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Issue 2 November/December 2020 newsletter for parent/carers |
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The challenges of the last months have forced us all to implement changes to our routines and normal daily practices in order to manage the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a tough period for most of us, but arguably has been most challenging for families who have children and young people with SEND.
I have been working closely with head teachers from our Special Schools and with our partners from Family Voice who have shown their commitment to supporting families since March. It would be appropriate to offer a note of thanks and appreciation to our Special Schools, SEND services and to the team at Family Voice. However, it would also be appropriate to specifically recognise and give thanks and appreciation to our parent carers, who have demonstrated incredible levels of resilience and supported children and young people with care, love and a commitment to keeping them safe and well.
I have been lucky enough to hear amazing stories about families, parent carers and young carers through my interactions with schools and Family Voice and I have also been able to speak with some parent carers directly to hear about their challenges. I have been left in awe and admiration for the way in which you are coping in extremely difficult circumstances.
I would like to recognise the on-going challenges that parent carers are experiencing at this time and thank you for your resilience. I want to share that across the SEND services team we really appreciate all that you are doing.
Thank you! You are all amazing!
Toni Bailey
Assistant Director SEND / Inclusion
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Letter from Vicky Ford MP about the new national lockdown and school attendance
Vicky Ford MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, has written a letter to all children and young people with special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND), their parents/carers and families, and others who support them.
In the letter she says "It remains very important for children and young people to attend their education setting, to support their education and wellbeing and to help working parents and guardians. Education settings have implemented a range of protective measures to make them as safe as possible and the latest medical advice from senior clinicians is that school is the best place for children and young people to be. In light of this, the balance of risk continues to be in favour of their continued
attendance at school or college.
There are, however, a small number of children and young people who are clinically extremely vulnerable who will be advised to stay at home, except for specific purposes. I know that for those children and young people, and their families, the next few weeks may be challenging and we want to reassure them that those children and young people affected will continue to receive support through remote education and other support services where appropriate".
Read the full letter.
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SEND Partnership Service
The SEND Partnership Service provides impartial advice and information about Special Educational Needs including:
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Help for parents, children and young people to navigate through the Special Educational Needs process
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Help for parents about their rights to make sure the educational needs of their child are met
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Help for parents to work with schools, education, children’s services, health and other professionals
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Information for parents about other support services and organisations
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Help for parents to resolve disagreements
Sportworks
Peterborough City Council and Sportworks have put together a winning formula to provide the ultimate Short Break for you and your child this Autumn/Winter.
The structured programme of fully inclusive coaching uses the best sports and activities from around the world, providing children with not only fun and entertainment, but developing their confidence, skill and much more.
Children will enjoy a healthy, active break participating in their favourite sports and activities, including dance, tag rugby, volleyball and fitness.
The team of experienced coaches are fully qualified, hold DBS disclosures and have full liability insurance cover for £2 million, so you can be assured your child will have a safe, enjoyable break.
The new sessions run after school, on Saturdays and during school holidays for children and young people 7-19.
Family Fund is a UK-wide charity that provides grants for essential items to families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children, up to the age of 17.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Family Fund has continued to provide vital support to families and has seen a significant increase in applications.
In May, in response to this extra need, the Department for Education provided a further £10 million in additional funding to the £27.3 million it had already committed to Family Fund, which has allowed them to support thousands more families.
Families can apply online, by downloading an application form, or by ordering one to be sent to them.
Elective Home Education
On Wednesday 20 October 2020, the Department for Education published advice for parents considering Elective Home Education (EHE).
The advice makes clear the distinction between home-schooling, during the period where schools were closed due to the pandemic and EHE which is where parents choose not to send their child to school full-time on a long-term basis.
The advice also highlights the implications of withdrawing children and young people from school and the challenge involved in providing EHE. Find out more on the DfE blog
Post 16 Education Offer
We have recently updated the Post 16 Curriculum document including information on local colleges.
You can read the document on the Local Offer.
Training on statutory EHCP processes
Would you like to build your own confidence, knowledge and understanding of the statutory processes around Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP’s)?
The Local Area SENI Support (LASS) Team, as part of the SEN and Inclusion (SENI) team, have co-produced a multi-agency rolling programme of training and support for parent carers, young people aged 16-25 and professionals.
The training is free of charge and will be run virtually via Microsoft Teams.
You will only be required to attend one of the three sessions.
Find out more on this flyer.
Please book on to one of the three dates:
Wednesday 25 November 2020
11 am to 1pm
Tuesday 23 March 2021
10 am -12 noon
Monday 24 May 2021
11am -1pm
You can find the booking form here to receive a Microsoft Teams invite.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the main benefit for children under 16 with a condition or disability. DLA helps to meet the extra costs that you might have as a result of your child's disability.
Make sure you are getting the benefits you are entitled to by looking at the information on Contact’s website.
SEND Fact Sheets
We are starting to create a suite of SEND Fact Sheets.
Find out more on the SEND Fact Sheets page on the Local Offer. We will be adding to this suite, so please keep checking it out!
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Habilitation Specialist
The Sensory and Physical Support Service now have a Habilitation Specialist called Debbie Halifax as part of their team and wanted to let you know what this highly specialist role involves.
People with vision impairment can achieve just as much as sighted people when they have the right training and support. A Habilitation Specialist can teach a child or young person with vision impairment strategies and techniques to support them to become independent.
The skills a Habilitation Specialist will focus on relate to three main areas - mobility, orientation and daily living skills.
Developing skills in these areas aims to enable a child or young person with sight impairment to travel independently and safely in different surroundings and to complete day to day activities independently. Find out more on the Local Offer Sensory Impairment page.
To contact the Sensory and Physical Support Team please email:
senandinclusion@peterborough.gov.uk
If you have been listening to the BBC news recently, you may have heard Lucy Edwards describe what she has achieved since losing her sight seven years ago and how a qualified Habilitation Specialist supported her to adapt her daily living and remain independent.
Find out more on Lucy Edwards website.
React: for families who care for a child with a life-shortening condition
React provides practical assistance to families caring for a child with a condition which is life-threatening or has the potential to shorten their lifespan. Their purpose is to provide assistance in situations where none is available elsewhere.
The charity makes awards every day and will respond to requests within days or hours for those deemed most urgent. React can provide a broad range of items and will consider any request considered a basic, essential need.
If you would like to check whether or not a specific item fits React’s criteria, give them a call on 020 8940 2575 where a Family Liaison Officer will be happy to advise you. Alternatively, visit their website to apply.
Department for Education hears young people’s call for youth representation
Dmitrijs Meiksans, Member of Young National Childrens Bureau and Member of Youth Parliament for North West Hampshire has written a new blog on his experience of speaking to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children.
He discussed how we recover from COVID-19 and how schools could better support all children and young people as they came back into education.
Read the full report.
‘Give me a break’ report from Together for Short Lives
Regular short breaks for respite that meet their complex physical, emotional and spiritual needs are a lifeline for seriously ill children and their families.
The pressure on families caring for a seriously ill child with complex needs is immense.
The burden of caring for a child 24/7 and the knowledge that your child will die young can be too much to bear, so having access to regular short breaks is vital to relieve this stress, spend time as a family and do the things that other families do.
Why are routines so important?
Whether it is going to bed, waking up, eating, doing schoolwork or playing, predictable routines help children feel secure and learn good behaviours more quickly. Plan what your routine will be and discuss it with your family. Write it down and put it somewhere where all the family can see it.
Top Tips for Bedtime
- Decide on a bedtime
- Establish a wind-down routine
- Give a warning
- Be firm and ignore protests
- Do a check-in
- Get a night lights and/or security objects like a favourite teddy or blanket.
Top Tips for Mealtimes
- Consider your child's hunger level-not every child is the same
- Eliminate constant snacking and junk food
- Try time-limit meals
- Ignore picky eating and bad table manners and praise good ones.
- Make eating a fun relaxed event and set this example yourself but staying calm.
Dealing With Children's Discouragement
Most children will get discouraged with learning from time to time: some may experience difficulty learning to read, others with maths, or with writing. We all know these skills develop at different rates for different children.
However, children become acutely self-conscious if they sense they are not doing as well as their friends or if parents and teachers seem disappointed with their progress. Their anxiety and lack of confidence usually results in discouragement and lack of interest in the subject.
Below are some points to remember when encouraging your child’s learning:
- Take an active interest in your child’s work.
- Praise and encourage your child’s efforts in the right direction (not just the end product).
- Set up tangible rewards programs for doing the small steps it takes to learn something new, read, or complete homework (this could be a sticker chart for example).
- Be enthusiastic about your child’s work (make positive statements and comments about a piece of work before they start doing it, as the do it, and when they complete it.
- Use positive forecasting statements like, “If you keep practicing your reading with me each night, I bet before long you will be able to read the whole page/book by yourself”.
- Focus on your child’s strengths, not their weaknesses.
- Share something that was hard for you to learn so they understand it is normal to have an area that isn't as strong as another in their learning.
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Free school meals
The Peterborough Hub has been supporting families to access meals, including providing free meals for children through the half term break. There was a significant rise in calls to the Hub during the half term holiday week (w/c 26 October 2020).
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In total 111 children were supported by local community groups and voluntary organisations with food during the week. The majority of families who contacted the Hub had more than two children per family and had children who have special needs/ disabilities/special dietary requirements.
35 of the callers were directed to local community resources and 16 families were given a Red Cross food parcel.
The Transition Event online
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The Transition Event online is a virtual event for young people with additional needs and those who support them. The current coronavirus pandemic means that most things have changed. However, what hasn’t is the need to support young disabled people. If anything, this support is more necessary than ever.
The Transition Event Hub is an online version of the Transition Event. It brings together experts to talk about the different transition topics, aims to help answer your questions, and arm you with the most up-to-date information so you can best support your young person and safeguard their future.
This online event is for parents and carers of children with additional needs, young people themselves and schools. You can visit the Hub for lots of useful resources, with the live webinar taking place Friday 20 November 2020.
Family Voice - results of COVID-19 survey
Family Voice have identified that parent carers in Peterborough have struggled terribly during the coronavirus pandemic. They recently carried out a survey to gain a better understanding of the impact the first lockdown had on parent carers across Peterborough. The worrying results revealed:
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- Parent carers reported an increase in their caring responsibilities for their child with special educational needs, as well as the whole family
- A lack of respite
- Increased anxiety, with particular concerns for the health of their vulnerable children and who would care for their children if they themselves became ill with COVID-19
- Increased stress levels
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Family breakdowns
- An increase in challenging behaviour in children and young people in the family
- Support families were receiving prior to lockdown was suspended or, in some cases, stopped altogether
- Increasing financial pressures from both furlough and redundancies, as well as an increase in expenses relating to children they are caring for due to services and support being removed.
Overall, 75.3% of those responding to the survey reported a decrease in their physical and emotional health and wellbeing. There was also an increase in the number of families requesting food support via Family Voice's FareShare scheme.
Chief operating officer Louise Ravenscroft said: "Parent carers are not alone and we will continue providing food support, signposting, information and advice via phone and email if people contact us on office@familyvoice.org or 01733 685510. Parent carers do an amazing job often in very difficult circumstances and at this time they are coping with so much more."
Circles Network
Circles Network have a range of new leisure activities on offer based at Circles Network Hub in Peterborough. The groups are aimed and funded for 7-19 year olds who have a diagnosis of a disability or autism. There are limited spaces and booking is essential.
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Chloe Wilmot from Chloe's Dance Company will be delivering the dance aspect of these workshops. Children and young people will be able to attend an activity for one term. Each term Circles will offer a different activity which will be led by an external professional, alongside experienced and skilled Circles Network staff.
School Streets Scheme
School Streets is an exciting opportunity which promotes a safer and cleaner car-free environment around the school gate.
The scheme involves temporarily closing the road outside a school at drop off and pick up times to create a pedestrian and cycling (or scooting) friendly area. This not only means that families are able to maintain social distancing but it also encourages parents and children to leave the car at home and travel more sustainably on the school run.
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Any Peterborough primary or secondary school can apply or be nominated to have a school street. There are only two requirements: the council must assess the area’s suitability and the school community has to commit to offer volunteers who will put out and take down the signs and cones each day. All equipment, training and support is provided for free by the council’s Travelchoice and Road Safety teams.
Peterborough City Council also organise the required temporary traffic regulation order which is put in place for 18 months.
The has been great feedback from the initial schools trialling this scheme. If you are a school governor, PTA member or part of a school community that you think could benefit from this scheme, please get in touch with Rebecca Presland by emailing Rebecca.Presland@peterborough.gov.uk
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Family Fund report on how the coronavirus has affected families of children with SEND
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Family Fund have carried out some research to understand how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting families raising disabled or seriously ill children in the UK.
You can look at their report on their website.
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Webinars on violent and other extreme behaviours in children with additional needs
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These four webinars have already made a huge and positive difference for hundreds of families who have SEND children who were also violent or who had other extreme behaviours. Each webinar costs £2.50 thanks to NHS funding. There are free places available for families facing financial hardship.
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All four webinars are on Tuesday evenings at 8pm for two hours
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If you can’t make it then, don’t worry, you’ll get a replay link
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The replay link is available for a month which means you can watch it whenever works best for you
SENSE Connect offers virtual buddying projects for disabled individuals and young carers |
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The Sense Buddying service, that matches a disabled person with a volunteer, is now also available online, with buddies socialising over phone, videocall or letter. The volunteer buddies are matched with people based on their communication style, hobbies and interests, with a focus on growing friendships. Virtual Buddying is available for individuals of all ages with additional communication or sensory needs.
Siblings and Young Carers
Siblings and Young Carers is a new online project aimed at supporting the wellbeing of young people with caring responsibilities. The project includes both age appropriate group sessions and one to one peer sessions where young people can share their experiences and interests with a fellow sibling or young carer. The Siblings and Young Carers project is suitable for young people aged 5-18 who have a sibling or parent with a disability.
If you are a family caring for a child or young person with a disability, are disabled yourself, or know one who may benefit from this service, visit the Sense Connect referral page.
The Local Offer is a comprehensive resource to enable parents and young people to see what services are available in their area and how to access them. You can find the Local Offer at www.peterborough.gov.uk/localoffer
The Local Offer includes provision from birth to 25, across education, health and social care and has been developed and reviewed in conjunction with children and young people, parents and carers, local services, including schools, colleges, health and social care agencies, charity and voluntary groups.
The Local Offer Annual Report for September 2019 to September 2020 has recently been uploaded to the Local Offer.
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate how the Local Offer within Peterborough has developed over the last year. The report highlights the actions that have been taken following comments and suggestions from service users.
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Jamie Jones SENCO at Ormiston Bushfield Academy's charity bike ride
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In August 2020 Jamie completed a 13 day charity bike ride from John O' Groats to Land's End. He was part of a team of 12 riders and four support crew members.
Jamie said:
"I have now fully recovered from my ride. At present as a team we have managed to raise over £109,000 for mental health charities. On completing the ride we cycled over 1,000 miles, pedalled for 13 days, climbed 59,000ft battling through unseasonal August wind and rain.
The most challenging part of the ride for me was cycling up the Kirkstone Pass in Cumbria in horrendous conditions and 50 mph head winds. I knew it would be challenging but after cycling 60 miles and then hitting it head on was the toughest thing I have ever done, but I knew I was going to complete it.
The money you helped raise will help continue to promote awareness of mental health issues in Northamptonshire’s schools and businesses, as well as support the work of other charities like Mind.
The charity 'We Mind & Kelly Matters' funded a £20,000 one-year pilot project in collaboration with Rushden Mind. The SAFE (Suicide Awareness For Everyone) service offered awareness talks, training events and programmes for 15 to 25-year-olds in Northamptonshire affected by suicide."
If you wanted to donate, you can do so on this link.
Staying Safe online
The University of Suffolk invites you to participate in a project to investigate what parents, guardians and professionals think about the Inclusive Digital Hub created by Internet Matters and SWGfL
The research project aims to evaluate the online safety resources created for children who identify as LGBTQ+ or have special educational needs and disabilities. They are looking for interested parents or professionals to take part in a brief interview to feedback on the resources created, to see whether they are useful, accessible and how they could be improved.
You can view the resources for parents and carers here: https://www.internetmatters.org/inclusive-digital-safety/advice-for-parents-and-carers/ If interested you would take part in an interview which will last a maximum of 30 minutes with Katie, during which you will be asked a few questions about your perceptions of online safeguarding children and young people, your thoughts about the resources, their usefulness and accessibility. The interview can be held at a time convenient for yourself and will take place via telephone or web conferencing platforms (Zoom/Microsoft Teams).
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For more information visit www.peterborough.gov.uk/localoffer |
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