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Welcome to January's Devon SEND newsletter, brought to you by the Devon Local Area SEND Partnership which includes Devon County Council, NHS Devon, Parent Carer Forum Devon, Children and Family Health Devon and the Devon Children's Safeguarding Partnership.
It's a packed edition this month, including:
- more cash for children’s services
- working together for better inclusion of neurodiversity in Devon’s schools
- online support sessions for young people moving in to adulthood
- update from the SEND Network for Change
- Judicial Review of Devon's Safety Valve Agreement
- Autism and Us term dates
- DiAS parent and carer's guide to SEN support in schools
- helping your child to give their views
...and much more!
Don't forget, you can also follow Devon SEND Local Offer on Facebook and read more on the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
There will be more money to provide care for Devon’s vulnerable children in Devon County Council's target budget for 2025/26.
The Council's Cabinet agreed a proposed budget with an overall 5.9 percent increase in spending on local services for Devon. There will be a 5.5 percent rise in the revenue budget for children’s services. Reductions in other departmental spending give a total overall budget of over £784.1 million.
The full council will debate the budget next month. In the meantime, you can read the full story on the news page of Devon County Council's website.
Every person’s brain is unique. We all think, learn and act differently. We all have different strengths and face different challenges. The term 'neurodiversity' is used to explain the concept that our brains all work differently.
People with conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety and Tourette’s syndrome are sometimes referred to as neurodivergent people, whether diagnosed or as yet undiagnosed. The term neurodivergent simply means that your brain works differently to what may be considered ‘typical’.
The term 'neurotypical' refers to someone whose brain – the way their brain works - falls within the society standards of what is considered ‘typical’.
It's thought that around 15 per cent of children and young people in Devon have a neuro diverse diagnosis, or neuro diverse needs as yet undiagnosed, equating to at least 30,000 children and young people across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
The language around neurodiversity is evolving and sometimes people may use different terms to those we've outlined here or use them in a slightly different way.
Forty primary schools across Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) have been selected to work more closely with local education authorities, NHS Devon and Parent Carer Forums to improve the way that young neurodiverse pupils are included in school.
The schools were chosen to be part of the NHS England and Department for Education-funded PINS project (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools) based on criteria, including the number of pupils attending with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), attendance rates, the SEND profile for the school, and suspension and exclusion rates of pupils with SEND at those schools.
The focus of the project is to provide support to help schools with their approach to neurodiversity as a whole. It's not about providing targeted support to individual children. It aims to help schools identify children with additional needs, with or without a formal diagnosis, at the earliest opportunity in their education, and to provide the right support to help them engage with education and to achieve. It’s come about following feedback from some parents who felt their children with SEND were not feeling included in their school communities or supported by way of reasonable adjustments by the school.
School staff have been undertaking additional training delivered by specialist teams from Devon County Council. The Parent Carer Forum Devon, an independent group that represents parents and carers of children and young people with SEND, has also been holding workshops with families and school staff to explore what a positive difference it can make to children’s experiences by working together by finding out what's working well and hearing different viewpoints on how the support provided by the school could be made even better.
Staff and parents have welcomed the PINS project, both groups saying how valuable they have found the sessions to reflect on their experiences and to plan how to further improve support for neurodiverse children in schools.
Read the full story on the news page of the SEND Local Offer website to find out what those involved had to say about the project.
Families of children and young people with neuro diverse needs (diagnosed and undiagnosed) are benefiting from a new service to help them access the right support at the right time.
Parents and young people have said that the network of services available from health, education, social care and the community and voluntary sector is complex and difficult to navigate. So, working in partnership with local authorities, the NHS is employing keyworkers - or 'navigators' as they're also known - to work with families whose children are neuro diverse. This can be when they have a diagnosis, while they are waiting for a diagnosis, and also for those children and young people who are neurodiverse but do not wish to be formally assessed.
The aim is to help families to navigate the system of support, link them to services, provide them with information and be a listening ear while families start to understand the strengths and needs of their child or young person.
It has been trialled in Plymouth, where a small team of 'navigators' has been working as part of the community-based Neurodiversity Wellbeing Team since June 2024. They're listening to families, providing them with advice and connecting them with statutory and non-statutory services for practical and emotional support. They're also helping parents with form-filling and plans for their children, as well as advocating for parents when required. And as part of their support, they’re providing an advice telephone line that is open to parents, carers, young people and professionals who work with young people with neuro diverse needs.
Over the last few months, they have spent time building their knowledge of the network of support that's available across the city. NHS Devon has provided funding to run the pilot in Plymouth, with the hope that by demonstrating success with families, it will receive further funding in the longer term.
Su Smart, Director of Women and Childrens Improvement for NHS Devon, said:
"Developing and expanding this service is part of our wider strategy to ensure children and young people who are neurodiverse can have their needs identified and met without waiting for a diagnosis. This service is helping families receive support and help while they are waiting for a diagnosis. We are really pleased to be able to support the expansion of the keyworker pilot to cover the whole of the NHS Devon area including Torbay, Plymouth and Devon local authority areas."
The Plymouth Neurodiversity Wellbeing Telephone Advice Line is 01752 435404.
Read the full story on the news page of the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
 Online support sessions for young people moving in to adulthood
As we get older, the things we do and the opportunities we have available to us change. When we turn 18 years old and are legally considered to be adults, there are opportunities as well as responsibilities that present themselves. This can be a very exciting time, but for young people with additional needs, there are added challenges.
To help young people with disabilities and their parents understand what’s ahead of them, Devon County Council is launching a series of online support sessions as an opportunity for people to learn about the support available to young people as they approach adulthood and turn 18 years old, as well as advice and resources for parents, carers and professionals who support them.
The sessions, which young people and parents are invited to, will take place throughout the year and be led by subject matter experts, covering topics such as:
- the differences between Devon County Council’s adults’ and children’s services, and the support they provide (aimed at parents and carers)
- training and employment opportunities (aimed at young people)
- independent living and housing options (aimed at young people)
- mental capacity and decision making (aimed at young people)
- money management (aimed at young people)
- good mental health and resilience (of interest to both young people and parents and carers)
- Support for parents and carers (aimed at parents and carers)
The first session takes place on Tuesday 11 February, and will be about understanding the differences between Devon County Council's children's and adult's services, the support they give, and how this will impact young people during their transition into adulthood.
For further detail on the session topics, or to book your place, please visit the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
Several of our SEND Network for Change members had a good time at the Devon Youth Council social at Tiverton youth centre this month.
It was a great opportunity to meet lots of different people from different backgrounds from all over Devon, and they had lots of fun taking part in games and team building activities.
The Devon Youth Council help to get the voice of young people heard, and this was the first of their activities for the year.
The Youth Council will next be meeting on Saturday 8 February, when they will be be looking at the issues Devon young people care most about so that they can create the Make your Mark survey. More about that below.
Devon Youth Council want to know what the top local issues are for young people in Devon. If you're aged 11 to 25 years old and live in Devon, you can
Your submission could be to do with transport, pollution in the sea, leisure opportunities, accessibility – whatever you think needs improving here in Devon!
If you don’t want to fill in a form, you can email your thoughts to participation@devon.gov.uk. The deadline for submitting issues is Thursday 6 February 2025.
Devon Youth Council will compile and shortlist the issues in February, before running a countywide ballot in March to find the top issues.
Devon County Council's 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 participation@devon.gov.uk or amy.bickford@devon.gov.uk or visit our website to find out more.
We’ve had feedback that parent and carers do not always have good notice of meetings with educational psychologists for Education, Health, and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs) and are not sure what to expect at these meetings.
Starting in February, parents and carers will receive an email inviting them to attend the meeting for all new appointments for EHCNAs.
The email will tell you what you can expect from the meeting and how you might like to prepare. It will also have contact details in case you have any questions.
Educational Psychologists undertake assessments for EHCNAs using a Joint Assessment Meeting (JAM). There's lots of information on Devon County Council's website to explain what a JAM is. There is also a video explaining what an educational psychologist does. You might also like to share these resources with your child or young person.
Stover Country Park Local Nature Reserve is looking for a freelance Learning Consultant to help the team refresh their learning programmes and resources for local primary schools.
Specifically, the learning programme and resources are for Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage One, Key Stage Two and primary school pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The person would be working with Stover's Community Engagement Officer and Ranger team to develop and write the content for a range of school visits.
You can find out more about the job vacancy and how to apply on the Devon Jobs website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Emily Cannon at emily.cannon@devon.gov.uk Please send your application to: Emily Cannon, Restoring Stover Park Project Officer at emily.cannon@devon.gov.uk by 12pm, Monday 17 February 2025
Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) is proud to announce that schools across all districts in Devon are now able to access support from their Mental Health Support Team in Schools (MHST).
This milestone achievement means that nearly 70 per cent of children attending schools within Devon and Torbay can now access early intervention that supports children and young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
MHST offers individual and group Low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Li-CBT) evidence-based interventions, and work in schools to support their ‘whole school approach’ to mental health by offering things like audits, consultations and workshops and training to children, families and education staff.
Holly Billington, Service Lead for MHST said:
"We are actively petitioning the government for the further funding required to cover the last 32 per cent of children attending schools within the area. On top of this, we have a small team of Children’s Wellbeing practitioners (CWPs) supporting the mild-moderate mental health needs of children and young people across Devon and Torbay who don’t attend an MHST supported school, or who are out of education.”
MHST’s initiative represents a significant investment in the future of children and young people across Devon and Torbay, bringing specialised mental health support to the classroom. With this rollout, MHST is not only levelling the playing field for students across all backgrounds but is also providing educators with powerful tools to create an enriched and mindful learning environment.
Read the full story on the Children and Family Health Devon website.
Legal challenges have been raised in relation to Devon County Council and Bristol City Council’s Safety Valve agreements with government.
Devon entered into an agreement In March 2024 for an extra £95 million of national funds set aside to reduce the Council's deficit on special needs education. You can read more about it
The High Court has been considering the challenges this week at a 2.5 day hearing in Bristol. The court will be reserving the decision to a later date.
Devon County Council's popular Autism and Us programme returns this month, with a combination of free four-week courses and one-off workshops.
It offers support for families of children and young people who are either on the neurodiversity assessment waiting list or who have received a diagnosis of autism.
Parents and carers have opportunity to develop your understanding of autism and look at practical solutions to managing and supporting your child’s presenting needs, whilst also connecting with other parents or carers.
The free four week ‘live online’ programme is run twice a term, with weekly two hour sessions on Microsoft Teams, each focussing on a different topic starting with an overview of autism, then communications needs, understanding and supporting behaviour and sensory needs.
There's also popular themed or topic based workshops, which lead on from the course, covering things like managing stress and anxiety, vulnerability and online safety and demand avoidance.
Full details, including course dates and how to secure your place, are available on Devon County Council's website.
Over the coming months Action For Children is running a number of free online webinars for parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The first is about supporting your child with their Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and will take place on Monday 27 February from 7pm until 8pm. Book your free place on Action for Children's Eventbrite page.
The next webinar is on Wednesday 5 March at 7pm, and is about communication and learning needs. The hour long session will look at speech and language issues, attention and listening, Development Language Disorder and problems understanding how relationships with other people work. Book your free place on Action for Children's Eventbrite page.
On Monday 10 March from 10am until 11am there's a webinar about sensory and physical needs, covering senses and sensory differences, sensory meltdowns and helping children cope with sensory and physical difficulties. Book your free place on Action for Children's Eventbrite page.
The final webinar in the series is about cognition and learning, and will explore what causes cognitive delays in children and how to know if your child is experiencing this, as well as the activities and strategies you can use to support them and where to go for extra help. It will take place on Wednesday 19 March from 1pm until 2pm. Book your free place on Action for Children's Eventbrite page.
These webinars provides a safe, friendly and informal space for parents and carers to come together and listen to two Action for Children Family Hub Navigators, ask questions and share thoughts and ideas. You can find a full schedule of all Action For Children webinars on the Devon Family Hubs Eventbrite page.
Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) has produced a new booklet for parents and carers about Special Educational Needs (SEN) support in schools. It’s full of practical tips and advice and based on what happens every day in schools.
Available as a PDF and a printed booklet, it takes parents and carers step by step through SEN support in schools, as well as setting out the law and everyone’s rights and responsibilities. It also includes information about:
- what kind of support should be available in all schools
- what a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is and what they do
- reasonable adjustments – what these are how they can support your child
- school plans and meetings
- your role as a parent
- how schools plan and give support
- getting specialist help and assessment
Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) is delivering language enrichment groups (LEGs) to children in Reception classes through to Year Six with the aim of providing young learners with the tools they need to develop critical communication skills.
The groups focus on enhancing children’s vocabulary, listening skills, sentence construction, and confidence in communication through screening assessments and resources. Designed for early learners, the program supports schools in addressing the growing need for speech and language development among young children.
The initiative, which was given to CFHD by East London NHS Foundation Trust to use, has already reached over 90 schools across the county. Its success lies in its tailored approach, where trained speech and language professionals deliver evidence-based activities in small group settings. These sessions are designed to be engaging and inclusive, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their starting point.
Sharon Martin, Principal Speech and Language Therapist and Professional and Clinical Lead for Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy at Children and Family Health Devon said:
“We understand that early language skills are the building blocks for future learning and development. By partnering with schools across Devon, we’re not only helping children find their voice but also supporting educators with the resources and strategies they need to continue this vital work.”
Read the full story on the Children and Family Health Devon website.
Children and young people should be at the heart of any decision made about their education and support. Good planning and support starts with understanding what your child is good at, what’s hard for them and what their goals and dreams are.
Helping your child to tell you how they feel is vital for making sure they get support that works for them. If the needs identified, the targets set or the support given don’t help them to achieve their goals, then they’re less likely to work.
When your child is very young, as their parent or carer you’ll know what they need and the kind of help that would best support them. You can be their advocate and speak on their behalf. As your child gets older and has clear views of their own, it’s important to encourage them to be ambitious and support them to share in the decisions made about their support. Sharing their views is a great way to help children learn to speak up for themselves as adults.
There are lots of ways to help your child to talk about what life is like for them and what they would like to achieve and change. Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) has lots of useful suggestions and resources on their website to help with what you need to find out, how to go about it and how to record and share it.
There has been a huge national increase in children and young people not attending school, with the Government's Department for Education reporting that the number of children who are persistently absent has doubled within the last six years.
Many children and young people worry about school, but for some, that worry can become so great that they find it hard to go to lessons, or even avoid going to school altogether. This is known as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
We know that in Devon rates of absence are higher than the national average. We also know that when there are difficulties, families have felt that support doesn’t arrive on time, the systems feel complex and it’s not always clear where to go for help.
Devon County Council has been working with children, parents and carers, teachers and other education and health professionals to develop an understanding around EBSA and provide resources, so that the right support for children can be accessed when they need it.
They've created a website packed with helpful tips, advice and resources for families, including how to support your child at home and what help to expect from schools. It has different sections for children who miss some school, those who miss school regularly, and those who do not attend at all, so that families can find the right support for their specific situation.
It's all part of a bigger project, that also includes training for school staff and re-designing services, to support school attendance by offering the right help at the right time. Visit the website using the button below, and let us know what you think by using the feedback form.
Devon County Council is no longer using Egress to send emails to families about Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). It's because parents and carers have said that using the Egress system makes life difficult.
It means that now parents and carers will be able to open emails related to an EHCP in the same way as for any other email that is received. You'll be able to open them, view and forward the contents without logging in to Egress or any other similar service.
We'll update you on how it's going in April 2025. In the meantime, please always send your emails to educate.specialeducationcommunications-mailbox@devon.gov.uk if you want to contact the SEND Statutory Team. Please include an EHC Hub reference number in the subject line so that your message can automatically be redirected to the right person.
Our aim is to provide you with easy access to key information about services and support for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Devon, and what we are doing to improve them.
We want to make sure that this newsletter is as helpful and engaging as possible, so over the coming months we will be sending two different versions at random to subscribers to gather your thoughts on how the content is presented.
One will have short articles with buttons to read the full article on the SEND Local Offer news webpage, the other will be longer and include more of the full story within the newsletter.
Please let us know how you prefer the content to be presented by taking part in this quick poll using the button below. There's only one question!
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