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Latest Issue: May 2024

Improving the lives of children with special educational needs and disabilities in the Dudley borough.

Keeping stakeholders, parents and carers informed about Dudley’s
SEND Improvement Programme.

Sal Thirlway, Service Director of Education, SEND & Family Solutions Welcome to our latest Stakeholder SEND Bulletin. Let me start by saying all three of our Delivering Better Value (DBV) workstreams are progressing well. For the month of May, the key focus for Workstream One (Redesigning our Specialist Inclusion Service, which will now be known as 'CIPS Communication & Interaction, Physical & Sensory Advisory Service') has been on completing the restructuring of staff. The stakeholder working group has now concluded the redesign of the referral pathway to ensure seamless access to the service. Further redesign work will continue in the coming weeks with the development of two small sub-working groups to focus on assessing the operational service delivery for each of the two services: Communication & Interaction, and Physical & Sensory. To further strengthen our partnerships, we are working closely with our Parent Carer Forum (PCF) and our communications team to develop Dudley’s ‘Co-Pro Charter’. The charter aligns with the four cornerstones framework and aims to articulate our collective vision while promoting trust, effective communication, and a culture that values diverse perspectives and contributions across the SEND partnership. In addition, we have developed a draft 'Protocol and Success Measures' document to gauge the effectiveness of coproduction. These tools will help us assess our engagement with schools, parent carers, and partners. For Workstream Two (Developing and Delivering our Sufficiency Strategy), we are pleased to report that the development of our sufficiency strategy is now fully underway. Several internal and external stakeholder workshops are in progress to ensure our partners are contributing to the strategy's development. As part of Workstream Three (Preparing for Adulthood & Post-16), work continues with identifying the gaps in our post-16 curriculum, a crucial element of our ongoing efforts to enhance the support and opportunities available for young adults with SEND transitioning into adulthood. We look forward to providing further DBV progress updates in our June bulletin.

SEND NEWS

Delivering Better Value Programme – Update

DBV progress will be available in June. Below are previous month's updates:

In March’s bulletin we provided an update on the Delivering Better Value Programme (DBV) which has been commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to support Dudley and 54 other local authorities across England to identify and implement changes that we can make to better support our local children and young people with SEND. 

In April's bulletin we focussed on

• Ordinarily Available Inclusion Provision (within education settings)
• Redesigning the council’s specialist inclusion services
• Developing a Health SEND early notification pathway
• Quarry Bank Primary School named as the 5^th Early Years Inclusion Hub
• Preparing for adulthood

EVENTS

Free Five to Thrive Session for Parents/Carers and Grandparents Calling all parents, carers and grandparents Brain development in babies and children relies on good relationships with others, especially their parents, carers, or grandparents. Five to Thrive explains what happens inside us when we connect with our babies and children. This interactive free taster session introduces the five main parts of Five to Thrive: Talk, Play, Relax, Engage and Respond with our children and grandchildren. It also gives handy tips on how to build healthy brains and positive relationships. Audience: Parents, carers and grandparents of children and babies Cost: Free When: Thursday 20 June 9.30am - 2pm Where: Stourbridge Family Centre, Forge Road, Stourbridge, DY8 1XF

Over £450,000 available for community organisations through Crowdfund Dudley Dudley Council and Spacehive are launching an opportunity for locals to fundraise projects for more inclusive, thriving communities. Projects can pitch for up to £20,000 from the Vibrant Places and Communities Fund and the Dudley Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). These projects aim to unite local people, enhance public spaces, improve liveability, and boost community pride. Possible projects include enhancing green and town centre spaces, supporting youth ideas, reducing inequality, addressing isolation, or improving arts access The launch event will cover: Funding available to help make your ideas happen. Getting advice on creating your project and how to run an amazing crowdfunding campaign. Joining breakout rooms to access specialised support for your project. Whether your project is big or small, this is your opportunity to learn how to make a real difference in your local area through Crowdfund Dudley Borough. You can also signup to the Crowdfund Dudley Borough site to start to pitch your ideas, visit https://www.spacehive.com/movement/dudley This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus If you have any questions about the event or accessibility requirements, please email support@spacehive.com for support at the council please contact crowdfund@dudley.gov.uk Crowdfund Dudley Borough Community organisations brief and public launch Date: Tuesday 4 June 12.00pm to 1.30pm Location: Dudley

Sassy Sensory Surprises Sassy Sensory Surprises (SSS) is thrilled to unveil our upcoming new life skill sensory sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities. With the generous support of National Lottery funding, they aim to provide a stimulating and inclusive environment where children can explore essential life skills in a playful and engaging manner. In recognising the significance of promoting and role modelling independence, they will be actively seeking feedback from parents and carers to ensure these sessions are tailored to meet the individual needs of each child. Also, launching in June/July 2024, is Sassy sensory library, aimed at providing valuable resources for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities. With over 100 books already available, and covering a diverse range of topics, SSS is dedicated to ensuring accessibility and relevance for our SEND community. To offer feedback or make further enquiry send email to toni@sassysensorysurprises.co.uk or visit www.sassysensorysurprises.co.uk Follow @sassysensorysurprises

All-age autism framework stakeholder meetings Black Country Mental, Learning Disabilities and Autism group has released the schedule for its online stakeholder meetings. Sign up via bchft.autismroadmap@nhs.net

SENDIASS Dudley SENDIASS will be hosting a range of workshops and event this coming Spring term for parents of children with SEND and Young People with SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disability).

These workshops cover a range of topics and aim to provide information to enable you as a parent/carer or Young Person to be involved in.

For more: https://dudleyci.co.uk/workshops-and-events

SEND News & Events for Education Settings

Carers Week 2024: 10 – 16 June

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support. There will be a range of activities taking place during the week, below are a couple you can book places for now:

• Carers Day trip to Ludlow, Monday 10 June 2024, departing at 9.30am

9.30am departure from Brett Young Carers Hub, Old Hawne Lane, Halesowen, B63 3TB

Join other carers on a day out to the market town of Ludlow, from ancient castle to open-air market there are lots of things to see and do.

Open to all carers and their families. Coach and entrance are free of charge; however you will need to bring or purchase your own food and refreshments.

Places must be booked, please contact Mandie on 07714 739883.

• Ladies Carers Group, Tuesday 11 June 2024, 11am – 1pm

On opportunity to meet other carers and have a break form the caring role.   Our bilingual staff are available to support. 

Call Tehmina on 07523 515125.

• We Love Carers – Carers Picnic, Wednesday 12 June 2024, 10am – 2pm

Mary Steven’s Centre, 221 Hagley Road, Oldswinford, DY8 2JR

Recognising and supporting carers in the community, carers can come along for a picnic and access information and advice that could support you as a carer.

Places must be booked call We Love Carers 01384 396626.  hello@welovecarers.org

• Carers Wellbeing Day – Friday 14 June 2024, 10am – 3.30pm  

Brett Young Carers Hub, Old Hawne Lane, Halesowen, B63 3TB

An event for all carers, to recognise the valued care and support they provide.   Carers will be able to access a free hand and arm massage, find out about services that could support them, access information about health screening programmes and staying healthy and well.  The session is ideal if you are new to caring as we will be running short information sessions on

• your rights as a carer
• accessing support regarding financial and legal aspects of caring
• preventative services that can support you and the person you care for

For more information or to book a place call Dudley Carers Hub on 01384 818723 or email dudleycarershub@dudley.gov.uk

Council extends school provision for children with SEND

Dudley Council extends school provision for children with SEND, opening new bases at four primary schools within the borough. These bases add to a wider SEND provision with the aim of keeping Dudley borough children with EHCPs (Education Health and Care Plans) within their mainstream schools. Each school receives up to £150,000 for development, providing an enhanced environment suitable to meet the SEND needs.

Full details

Crafting Memories for Carers - 2nd Wednesday of each month, 12.30pm – 2.30pm

Queens Cross Carers Hub, Queens Cross Network, Wellington Road, Dudley, DY1 1RB

A monthly gathering designed for individuals navigating the challenges of loss or caregiving. The sessions offer:

• An ambience for creative expression, where you can craft your own idea or choose from our inspirations; each creation will be a unique symbol of your caring journey.
• A welcoming safe place which allows you to express yourself freely, by shaping stories, listening to others, or simply enjoying companionship.
• A chance to connect with other carers whilst crafting memories.

Please call Dudley Carers Hub 01384 818723 or email dudleycarershub@dudley.gov.uk  for more information or to book

Household Support Fund – Help with the cost of living

The Government announced that the Household Support Fund (HSF) would be extended for a further six months, from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024, with a further £421m of funding. The fund has been made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need. The Household Support fund gives priority to supporting people with Food and Fuel, however other household essentials can be considered.

Dudley Carers Hub and Wellbeing Service have a small allocation of funding to support unpaid carers who may be experiencing financial difficulties due to the cost of living and their caring situation. Carers may apply (subject to eligibility) for a one off Household Support Fund payment which will be provided as a supermarket voucher (i.e. Asda or Tesco)

Please contact Dudley Carers Hub and Wellbeing Service for more information on 01384 818723 or email dudleycarershub@dudley.gov.uk

Digi Dudley

Digi Dudley is available at Brett Young Carers Hub to provide older people and carers with support in learning how to use technology.

These sessions are designed to help people who are new to using technology or for people wanting to update their knowledge of the basics of their device. If you do not have a device then there are options for people interested in having a device loaned to them.

For more information call Jim on 07726 175532 or email jim@juststraighttalk.org

For more information on these workshops please go to www.dudley.gov.uk/carers

Other News

Work begins on new school in Pensnett

Work has started on a new £15million school in Pensnett for children with complex needs.

Once built, the school will provide education for 155 children and young people aged 3 to 19, together with a nursery assessment unit for the borough.

The purpose-built building will deliver better facilities for pupils with complex needs and severe learning difficulties, including autism and those with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Details: https://councilnews.dudley.gov.uk/news/work-begins-on-new-school

Childcare support is expanding

From September, eligible working parents of children aged nine months old and over will be able to access 15 hours of funded childcare.

You can apply now! Find out more on the Childcare Choices website

Healthy Start Card

More information:

Visit the Local Offer website to learn more about the services available in the borough. To find out more about the SEND Improvement Programme, please visit Dudley's Health and Wellbeing Board. 

Useful contacts:

• Head of SEND –Sue Powell susan.powell@dudley.gov.uk
• Interim Head of CDT – Claire Joyce claire.joyce@dudley.gov.uk
• Interim SEND Manager - Samantha Edwards samantha.edwards@dudley.gov.uk
• Designated Clinical Officer for SEND - Sarah George s.george9@nhs.net