Welcome to the latest edition of Shropshire's SEND newsletter, co-produced by Shropshire Council's SEND Local Offer, PACC (Parent Carer Council) and NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. 

The newsletter aims to provide easy access to key information for SEND families.

Please do continue to provide feedback on this newsletter, we want this to work for you and we are keen to hear what you think of it, and what articles you'd like to see in future editions. You can email us your thoughts at Local.Offer@Shropshire.gov.uk

There's lots of information in this edition...

Last November, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a re-visit of Shropshire’s SEND services. The revisit looked at how effectively we have addressed the areas in the Written Statement of Action.

Improvements were found in three out of six areas under review.  However, inspectors found that more work needs to be done

• to improve waiting times for children and young people on the ASD and ADHD diagnostic pathways.
• to improve waiting times for those needing assessment and treatment from the speech and language therapy service
• to improve the quality of Education, Health and Care Plans.  

The full report highlighting the inspectors’ findings can be found on the SEND Local Offer.

What we are doing

We are now required to produce and submit an Accelerated Progress Plan which will need to be approved by Department for Education and NHS England.  This looks at the:

• actions we are taking to improve
• timescales
• how we will measure impact; and
• how you will be kept informed on actions and progress.

What is next?

After the Accelerated Progress Plan is officially approved, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission will be returning to Shropshire every 6 months to monitor the progress we have made.

There’s another school holiday just around the corner, and we know that the holidays can be a struggle for many families – trying to balance life and keep the children occupied and entertained can be a challenge.

Thankfully information on holiday clubs and things to do during the school holidays can be found on the online Family Information Service Directory.

You can click this link for holiday clubs and then filter by area or postcode. And keep checking this link  for Easter activities, which are being added all the time.

The Actio website  also has listings of activities for All In Short Breaks members  and Actio members, and is worth looking at.

Autism West Midlands  also have a couple of events plans such as Teens Meet and a family event with a Visit to Chirk Castle and Grounds

Attingham Park are holding SEN Mansion sessions in April. These sessions are designed for visitors on the Autism Spectrum or have sensory special needs and may find visiting the Mansion during regular opening hours overwhelming. Numbers of visitors will be limited in these sessions to ensure the mansion is quieter than usual. They will also have supporting resources including sensory maps, sensory bags, a handling collection and volunteers have attended autism awareness training.

Booking is now live on their website.   This is part of their visitor offer so admission charges do apply, although they don’t want price to be a barrier to someone who would really benefit and may be able to assist as they really want these sessions to help people in our community. 

Beam is an emotional wellbeing service for children and young people under 25 years old who are registered with a GP in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin. Beam can support with anything relating to emotional well-being. 

They are offering a number of virtual workshops for parent carers on the following topics:

• Understanding and Supporting Self Harm
• Wellbeing Planning
• Managing Anxiety
• Sleep Support

To find out more about each workshop and the link, to join please visit the Family Information Service Directory.

Beam also offer support for children and young people via:

• Face to Face sessions at our Drop in service  (Wellington and Shrewsbury)
• Virtual face to face  (via MS Teams) Pre booked appointments (limited availability)

Are you a Parent Carer of a young person aged 14-25?

The Healthy Parent Carers programme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of Parent Carers through:

• Promoting greater empowerment, resilience and confidence of parent carers.
• Taking small steps that are associated with better health and wellbeing.
• Encouraging setting achievable goals and taking a problem-solving approach.

This 12-week programme will be delivered on MS Teams for 2 hours a week on a Tuesday 10-12. 

There are still spaces on the next Healthy Parent Carer Programme which is due to start soon

For more information or to register, please contact Abi on Abi@paccshropshire.org.uk   or Denise on  Denise@paccshropshire.org.uk

Would you like to know more about your child’s development and the support available to understand their behaviour?

Two new understanding your child groups, specifically for parent carers of children and young people with SEND are starting in April and May and could be for you.

The workshops are delivered virtually through MS teams or face to face in Shrewsbury and will also give you the chance to meet and chat with other parent carers about their experiences.

For more information and dates please visit the Family Information Service online directory.  

To book a place please call 01743 250950 or email parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk

Does your child struggle with their sleep? Would you like to access support to help improve sleep and bedtime routines?

Then these FREE Sleep Tight workshops running in April and June could be for you.

The workshops are delivered virtually through MS teams or face to face in Shrewsbury and can give you with ideas to try to help make bedtimes pass more peaceful for everyone.

For more information and dates please visit the Family Information Service online directory.  

To book a place please call 01743 250950 or email parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk

Free information, advice and support drop in sessions are now taking place at the Early help hubs in Market Drayton and Oswestry. The aim of these sessions is to make it easier for families to get the help and support they need. 

There are a range of services attending the venues, including Early Help Family Workers, parenting team, housing, school nurses, Family Information Service and the SEND Local Offer.  Although some services may differ week on week there will always be someone to help.

Drop ins take place at:-

• The Centre, Oak Street, Oswestry SY11 1LW every Monday morning from 9:30am – 12:30pm
• Raven House, Cheshire Street, Market Drayton, TF9 3AH every Tuesday afternoon from 1pm – 4pm

IASS have had a busy month! Some members of the team attended the annual SEN Law conference which covered law and policy updates around a number of topics including tribunals, special school places and provision and disability discrimination. We also attended the Early Years SEND partnership event which focused on improving access and inclusion in the early years.

As we are a small team of 3 part time Officers and 1 youth worker, we continue to work hard at trying to get information to parents and young people through our website, Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Our website is full of factsheets on a variety of topics available for you to read, download and print off. You can also access our training videos via our website. We are getting really positive feedback about these and hope to continue making them in the future. The current training videos we have available are:

• SEND in the Early Years
• Preparing for Transition
• Elective Home Education
• Understanding and reviewing a draft EHCP
• SEN Support
• Checking a draft EHCP (animated)

We are so pleased that our Facebook page continues to gain more followers by the week. Our focus is getting the most relevant information to parents and young people using this platform so please give us a like and a share so we can reach as many Shropshire families as we can.

Lynne, our youth worker has also been busy going into colleges and meeting students face to face. She has recently been liaising with the EHCP Co Ordinator and staff of one Shropshire college to offer a space for some recreation activities for students during break and lunchtime. Lynne is working hard to get more young people engagement and has provided schools with our new leaflets and posters and sending emails to SENCOs to offer to support pupils.

What is EBSA

Emotionally based school avoidance or EBSA is a term to describe children and young people who experience high levels of anxiety and who struggle to go to school.

Anxiety and worry are feelings we all experience at times.  They are normal feelings and tell us when there is something we need to pay attention to and perhaps be careful about.  Anxiety can signal that we need to keep ourselves safe, it can also help us to perform well in certain challenging situations for example when sitting an exam or having to perform in some way.  However, too much anxiety is uncomfortable and can stop us doing things we want and need to do.

Children learn about anxiety and how to deal with it as part of growing up.  It is not unusual for children to experience some worries related to school from time to time.  Excessive anxiety leading to difficulties attending school is EBSA and needs to be addressed.

Children with EBSA may feel better and experience a sense of relief when they are able to stay at home instead of going to school.  This sense of relief and the anxiety they experience about school means children with EBSA are likely to resist going to school the following day too.  It is important that children with EBSA are helped to overcome their worries as soon as possible as time spent away from school makes it increasingly difficult to return and start learning and socialising again.

Autism and EBSA

Children with autism often experience additional challenges in school which may make them anxious.  Sensory issues can make certain experiences and situations overwhelming and difficult to tolerate for children with autism.  When the sensory world feels unpredictable children with autism may experience a range of powerful emotions including anxiety.  If a child with autism is showing signs of EBSA it is important to work in partnership with school staff to investigate what s/he is finding difficult to tolerate.

Signs of EBSA

•  Fearfulness, anxiety, tantrums, or expressions of negative feelings at the prospect of going to school
• There may be complaints about headaches or abdominal pain, sore throat, nausea, they may throw up
• Anxiety related symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, shaking, breathing difficulties
• Physical resistance to leaving the house or car

These symptoms are often worse the night before school or in the morning and are likely to be absent during the school holidays

Supporting your child

• Listen to and support your child, acknowledge their fears. They are real for them. Be curious about their feelings, get them to describe their emotions
• Discuss your concerns with school staff at the earliest opportunity (you may spot signs of EBSA before they do)
• Collaborate with school staff and maintain a ‘united front’, if necessary, hold more conflicted discussions away from your child
• Work with school staff and your child to develop a support plan
• Help your child learn about anxiety and develop strategies for managing it
• Don’t avoid everything that causes anxiety
• Be optimistic while expecting setbacks

Written by Shropshire Educational Psychology Service

PACC recently presented to the Shropshire Integrated Place Partnership (SHIPP) Board about the how young people with learning disabilities and / or autism can be best supported to lead healthy lives. 

The PACC Preparation For Adulthood Healthy Lives Project started in 2022 and supported the development of an approach PACC calls 'UPP -  Understand, Prepare, Prevent which recognises that:

• The Learning Disability and /or Autism Community do not have the same opportunities to develop their understanding of how to establish, maintain and benefit from a healthy lifestyle, resulting in poorer health outcomes.
• Starting in childhood typically this group have limited experiences of wider society, resulting in reduced confidence and resilience which becomes a barrier to accessing health care, as well as having a direct negative impact on physical and mental health.

PACC, working with Taking Part, has been developing opportunities for young people with learning disabilities and / or autism and their families to come together to learn about key health issues for their community and to experience a range of activities which will support their physical and mental health.  

To find out more about this approach on the PACC website.

Remember - No diagnosis is needed to access the AWM Shropshire service and there is no formal referral route – parents/carers can self-refer by booking an advice appointment or contacting us directly.  Details for both below… 

Easter activities

Teens meet together – join in with baking, Lego, craft and board games.

Date: Monday 3rd April 2023

Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm

For Young people 12 – 17 years who are registered for All In Short Breaks.

To book a place visit the Autism West Midlands events website

To apply to become an All In member please visit the SEND Local Offer.

Family Event – Visit to Chirk Castle and Grounds

13th April at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Join two members from Autism West Midlands for a walk around Chirk Castle – Feel free to bring a picnic

To book a place please visit the Autism West Midlands events website.

WEEKLY Teams Advice slots – every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 

For those would like some online advice we are offering this virtually via video appointments. Teams works well on mobile phones. To book a 45 min advice appointment with a specialist autism advisor please book via our shop.  If the dates/timings of our online advice appointments are not convenient for you, please contact us to make alternative arrangements – scroll down for details 

Virtual Support Group for Parents - Wednesday Mornings 10am-11am and Wednesday Evenings 8pm-9pm – 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of each month (term time) 

Our online support groups meet twice a month via Zoom. This is an opportunity to talk with other parents, share ideas, and offer support. We recommend that you have attended an online advice appointment with a member of the team before joining group sessions (link above).  If you would like to join either of the support groups, please email the team here shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk 

Dad’s Group – Monthly on a Thursday 7pm-8pm 

This is an opportunity for dads to meet online, share ideas, celebrate their children’s achievement’s and offer support to each other with a member of Autism West Midlands present.  More information and booking details are here. 

Advice and support  

We also offer advice and support over the phone and via email. Parents/carers and professionals can contact our small team directly to arrange an appointment including face-to-face if preferable. 

Shropshire office - 01952 454156 

Weds, Thu, Fri - Emma Hegenbarth      07881109480 

Tue, Wed, Thu - Dawn Lewis              07706309382 

Thursday - Nicola King                         

Email shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk 

Helpline:  0121 450 7575

Supported internships are a structured, work-based Further Educational (FE) study programme for students with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), aged between 16 and 24 years, who have a strong motivation to work. Students will be enrolled at a college, or in some cases at a school.  The majority of the students’ time will be spent at an employer base, supported by a job coach. Interns will gain valuable employability skills.  The programme usually lasts 6 to 12 months. The work placements will be matched and aligned to a student’s capabilities and careers aspirations to move into paid employment. 

The government recently allocated extra funding to Shropshire to double the number of supported internships.  The funding will support the training of extra job coaches and the creation of an employer forum.  For more information on supported internships and young people’s stories please visit the Shropshire SEND Local Offer.

This year Shropshire took part in the Department for Education (DfE) funded National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN) Early Years SEND review programme to drive improvement for SEND in early years settings.

The programme plus 2 DfE funded webinars focuses on:

• roles and responsibilities and processes around SEND
• effective and inclusive practice,
• reviews, including peer reviews
• building positive relationships with parents of SEND children
• How NASEN DfE-funded Early Years resources can be used to support Early Years in meeting the needs of all children.

The reviews and reflection identified areas for development and opportunities for professional development, that can be shared effectively with other settings.

14 out of the 24 setting that originally signed up have completed the review and others are committed to completing at a later date.

The outcomes of the review have provided some areas of consideration as well as areas of celebration for the Local Authority (LA) when working to support quality provision for the children of Shropshire.

Feedback when shared at an Early Years SEND partnership Regional Event last week:

‘Shropshire have done really well, you have completed the highest number of reviews of the 6 LAs on the project this time round so thank you for your hard work and commitment 😊’

BeeU exists to help children and young people (aged 0-25) to be resilient and to have a positive sense of emotional health and wellbeing. Staff who work within the BeeU partnership are specially trained to talk with children and their families about problems they are having.  

BeeU offers a wider range of services depending on how children, young people and their families choose to access services. Drop-in and online services are available as well as Young People and Families Mental Health Service (previously CAMHS) to help an individual get advice, help, or support.

There is a wide range of professionals working in their team, from Nurses and Doctors to Youth Workers and Therapists. For further information visit the BeeU website.