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Latest Issue: December 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.
Last month, we updated you on our progress on the launched Ordinarily Available Inclusion Framework (OAIP) for settings.
In the meanwhile, programme delivery continues at pace, and November has been a particularly busy month. As we approach the end of term, the CIPS Service (Communication & Interaction, Physical & Sensory) is preparing to share a survey at the start of next term to gather feedback from schools and settings on the effectiveness of the support provided. This follows the service redesign earlier this year, which focused on improving the alignment of support services to better meet the evolving needs of schools and settings.
A key component of Delivering Better Value (DBV) has been focused on co-production, embedding meaningful collaboration across partnerships. To further strengthen these partnerships, we have been working closely with Dudley’s Parent Carer Forum (PCF) to develop Dudley’s Co-Production Charter. This charter will articulate a shared vision and outline our commitment to building trust, promoting effective communication, and valuing the diverse contributions of everyone within the SEND partnership. We are confident that the charter will benefit all stakeholders and create a solid foundation for ongoing engagement. Alongside this, we have co-developed a Protocol and Success Measures framework to evaluate the effectiveness of co-production. These tools will help us monitor engagement with schools, parent carers, and partners, with implementation planned for next term.
Looking ahead, we are preparing to host a series of ‘Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision (OAIP) surgeries’ for parents and carers, schools, and professionals from health and social care. The OAIP framework for SEND support provides clarity on the support expected to be available within mainstream settings. The surgeries will focus on the framework in more detail, address queries, and gather feedback to ensure shared understanding. These sessions will take place via Microsoft Teams during January and February 2025. Invitations will be sent out shortly, and additional information, including access links for parents, will be shared in the next bulletin.
As part of our ongoing work to strengthen post-16 pathways, we have started developing a transitions guide. This guide aims to provide practical information and support for young people with SEND as they prepare for adulthood. We are actively seeking input from young people to better understand the challenges they face during transitions, ensuring their voices are central to the guide’s development.
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Dudley Parent Carer Forum update:
In December Dudley Parent Carer Forum will celebrate 4 years since forming an independent Parent Carer Forum in 2020. We are also pleased to announce that we have recently become a Community Interest Company and will be called Dudley Parent Carer Forum CIC going forward (web address and emails will remain the same). This move was needed for accounting/payroll reasons, but it also allows us to potentially access additional funding to widen our offering over time. Jenny Jones and Claire Powers remain as CoChair Directors and Jo Lacey is also a Director. The 8 strong Steering Group including the 3 directors continues as previously and effectively retain control of the forum’s collective view and decision making. If you're a parent carer interested in becoming a member please sign up here: http://eepurl.com/hqfF_5 We also have an active members only Parent Carer Voices group on Facebook which we often consult for quick views on various SEND/Parent Carer related topics. If you’re interested in this and already a member of the forum, please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/945760439455062/ If you’d like to find out more about being one of our Parent Representatives, to help with the running of the forum or maybe even be a future steering group member, please do email us at info@dudleyparentcarerforum.co.uk
PCF Coffee morning dates will be organised shortly for the spring term and issued in the next SEND Bulletin.
Dudley Parent Carer Forum would also like to thank everyone who has shared and/or completed our 2024 Parent Carer Survey – it’s our biggest response yet and it’s now closed and we are starting to analyse the results which we hope to present towards the end of January 2025.
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Area SEND inspection: Information for parents and carers
In anticipation of a likely area SEND inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over the next 12 months, we wanted to let you know what that process will look like and how parent carers and young people will be asked to get involved.
Ofsted and CQC work together to inspect education, health and care services for children and young people with SEND in a local area, to make sure they are effective. In this short video, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DC5avluj2AY Osted and CQC explain the inspection process and how you can help us understand what it is like to be a child or young person with SEND in your local area.
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Support for Carers and young carers
Are you a carer looking after a family member, or friend? There's lot of information, advice and practical support available for carers, from Dudley Carers Hub
Young carers aged under 18 and who live in Dudley can also find specialist support to help them learn their roles and responsibility in caring for their loved ones.
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New Sensory Room at Coseley Family Hub
Parents and carers can now book time in a NEW sensory room at the local family hub in Coseley. The FREE space is bookable for between 30min to an hour and gives the chance for children of all ages to explore a range of sensory activities with their parents/carers.
The sessions are self-led but staff will be on hand to support or answer any questions. To book call the hub on 01384 813096.
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Dudley SENDIASS is an impartial information advice & support service for parents/carers of children with SEND and young people with SEND aged 0-25 years.
Dudley SENDIASS offer termly workshops for parents/carers and young people on information and processes relating to SEND.
As part of the service offer SENDIASS can also provide information on SEND relating to health and social care.
All contact details and workshop dates are on Dudley SENDIASS website
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Please note that the service is no longer based at Saltwells EDC. Enquiries and meetings are now handled remotely via email, telephone or Teams. Contact details for the service can be found on the website (link above).
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What's On Guide: Dudley Winter Holiday Activities
Dudley Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is a government funded programme offering free activities and meals during the school holidays for children aged 5 - 16 who receive benefits related Free School Meals. There are also SEND specific opportunities.
Our Christmas 2024 scheme is now open to register and book. Activities are running between Saturday 21December and Saturday 4 January 2025. There's a huge range of fun activities on offer this winter. Take a look through the What's On brochure to see what's in store! Please also read carefully for information on eligibility and the booking process.
Keeping your child happy and fulfilled during the holidays can be a challenge; and we want to support parents and carers.
Funded by the Department of Education and hosted by Dudley Council, we work with local organisations to provide a variety of exciting activities and clubs for kids as well as providing a healthy meal or snack at each session they attend.
https://www.dudleyholidayactivities.org.uk/
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Accessible Activities at DBLeisure
Programmes and classes at our borough leisure centres are designed to be all-inclusive, encouraging everyone to access as many sessions as possible. Our centres offer quiet and disability sessions for children and adults. Accessible facilities are also available throughout each of the leisure centres. Find out more at: https://www.dbleisure.co.uk/accessible-activities
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Christmas Light Trail – SEN Session!
Date: Thursday, 12 December
Location: Himley Hall, Dudley DY3 4DF
Enchanted Events are thrilled to offer a special session tailored to ensure a comfortable and joyful visit for everyone. Enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights with:
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Reduced capacity for a calm environment
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Friendly and supportive staff on hand
This is a wonderful opportunity for families to experience the magic of Christmas in a setting that considers sensory needs.
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Festive activities at local family hubs
Find all the festive fun coming up at your local family hubs this Christmas.
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SEN Soft play sessions
Dudley leisure centres offer soft play sessions for children with SEN:
At Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre, there is a SEN soft play session every Wednesday from 5.00pm - 6.00pm
At Halesowen, there is a SEN soft play session every Monday from 4.30pm - 6.00pm.
Both sessions are suitable for children under 11 years of age with disabilities, special educational needs, ASD and their siblings.
More information https://www.dbleisure.co.uk/soft-play
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16 days of action
As part of the 16 days of action campaign, which runs until Tues 10 Dec, Dudley’s community safety partnership, safe & sound is raising awareness of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, including the support that’s available.
Dudley’s single point of contact is open to anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based abuse, stalking and sexual assault and abuse, including family and friends who are concerned about someone else.
For help and support call 01384 455411 (24 hours) or text/WhatsApp 07384 466181 (9am-9pm weekdays) people can also live chat with the SPOC team by visiting their website and looking for the chat icon.
Visit the safe & sound help hub for more on domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.
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Care Experienced Christmas and Children in Care Gift Appeal
There is still time to contribute to our Care Experienced Christmas and Children in Care Gift Appeal.
The list was an amazing success last year and we had some lovely feedback on how much the presents meant to our young people.
Care leavers are a very vulnerable young group of people and do not always have the support of their family once they have left care. Unfortunately, we know that Christmas can be a very lonely time for young people who leave care and we wanted to take this opportunity to share with our young people and spread some joy at this time and some will not receive any gifts from friends or family. Our ambition is to provide care leavers across Dudley a gift this Christmas and spread some joy at this time of year.
Anything that you can support us with off the list would be greatly appreciated. Wish list link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/15K4I2MSPQPBG?ref_=wl_share
Any issues or questions please email: childrenincare@dudley.gov.uk or call 01384817670.
Important info: Please choose gift registry address on delivery page, This allows the items to be delivered straight to the Council Building to reduce contact with others.
Thank you in advance for anything you can donate for our Care Leavers this year at Christmas.
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More information:
Visit the Local Offer website to learn more about the services available in the borough.
Useful contacts:
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