the details safe.
However, we’ve had feedback that it is hard to use, so we’ve been working on ways to make things easier, while ensuring we continue to protect sensitive information about your child or young person.
For example, some people have told us that remembering log-in details for Egress can be frustrating. If you open an Egress email sent to a Microsoft or Google email address, you have the choice of signing in with your Microsoft or Google account details instead of your Egress password. If you do have a Microsoft or Google account you may find this guidance provided by Egress useful.
We’re working on other improvements, but we need people to test them before they are made available to everyone, so that we can check that the changes we’ve made fix the problems we’ve been told about.
It won’t take long, and we can be flexible about when it is done. If you’re a parent, carer or professional and would like to get involved, particularly if you use Microsoft Outlook on a laptop, please complete this short form and a member of our user research team will contact you about taking part in the trial.
We will update you on our efforts to improve Egress in August. Keep an eye on the news page of the SEND Local Offer website and the Devon SEND Local Offer Facebook page.
 Update from our Participation Team
Our SEND Network for Change aims to create opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to get involved and have their voice heard! There are lots of different groups and projects going on, run by our SEND Participation Team. If you are a young person with SEND in Devon, whatever you want to say, we want to hear it! You can contact the team by emailing amy.bickford@devon.gov.uk or visit our website to find out more.
Young people contribute to art exhibition
Young people from our Network for Change voice and influence groups have contributed to an art exhibition that aims to challenge negative beliefs about neurodiversity and tackle stigmatising stereotypes in our local community.
The exhibition debuted on Thursday 20 June 2024 at Positive Light Projects in Exeter. The launch was marked with an event that brought together the young artists, their communities, and senior leaders to view the art and talk about their experiences.
Kellie Knott returns to the Champions for Change group
Earlier this month Kellie Knott, our SEND Improvement Director, met with the Champions for Change group to provide updates on the issues they had raised with her in May.
The Champions had previously spoken to Kellie about issues around accessibility of swimming lessons in school, work experience opportunities, mental health and transport. Kellie was able to share conversations that she had had with the leads for these areas, and invite the Champions to be part of co-production work on transport, mental health and work experience opportunities. Kellie will also be working with our communities team using the information that the Champions gave her about swimming lessons.
With the school summer holidays ahead, we've opened up places for more children and young people to attend our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, using our extended criteria.
The Government-funded scheme is primarily to provide activities and nutritional meals during the holidays to children aged five to 16 year olds who receive benefits-related free school meals.
But we have an extended criteria, if there are still enough places and sufficient funding, to open the programme up to include children in that age group who have special educational needs and disabilities, or children in care, or young carers.
We have a range of activities planned for the holidays, and some places are still available. Simply search for a provider in your area using the interactive map on our website, see what they're offering, and book a place directly, letting them know that you are asking for an extended criteria place.
Visit our website for more information about this summer's programme.
 Going to a new school
Changing schools is one of the major things most of us do before we reach 18 years old. Your child could be changing schools for lots of different reasons, such as moving from primary to secondary school, relocating to a new area or changing schools because they want a fresh start somewhere new.
Whatever the circumstances, moving schools is often called ‘transition’. The word just means change. Change can be both exciting and unsettling for most children, and particularly for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as it may be more difficult to get to know a new place with new people, so getting the right help and support can really help your child settle in.
Young people with SEND and their parents can speak to a teacher, special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) or a careers adviser to get help with choosing where would be the best place to move to. When you and your child have decided where you would prefer to go, your teacher or SENDCo will discuss the needs your child has with the new setting so that a system of support can be set up. This may include additional visits to the new setting; someone from the new setting attending SEND review meetings; and opportunities to discuss needs with staff at the new setting.
The Devon SEND Local Offer website has information about what to consider when your child changes school. Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) also has lots of useful advice about talking to your school and arranging what’s best for your child. If you need someone to talk to about moving school and how to get help please contact DiAS.
Is your teenager nearing the end of secondary school and wondering about the next step?
Supported internships help young people aged 16 to 24 years old, who have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), to gain paid employment. The programme supports young people to develop the skills they need for work and build confidence in their own abilities.
Although similar in aims to a traineeship or apprenticeship, supported internships are for young people who require a higher level of support. The course is split between the workplace and college, giving young people on-the-job training with a local employer and a job coach to provide the young person with extra support.
There are no entry or completion requirements and each individual learning provider will work with you to develop a personalised programme that meets your specific needs and helps you to progress.
Watch Charlie's video about how a support internship helped him, and visit our website for more information about training and routes in to work for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
 How do I contact my nearest Family Hub?
Action for Children is working with us to develop a network of Family Hubs across Devon, providing support for families with children aged from zero to 19, or up to 25 years old for young people with special educational needs or disabilities.
The hubs are also linking-in with many existing local groups to offer a wider range of family support. Families no longer need to be referred to the support by a professional – you can contact your nearest Family Hub directly.
There are various ways that families can contact Family Hubs:
Whether you’re having a parenting issue or you’re feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of family life, a member of their friendly, supportive team will be able to give you guidance and signpost you to information and advice and help you with understanding and accessing relevant services and information.
Visit the Devon Family Hubs website for more information about the services on offer.
 Supporting your child to give their views
Your child's views should be at the heart of any decision made about their education and support in school, college or beyond. Talking about what they think and feel, and then seeing things happen as a result, is an important thing for young people to learn. It helps them feel listened to and valued, and feel they have some control over what happens to them.
So helping your young person to express themselves is an important part of making sure they get support that works. There are lots of ways that you can help your child to talk about their thoughts, feelings and experiences. You know them best, so you’ll know the best way to have these conversations. Just make sure they know there are no right or wrong answers, and explain that people are asking for their views to help understand and support them better and to hear their voice, not judge them.
Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) has lots of useful tips if they need, or ask for, your help to give their views.
Our SEND Network for Change aims to create youth voice opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so that they can share their views on topics and issues that are important to them. There are lots of different groups and projects going on so get in touch our Participation Team and they can guide you through what is available.
Young people can also contact the team if they’d like to explore one-to-one support or if they have any questions and ideas that they would like to share with us.
 Independent Travel Training
Having the confidence and skills to travel independently can have such a positive impact on a young person. It can make it easier for them to meet up with friends, go to college, take part in work experience or get a job.
We offer free independent travel training to young people across Devon who are eligible for transport assistance to help them learn how to develop the skills required to travel safely to their place of education by themselves without confusion or anxiety. This could be by walking or using the bus or train or a combination of several transport modes.
The training can include road safety, telling the time, how to use a bus pass, awareness of hazards and dangers, appropriate social behaviour and strategies for solving problems and coping in a variety of situations.
It increases a young person's confidence because they arrive at school or college on their own and not on assisted transport, and reduced their dependency on friends and family so that they have greater freedom. Also, learning basic travel skills on a familiar route is an excellent foundation from which to learn to travel to new places and meet new friends in the future.
You can watch this short video to find out more about the scheme, and visit our website for more information.
 Local offer website survey – results and next survey
Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent survey, which was the first in a number of simple surveys that will focus on different areas of the Devon Local Offer and how we improve the way you find information on there.
Your feedback has helped us find out which topics on the website are most important to you, so we know what to prioritise when we restructure the content so it's easier for you to find. You can find out the priority areas of information identified by those who completed the survey in the full story on the news page of the local offer website.
Some of you told us that you felt the survey was very simple. We designed it that way to make it as quick and easy to complete as possible, but we also take on board your suggestions around opening up some of the questions and how we gather some information about specific circumstances.
Our next steps will be to focus on each of the key priority areas to delve into the information that is most needed and can be made available on the local offer website. We're going to start with the topic 'support that is available and when'. To tell us what information is most useful to you or to suggest further information, please complete our next survey.
Most parents struggle at times to cope with the challenges that children’s behaviour brings.
Action for Children are running a free online workshop on Tuesday 30 July at 7pm to help parents and carers support their children to regulate tantrums and meltdowns.
You will hear about why that may happen and some practical tools and strategies you can use to support your children and gain some reassurance around your positive parenting.
To book a place, please visit the Action for Children's Eventbrite webpage. Spaces are limited, so book early!
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