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Local Offer Newsletter - Summer 2025

Featuring....

The Braillists Foundation

Our mission: more braille

The Braillists Foundation is a small, volunteer-led charity focused on increasing the availability of braille and supporting those who use it. We were founded by braillists for braillists, and all of our activities are designed for touch readers of braille.

We offer:

• A braille for beginners course, suitable for adults starting out with braille. Materials are sent to participants through the post, and they have access to a set of audio lessons as well as Zoom drop in sessions with a braille tutor.
• Masterclasses for existing users, covering things like braille displays, giving presentations using braille, updates to the braille code, and braille music. These are delivered on Zoom every month.
• A braille book club with different groups based on reading level.
• Occasional in-person events, like our World Braille Day conference earlier this year.
• A weekly newsletter with braille-related news, events, and opportunities: https://www.braillists.org/newsletter/
• Recordings of our events on our podcast, BrailleCast: https://www.braillecast.com/
• Our popular Braille Bar. This is a Zoom call where a panel of braille experts are on hand to answer any braille-related questions you may have.

Although our events are primarily aimed at adults, children and young people are welcome to join as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Please access our safeguarding policy and events moderation policy for more information: https://www.braillists.org/governance/

We hope you will join us for an event, and please get in touch if you require any further support. help@braillists.org

The Curly Hair Project 

The Curly Hair Project is an organisation that helps people on the autistic spectrum and the people around them, founded by autistic author Alis Rowe. We use cool things like animated films, stories, comic strips and diagrams to make our work interesting and easy to understand!

We provide - 

• Online training courses with fun quizzes and graphics.
• Animations to help with day to day situations.
• Books and reading materials based on real life experience.
• Training for professionals including teachers, employers and healthcare professionals

Here at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, we’re committed to strengthening family relationships and improving the wellbeing of children and young people. With this in mind, our family help team has launched the Solihull Parenting Approach offer.

The Solihull Parenting Approach provides all families with high-quality, evidence-based parenting guidance.

The online guides offer accessible, expert-led advice to help parents and carers understand the emotional health and brain development of children and young people. This will be complemented by face-to-face group sessions, delivered by our family help teams in partnership with schools and other groups.

As a council, we are dedicated to supporting parents, carers, and professionals in nurturing confident, emotionally aware children. The introduction of these guides is an important step in our redesigned family help model, ensuring families across East Riding have the right support at the right time. 

Simply use your East Riding postcode and enter the access code PUFFIN to create your account.

Home From Home Care

Created by a family to make the difference; Home From Home Care provides specialist residential care to support adults 18+ with learning disabilities, autism and complex health and mental health needs.

Combining a family perspective with an uncompromising approach, we design exceptional environments and bespoke care and support packages around each individual’s needs. setting goals for an ordinary life - ‘The World On My Terms’.

We design bespoke support packages and tailor environments to suit each individual’s needs. We use creative solutions and technology to promote independence, support individuals to lead fulfilled and active lives through meaningful activities and build on the life skills that young people have been taught at school and college. Home From Home Care has 11 separately registered services across Lincolnshire - please contact us directly for more information.

"Inspired by Laura, our daughter and Hugo's sister, we created Home From Home Care. Combining our family perspective with experienced professionals, we create dynamic and therapeutic services around each person in exceptional environments. We offer a full and active life to meet personal aspirations, delivering meaningful outcomes and fulfilled days." - Paul, Ann & Hugo de Savary.

All placements and availability at Home From Home Care are dependent on our own in-depth assessment. This enables us to determine whether we would be able to support the individual's needs and offer a suitable placement, which takes into account compatibility with other individuals and also suitability of environments etc.

We place heavy emphasis on ensuring individuals who share an environment are compatible with each other, which is not necessarily based on their diagnosis. We explore characteristics and match individuals in this way - we have learnt through experience that in doing this, individuals thrive and develop their potential to a much higher degree. We completely design environments and support specific to individual requirements to create a bespoke package for them.

All referrals for assessment must come from the funding authority.

YouTube - Home From Home Care (external website)

Communications Team

0800 587 0372

getintouch@homefromhomecare.com

Hull Truck Theatre  

Details of our family friendly relaxed shows below.

We also have a free family open day on Sat 14 June, 11am – 3pm, and people can just drop in throughout the day - Family Open Day 2025 | HullTruckTheatre

Oliver Twist (Recommended Age: 7+) – Oliver Twist | HullTruckTheatre

Relaxed Performances [RP] - Fri 12 Dec 2025 7pm, Tue 16 Dec 2025 10.15am & Sat 3 Jan 2026 2pm (Show experience guide available closer to the show date)

The Little Mermaid (Recommended Age: 3-6 years) – The Little Mermaid | HullTruckTheatre

All performances have a laid-back attitude to noise and movement during the show. The show is not ‘Relaxed’ however everyone is welcome and we’ll provide an experience guide for the show.

Pride & Prejudice (Recommended Age: 12+) – Pride & Prejudice | HullTruckTheatre

Relaxed Performances [RP] – Tue 30 Sep 2025, 7.30pm (Show experience guide available closer to the show date)

Macbeth (Recommended Age: 13+) – Macbeth | HullTruckTheatre

Relaxed Performances [RP] – Tue 17 Feb 2026, 7.30pm and Wed 25 Feb 2025, 10.15am (Show experience guide available closer to the show date)

Creative Days 

Free workshops we have coming up in July at our Driffield venue for adults with disabilities (18+)

These workshops will allow those booked on to create their own stop motion animation film

Either one, two, three or all four dates can be attended, but booking a space is essential. Before the workshops we will be in touch with those that have booked a space to discuss their interests so that we can prepare for their chosen themed film they would like to create.

These four workshops are completely free. Light refreshments will be provided but a pack up will be needed for lunch.

Below are a couple of links to some of the films our Creative Days members have created to give you an idea of what the workshops will entail;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obDc1UyMkN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECnjMMEtcak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJXBdG5WxA

Supporting Transitions for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Changing year groups

A change in classroom, teacher, teaching/learning support assistant or peer group can make pupils with SEN anxious.  Here are some things the school can do before the end of the school year to help prepare them for change:   

• a one to one meeting for them with their new teacher.
• time for them to visit their new classroom when there are no other pupils around.
• take photos of the new classroom and new teacher and assistants to remind/prepare the child over the summer holidays for the change.
• make sure that the new teacher has an understanding of the child’s individual needs and any strategies that are used to support them in the classroom.  

Moving schools

It is essential to have good communication between both schools for a successful transition from one education setting to another.

It’s important that education staff:  

• are aware of the school’s legal responsibilities during the transition process
• personalise learning and support to meet the needs of the pupil they are working with. Plan well in advance, involving the child or young person with SEN, the team around them and their parents/carers
• arrange visits to the new education setting so that the pupil can become familiar with the environment and teaching staff. Encourage them to take photographs whilst visiting, they can then have a visual record of their new school and teacher
• organise peer support, e.g. a friendship group or buddy system.

Going to college

Plan well in advance with the key people involved: the young person, their parents/carers, school SENCO, advocate (if necessary), and staff from the new setting.

• arrange familiarisation visits to the new college. These can be as staggered, e.g. trip to gate, trip to outside college and then a separate trip to inside. Use visual aids, e.g. videos and photographs of key people and buildings.
• Staff at the new education placement need to have training and an understanding of the young person’s needs to be able to support them.
• Start travel training early. It may be a long and intense learning process, but one that can be very rewarding as you see young people with SEN become more independent.
• Be aware of the importance of social skills, social confidence and peer support, e.g. clubs, friendship groups or buddy system. 

Have you heard about our SEND Youth Groups? 

The Barnardo’s Bumble Bs youth groups meet regularly at convenient locations across East Riding. These are wonderful inclusive groups for children and young people with SEND neds within East Riding. 

The groups offer a variety of engaging social activities (including arts and crafts, games, and themed events, as well as unstructured time to relax and make friends). Barnardo’s dedicated staff are trained to accommodate diverse needs and provide personalised support. 

The sessions are 2.5 hours long on a Saturday and 3 hours long during school holidays. There is a small parental contribution of £5 term time and £7.50 holiday 

The venues available and term time details are shown below:

Beverley: Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade, 4 George Street, Beverley, HU17 0AP. 5-11 years 9:30am -12pm &12-18 years 1pm-3:30pm

Bridlington: The Old Parcel Office, Bridlington Railway Station, Station Approach, Bridlington, YO15 3EP. 5-11 years 9:30 am- 12pm & 12-18 years 1pm-3:30pm

Cottingham: Zion United Reform Church, Hallgate, Cottingham, HU16 4BB. 12-18 years 9:30-12pm and 5-11 years 1pm-3:30pm

Goole: Goole Scout Hut, Dunhill Road, Goole, DN14 6TN. 5-11 years 9:30 am- 12pm & 12-18 years 1pm-3:30pm

Hedon: Hedon Scout Hut, Sheriff Highway, Hedon, HU12 8HA. 12-18 years 9:30-12pm

Market Weighton: Market Weighton Scout Hut, Providence Row, Market Weighton, YO43 3FE. 5-11 years 2pm-4:30pm 

To Book please visit: https://dsi.barnardos.org.uk/bumble-bs/booking-form

For more info please visit the local offer page 

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For more information on any of the items included within this newsletter please email fish@eastriding.gov.uk.