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

The survey for parent carers, children and young people, and professional colleagues across the council and health working with and for children and young people with a disability closed on 12th June 2024. 

The survey, which has been designed to find out the views and experiences of families who have a child with a disability and will provide us with feedback enabling us to understand:

• whether parent carers and children and young people feel that the right types of short breaks are on offer,
• what impact short breaks have on the lives and experiences of children and young people with a disability,
• What sort of short breaks do parent carers and children and young people want to see in the future

Your survey responses have been collated and key themes identified. The council together with parent carers and colleagues from health and PACC (Parent & Carer Council – Shropshire) then held a short breaks recommissioning engagement workshop, which provided an opportunity to talk about the key themes from the feedback and inform the plans for providing short breaks from April 2025.

Everything that you tell us will be considered when we plan the way the council provides short breaks from April 2025, and we will continue to update you through this newsletter and social media. 

There’s another school holiday just round the corner, and we know how some families can find the holidays a challenge with the juggle of work and keeping the children entertained.

If parent carers are looking for thinks to do and places to go, then the Shropshire Family Information Service Directory is the place to visit. Click here  for fun during the school holidays.

There’s also the Actio activity offer for those children and young people who are registered for All In Programme  and Autism West Midlands have events for teens and the whole family, you can find out more about and book on Autism West Midlands events page.

We are delighted to announce that bookings for the Shropshire Summer HAF (Holiday Activities & Food) Programme are now open. Shropshire Council are working in partnership with local schools, voluntary and community organisations, and childcare providers to run exciting holiday clubs this summer. During 22nd July to 30th August 2024, eligible children and young people are invited to take part in a range of fun free activities, happening at over 40 holiday clubs from across the county.

All the bookings are being made direct with the organisations running the clubs.

A list of clubs and timetable is available in the Summer what’s on guide and online here.

Each eligible child and young person is able to attend 16 x sessions over the Summer holidays. A typical session tends to be 4 x hours in length, which is funded by the department for education. Some organisations run longer sessions which they subsidise.

Lots more information about the programme is available on the Shropshire HAF webpages Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)  any questions please email HAF.programme@shropshire.gov.uk

Kieran Jones from Shropshire was diagnosed with Autism and had an education health and care plan (EHCP) throughout school and college.  Kieran has done incredibly well to progress onto a Supported Internship and to then pass his apprenticeship to now working fulltime for Shropshire Council.  Read more of Kieran's story.

We often share with you news about the information on the SEND Local Offer – which is a single place for parent carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, to access information. 

We have also been working with young people to develop a Local Offer specifically for young people themselves. Their website would contain information about having fun, keeping healthy, staying safe, as well as information on preparing for adulthood, such as work and where to live. 

We are keen for young people to continue produce their site and to now have a voice on the design of the site, and wondered if you would be able to help us to gather their views?

We have developed a simple form for them to be able to feedback comments on what they think of the homepage.

We are also keen for them to have a say on what the site should be called – because Local Offer doesn’t really mean anything.

Please share this link  with any young people who have SEND and let them have their say.

Thanks for your help with this, we really appreciate it.

Being a parent can be tough sometimes. We are here for you with a friendly listening ear and practical advice on everything from behaviours that challenge to sleep issues. No judgment, just support, through this anonymous and confidential service. 

Call 01743 250950 Monday - Thursday, 9.30am - 4.30pm or Friday, 9.30am - 3.30pm or email: parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk

When children and young people have needs related to neurodiversity they may require support from a range of services. 

There are a range of local support providers that parent carers and children and young people can access, the majority of which do not require your child to have a diagnosis.

The Healthier Together website has information on the support available for 0-5 years, 5-18 years and a newly launched section for 18-25 years

Click to find out more about the Support for neurodivergent children and their families.

Cases of measles are rising across England, including among children. It’s an infection that spreads very easily and for some people can cause serious problems.

There’s no specific medical treatment for measles, so it’s important to get vaccinated as it’s the best protection against becoming seriously unwell.

Here, we explain everything you need to know about the rise in measles cases, from getting your child vaccinated to when to keep them off school. What to do if you think your child has measles and when to keep them off school – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

Shropshire Wheelchair and Posture Service is a clinically-led service which aims to meet the mobility needs of children and young people with long-term disabilities and restricted abilities.

The service have skilled clinicians who can carry out an assessment to see if a child/young person requires mobility equipment to help them get around. Information about the service has recently been updated on the Send Local Offer, so have a look and see if this is something which could support your child or young person. Find out more here.

For some families, the end of the school summer term might also mean the end of primary school. Time really does go quickly!

If your child is starting secondary school in September, there will be lots to think about. There is a new free online course for parent carers of children and young people with SEND who are transitioning to secondary school.

You can find out more, and sign up to the course here, for families living in Shropshire, the code to access the course for free is DARWIN18

It has been a busy time within the IASS service recently. So far, for the period from April to June 2024, we have received 62 new referrals into the service.

In response to this high demand, our officers have been working hard for the families they support. We have seen an increase in in enquiries regarding children and young people struggling to attend school due to emotionally based school anxiety, as well as an increase for requests for support in finding specialist placements. IASS officers are also supporting a number of families through understanding the process of mediation and tribunals, ensuring that the offer of information and advice extends to all areas.

The IASS service continues to be represented on a number of groups within the Local Authority, including the SEND Partnership Board and SEND Quality Assurance Group, which means we can bring information about the issues that are impacting families to the attention of decision makers. It also allows us the opportunity to coproduce work with all of our local authority partners.

IASS also works with PACC to report on emerging issues to the local authority on a monthly basis. This means that the problems that our clients are encountering have a direct line onto the agenda of the teams that can shape positive changes.

Here is some recent positive feedback from service users:

“X likes to keep in contact [with the IASS Youth Worker] as do we - you have been a massive help in X’s life. He doesn’t like or mix with many people.”

“I wanted to express my sincere thanks to you for your help. I honestly wouldn't have been able to submit the appeal without your help and guidance so I'm very grateful.”

IASS continues to work hard to bring crucial, high quality advice and information to families who are navigating the complexities of the SEND system.

If you think you would benefit from support from IASS you can find out more on the SEND Local Offer SEND Local Offer.

Please find below a link to the latest news from Autism West Midlands, which includes information on support for parent carers with face to face meetings, training, one to one advice sessions and also information on events for teens and the whole family.

Remember no formal diagnosis is needed to be able to access support from Autism West Midlands.

Read their latest news on the SEND Local Offer.

Shropshire Council’s Welfare Support Team has funds available to help people with their essential living costs through the Household Support Fund.

They may be able to help people with things like:

• Food
• Energy and water costs (including payment towards arrears)
• Essential white goods
• Essential furniture items
• Essential bills

If you aren’t sure whether they can help with an item, please contact them on 0345 678 9078, selecting option 1 to speak to an adviser.

To apply, people should call them on 0345 678 9078, selecting option 2.

For more information on the Household Support Fund at Shropshire Council, see here

For more information on the Welfare Support Team, see here

Please also familiarise yourself with the following web pages, Cost of living help and Unclaimed benefits 

Cases of Whooping Cough are on the rise, so how do you know if your child has Whooping Cough and what can you do to help?

The first signs of Whooping Cough are very similar to those of a cold, followed a week later by symptoms including:

• coughing that lasts for a few minutes
• difficulty breathing after coughing
• thick mucus that may make you vomit
• a distinctive 'whoop' sound (although babies & adults may not 'whoop') this video clip shares what a whooping cough sounds like.

Find out more here What is whooping cough and is there a vaccine? – UK Health Security Agency (blog.gov.uk)

Some good news stories from the Neurodiversity Workstream to share with you:

• Further investment has been made in the Neurodiversity teams for Bee U, Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to increase capacity
• A 'what to expect’ video outlining what families and children may experience on the day of their Multidisciplinary Assessment (MDA) has been created, you can watch the video
• Shropshire Community Health Trust (SCHT) have developed an information video as an introduction to sensory processing for Parent Carers and professionals. You can find out more On this link you will also be able to book onto a webinar from the Children’s Occupational Therapy team offering further support. The Children's Occupational Therapy advice line also remains  open.
• The Neurodiversity Practitioners (NDPs) have all received really positive feedback in evaluations from parents, school staff and children.
• The Parents and Carers Council (PACC) recently organised and facilitated a ‘Living Positively with Neurodiversity’ conference in collaboration with Autism West Midlands. Reports on the event can be found on the following links:
• http://www.paccshropshire.org.uk/mental-health-awareness-week-ndash-supporting-parent-carer-wellbeing
• http://www.paccshropshire.org.uk/pacc-conference-2024-reflection

Partners from the NHS and Shropshire Council are working together, listening to the feedback from parent carers and their children and young people, to improve the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) support available in the local area.

A reinspection, carried out by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), in November 2022, found further progress was needed in relation to waiting times for Autism and ADHD assessments, waiting times for Speech and Language Therapy services, and the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans.

In response to the reinspection, we developed an Accelerated Progress Plan which included a commitment to seek feedback from parent carers to understand families’ experiences and inform plans for improvement. You can find out more about that here.

In April and May 2024, parent carers were invited to complete a second short survey. We are interested in understanding whether, in relation to your experiences over the last 6 months, services met your individual or family needs and if you are aware of the full range of support available in relation to neurodiversity, speech, language and communication needs and Education, Health and Care Plans.

This second survey received over 200 responses and provided valuable insight into families’ experiences of SEND services in the local area.  We have listened to what people have said, taken action and set out a number of next steps which can be read here.

While we have made some really positive progress, we know we still have more to do, and we will continue to work with all our partners to develop the support available and raise awareness of what’s on offer to improve the experiences and outcomes for children and young people.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey and we hope you will continue to share your feedback to help us make progress on our ambition to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people.

A new online tool will help people find out how much they may have to pay towards their care and support.

Shropshire Council has launched a new online financial assessment calculator for adult social care, which will enable people to get an estimate of their contribution towards the cost of their care and support.

The online financial assessment calculator is available on the council’s website and can be accessed by anyone who may qualify for social care support, whether they receive care at home, in the community, or in a care home. The calculator is confidential, free to use, and does not store any personal information.

The calculator asks people to enter details of their income, savings, assets, and essential costs, and then provides an indicative amount of what they might be asked to pay towards their care. The calculation is based on the same criteria that the council uses in a financial assessment.

The aim of the new online tool is to make the financial assessment process more transparent, convenient and efficient for people who need care and support, and to reduce the amount of paper and postage involved. The calculator also includes frequently asked questions, and a video guide will shortly be available to help people use it.

For more information about the online financial assessment calculator and how to use it, please visit: Calculate your contribution (mycostofcare.com)

For more information about paying for your care and support, please see the council’s factsheet on paying for your care and support: Factsheet 7: Paying for your care and support | Shropshire Council.

If you would like to find out more about what support is available to help you live more independently visit our Shropshire Choices support finder at  Shropshire Choices Support Finder | Care Choices