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

Shropshire Council is pleased to announce that Shaftesbury has been awarded the contract to provide Overnight Short Breaks to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for at least the next three years. This is a change in provider from Action for Children.

The award of the contract follows the completion of the formal tender and procurement process. Shaftesbury will begin providing Overnight Short Breaks from April 1, 2026.

The newly commissioned overnight short breaks service will continue to be provided at Bradbury House.

To find out more please visit the newsroom

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin is pleased to announce that Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) has been awarded the contract to deliver a new model of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) across the county, following the conclusion of the formal procurement process.

This follows a rigorous, transparent and legally compliant commissioning process. The process was designed to secure a service that better meets the needs of children, young people and families with a redesigned specification, shaped by extensive public engagement, and a renewed focus on early help, accessibility and joined-up care.

While MPFT is the current provider of CAMHS locally, this contract award represents a fundamentally new service model, developed in response to what children, young people, families and professionals told us they need. The service will be delivered using existing funding, but with a redesigned approach to ensure the best possible outcomes and value for money.

To find out more about what this means to children, young people and families, please click here.

EHCP Quality Assurance Sessions

As part of the Quality Assurance Framework, we arrange a termly session to scrutinise the processes and EHC plans to ensure a continuous learning loop on a multi-agency and partnership level, including health colleagues, social care, schools and settings and parent carer forums.

Participation from colleagues to help us to continually develop as a multi-agency partnership is crucial.

The involvement and learning from the sessions is fed back to SEND Partnership Board.

Our latest session was being held on the 26^th November and the focus was on phase transfers and in particular those students in Y6. Despite being a busy time of year for everyone, the session was represented by a broad spectrum of partners, including secondary phase staff, Educational Psychologists, Early Help/ Social Care, Post 16 settings, Health and Special Schools, including representatives from the EHCP Team.

The session had a cross section of partner representatives and key learning captured which will be shared through our partnerships.

Annual review recovery Team (ARRT) progress challenges and positives

ARRT are continuing to work hard to reduce the backlog of Annual Reviews and make appropriate overdue responses. The team’s key focus area is currently Phase Transfers, including those students who are now NCY 15 who were due phase transfer reviews last academic year when they were at NCY 14. The team has been extended into the new year to support the continuation of this work.

What’s working well:

• Having key areas of focus (currently Phase Transfers) has helped to make an impact on reducing the overall backlog figures, supporting the wider team with the task of completing the Phase Transfers by the statutory deadlines (NCY6 15 February 2026 and NCY11 31 March 2026).

Areas of improvement:

• Whilst having key areas has been impactful, this has also been a barrier to addressing other age ranges outside of this key focus as there hasn’t been capacity to facilitate further work.
• The time that has passed since the last Annual Review has meant further Annual Reviews have now taken place.

Annual Review Training

We have collaboratively created training to support the Annual Review processes.

This training is going to be mandatory for SENDCOs in Shropshire to attend and will available three times over the academic year to ensure accessibility for staff.

This is an important development to ensure that the review process is compliant with the SEND Regulations 2014 and that quality information collected and provided, allows the EHCP Team to respond appropriately and make suitable amendments where necessary to ensure continuous, age and stage appropriate EHC Plans are in place to support our children and young people and capture theirs and their family’s voice. 

Spotlight on a Case Officer

My name is Abbie Thomas and I joined the Local Authority in May 2025 as an EHCP Case Officer for the KS2 team. Prior to this, I worked as a teacher in KS2, during which I supported a range of SEND pupils and their families, with and without EHCPs, on a daily basis.

I have always been passionate about working in SEND, especially as my own younger family members have been supported through EHCPs. I have seen first-hand the positive impact that an EHCP can have on young people, and I strive to support young people and families in Shropshire to progress and succeed within their education.

Additionally, I enjoy learning British Sign Language in my spare time and have achieved my Level 1 qualification - my Level 2 exams are scheduled for January 2026, wish me luck!

PACC are very pleased to share a Transitions in education Guide for Parent Carers and Family Carers. 

This has been created by PACC after feedback from families that there is limited information available around transitions, how to prepare for them and things to consider. 

You can access the guide on the PACC website https://www.paccshropshire.org.uk/pacc-transitions-guide-published/

Tea and Time is a social group for parent carers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Meet other families in the community. Coffee, biscuits, cakes and fruit provided. £3 per week. Feel free to bring along your little ones. Tuesdays 1.30pm - 3pm, term time only at The Lodge, Upton Lane, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, SY2 5RR

Youth Connect is a drop in for home educated young people. Meet in a relaxed fun space to connect, make friends and take part in informal activities, share ideas and projects together.

Tuesdays 3.30pm - 5pm, term time only at The Lodge, Upton Lane, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, SY2 5RR. Only £1 per week.

Contact kerry@sya.org.uk  for further details on either of these groups.

Our Family Information Service (FIS) has been busy gathering information on things to do and places to go this Christmas. There’s something for everyone!

Visit their online directory to find out what's on

PACC's Community Navigator Service offers personalised signposting and information provision to Parent Carers of 0-25 year old's with SEND in Shropshire. Over the last few weeks, Navigators have received an increase in enquiries around Part-Time tables.

PACC have created a FAQ of some of the key questions raised, which can be found on their website.

If you would like to book a call with a Navigator, or would like more information on the service, please visit this page of the PACC website. 

The Parenting Help and Support Line are here for all parent carers of children and young people with SEND, with a friendly listening ear and practical advice on everything from behaviours that challenge to sleep issues. No judgment, just support.

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

The Parenting Team will be delivering free Understanding Your Child SEND – from toddler to teens - groups from January 2026

These 10 week groups aim to:

• Promote understanding of children’s behaviour within the context of developmental issues
• Promote the development of parent/child relationship
• Increase confidence and self-esteem in both parents and children
• Give parents a strategy for repair when things go wrong
• Promote reflective, sensitive and effective parenting

For the dates and venues please see the Family Information Service Directory - Information to help families in Shropshire

The Parenting Team will also be delivering free SLEEP TIGHT groups from January 2026

These 5 week workshops cover:

• Recognising the role of sleep hygiene to improve sleep
• Identifying causes of sleep issues and appropriate practical strategies to try
• Completing sleep diaries and identifying potential sleep issues

Quote from a parent carer who has been on the course:

"Absolutely fabulous workshop. Should be offered to first time parents when their babies are old enough for the skills learned to be applied. I have a disabled daughter and naively thought that the workshop wouldn't apply to her needs, well I was wrong, I believe it applies to most children and every parent can take massive positives away from this workshop! Awesome!"

For the dates and venues please see the Family Information Service Directory - Information to help families in Shropshire

Shropshire Council have a PA Noticeboard, where parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can advertise and look for a PA – someone who helps someone else live the life they want to live by supporting their care needs.

The noticeboard was originally built around the adult sector but has recently been opened for the Children’s sector as well.

As a parent carer, you just need to register on there and you can then contact any PAs who seem suitable. (There are search facilities to be able to filter by area, specialty, etc).

You can also put a specific advert on there yourself. There’s lots of information and guidance included. Shropshire Personal Assistant Jobs Noticeboard

Shropshire’s SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) are excited to share their latest recorded session for parent carers: Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support in Schools which is now available to watch on YouTube!

The session explores how SEN support works in schools across Shropshire and aims to empower parent carers with practical knowledge to help navigate their child’s educational journey.

This accessible video explains:

• What SEN is
• What SEN Support is
• What families can expect
• How to work in partnership

Watch now: SEN Support in Schools – Shropshire SENDIASS 

People with direct experience of a health condition as patients or carers are often the best people to advise on what support and services they need. They're often called people with 'lived experience'.

Co-production is a way of working with people with lived experience to develop services from the earliest stages of service design to delivery and evaluation.

Co-production with children and young people and their parent carers is an important part of the work of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Partnership.

Creating a co-production culture in an organisation means moving away from ‘doing to’ a group of people, and towards ‘doing with’.

You can read about how co-production happens in health services in Shropshire on the SEND Local Offer.

You can also read about co-production in children’s social care on the SEND Local Offer.

We’re recently added some new information to the SEND Local Offer on Education other than in school/college, which is when education is any setting would be inappropriate for a child or young person because of their special educational needs.

You can find out more about how Shropshire Council supports children and young people who need special educational provision other than in a school or college setting, including their policy on this, on the SEND Local Offer Educated other than in school/college (EOTIS/EOTIC).

The Equality Act (2010) requires all organisations including education, health and social care to take steps to remove the barriers individuals face due to a range of disabilities including physical, sensory, cognitive, and mental health conditions.

Reasonable adjustments are changes that organisations and people providing services must make if someone’s physical or mental disability puts them at a disadvantage compared with others who aren’t disabled.

You can find out more about reasonable adjustments on the SEND Local Offer, and what reasonable adjustments in health might look like. Click for further information.

We’re recently updated the Neurodiversity section of the SEND Local Offer, providing more information on pathways to diagnosing autism and ADHD, alongside information on a group of professionals who are working together to consider what can be done to make improvements in Shropshire, as well as sharing good news on projects that are making changes to the lives of children and young people, such as the work neurodiversity practitioners have been doing in schools. You can find out more here on the Neurodiversity section

A range of practitioners can support with needs related to Neurodiversity. A workstream meeting takes place every 6 weeks to discuss all initiatives that support Neurodiversity, this is attended by Parent Carers, Schools, Health Professionals, Educational Psychologists, Early Years Advisors, KIDS Universal Autism Service and a range of other professionals. This article gives you an update on some of these elements.. This article gives you an update on some of these elements.

• The system has published information about support locally available for neurodiverse CYP. 
• There is also further information about support available whilst waiting for your appointment.
• Shropshire Universal Autism Support Service - Kidsoffer support to CYP 0-19 and their families – you do not need a diagnosis to access support from this service.
• 35 schools have received extra support through the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS). This has resulted in coaching, training and support for schools to better meet the needs of children irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis relating to neurodivergence. This support has been delivered by a range of partners including local Occupational Therapy services. This has also enabled additional support for families which has been delivered by PACC Parent Carer Forum. More information can be found here.
• Since 2024, three Neurodiversity Practitioners (NDPs) in  the Educational Psychology Servicehave worked to support schools, settings, professionals and families to better meet the needs of children. Their approach includes direct work, coaching and training, as well as contributions to Shropshire-wide neuroinclusive projects.
• We are currently finalising a 'Neuro-affirming Language Reference Guide' for the partnership. This guide has been coproduced with parent carers and experts by experience. It has been written in the hope that it enables and empowers through a greater understanding of the impact that the language we use can have. 
• The Child Development Centre have an advice linewhich can be accessed to discuss children on the waiting list, receiving support or recently discharged from the service. There is also a video to give more information about appointments.
• BeeU Neurodevelopment Service have a phone line open Monday – Friday which can be accessed to discuss children on the waiting list, receiving support or recently discharged from the service. There is also a newly developed Frequently Asked Questionsand updated Care Plan Letters (the letter sent when a referral is accepted) which signpost families to support services whilst they wait for diagnostic appointments.
• BeeU Neurodevelopment Service have reconfigured pathways to enable CYP to be considered for possible Autism and ADHD at the same time. Referral forms have been redeveloped with support from Parent Carer Forums.
• BeeU Neurodevelopment Service employ Assistant Psychologists to provide support for families waiting the longest (over 18 months).
• There has been an increase in the number of diagnostic appointments available locally, including some assessments outsourced to an external provider, however increased demand for diagnostic appointments means there continues to be considerable waits for diagnostic assessments
• SCHT 0 – 5 Autism diagnostic service have around an 11 month wait
• MPFT BeeU 5 – 18 Autism diagnostic service have around a 2 year wait
• MPFT BeeU 6 – 18 ADHD diagnostic service have around a 2 year wait
•  

Neurodiversity Training offer update

• All schools and Early Years settings in Shropshire can access a neuroinclusive training offer.
• Hollie Jones, Neurodiversity Practitioner (NDP), delivered a presentation at Shropshire Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Continued Professional Development (CPD) day on neurodiversity and emotional regulation which was attended by over 100 delegates. There has been great feedback from the ELSA’s and their line managers.
• The Shropshire Neuro-inclusive Training Offer has expanded and training around Fotel Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) has been co-produced by the NDPs and Assistant Educational Psychologists in the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Educational Psychology Services. Also, Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) training will first be held as a 2-part training on 19th and 26th November at St Lawrence CoE Primary School, Church Stretton.

• The Autism Education Trust (AET) Good Autism Practice (GAP) training has been delivered in over 20 schools / settings since May with an increasing number of schools arranging the training. Adding to this, the Eary Years GAP training has commenced, and there is lots of feedback from staff about how powerful it is. The Early Years GAP training is being delivered at different locations across Shropshire over this academic year to try and make it as accessible as possible to as many settings / schools as we can.
• The SENSES (Supporting the Enhancement of Neuroinclusion in Secondary Schools) Project has begun and, so far, 11/20 secondary schools have responded enthusiastically to the offer of support.
• The specialist outreach for mainstream schools has been launched and, through this bespoke offer of support for our CYP, we hope there will be opportunities to transfer learning and skills to enhance neuroinclusive for all learners as well as those being more directly supported.
• Members of the 0-5 multidisciplinary assessment (MDA) team will also be accessing the Early Years AET GAP training to understand how the approach is being used and to ensure that they are tied in.
• Whilst they will always maintain an autism specialism and expertise, the AET are developing their wider commitment to leading on good neuroinclusive practice in education in several ways. To reflect this, the AET’s new name will be the Neuroinclusive Education Network (NEN). We feel that this is a great step forwards and reflects our ambition here in Shropshire.

A range of practitioners can support with Speech, Language and Communication Needs. A workstream meeting takes place bimonthly to discuss all initiatives that support SLCN, this is attended by Parent Carers, Schools, SLTs, Education Quality Advisors, Family Hub Leads, Health Visitors and a range of other professionals. This article gives you an update on some elements of the support available.

• The system has published information about the support currently available for Speech, Language and Communication Needs .
• There is also further information about support available whilst waiting for your appointment.
• 29 schools and early years settings have received extra support for CYP with SLCN through the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) programme funded by NHS England and the Department for Education. This has resulted in significant improvements in the speech, language and communication skills of those children involved, and the confidence and skills of the staff in schools who support them – find out which settings have been supported here. The ELSEC newsletter has also recently been published.
• The Severe Speech and Language Impaired Children's (SSLIC) teacher posts were advertised, and we received great interest. Two new members of the team will start at the start of January 2026.
• The SLT service have an advice line which can be accessed to discuss all children.
• The SLT service have developed an online training offer - some of the training sessions can be accessed without needing to be referred.
• As of October 2025, the mainstream schools SLT service are piloting delivering their services in schools rather than in clinics.
• The SLT service are looking into the use of the SuperPenguin App.
• Details of how the SLT service support different types of needs can be found on their website.
• Further information from the SLT service can be found on their facebook page.

Further updates will be shared throughout the year.

ELSEC is part of the SEND and AP Change Programme. It's a DfE pilot project to consider how targeted speech and language support at an early age can improve outcomes for children and young people. The project is a collaboration between children, their parents and professionals and is led by an ELSEC team made up of both health and education colleagues.  The ELSEC team are working with these settings until July 2026:

This term the ELSEC team have screened 1205 children in Year 1, Reception and Nursery, using Talk Boost, across Shropshire. Lots of these children are now being supported by Talk Boost intervention or in the classroom using the Concept cat intervention. If your child is in a Talk Boost intervention your setting will have told you.

Please find more information about ELSEC and Talk Boost on the Shropshire SEND Local Offer Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) | Shropshire Council  and The autumn 2025 ELSEC newsletter

From 1 December, a new, free 24/7 mental health text support service is available for people of all ages living in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (STW).

What is launching? A free, confidential 24/7 mental health text support service for all ages in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, delivered by qualified mental health professionals.

The service is delivered by SHOUT on behalf of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) who are commissioned by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

Why is it important? The service expands access to immediate mental health support, complementing existing services such as NHS 111 option 2, and supports the national transformation of NHS mental health care by improving responsiveness, inclusivity and accessibility.

How to access? Text ‘STW’ to 85258, free of charge and at any time, to start a conversation with a trained mental health professional.

Who can access the service? Shout is a free, confidential text messaging support service for anyone of any age who is struggling with how they feel, experiencing distress, or needing mental health support. 

Christmas can bring out the best in us, but it can put a strain on our relationships, too.  There is lots of evidence that shows that when our relationships break down it impacts our children, now and in the future.  Ups and downs are normal in relationships but if you’re often at loggerheads with your partner or ex and find it hard to resolve your problems together, your children will be affected. OnePlusOne have short online courses for parents who want to give their relationships a little MOT. Follow the link to set up your parent account and set a reminder to start in the new year. Have a better relationship in 2026. Parent resource sign up

www.shropshire.gov.uk/getonbetter

The SEND Local Offer is a single place for parent carers who are looking for information, advice and resources for their children and young people. It has two sections, one looking at different topics such as health, education, social care, early years, travel and transport, preparing for adulthood and other topics such as EHCPs and things to do. Have a look at the SEND Local Offer to find the information you and your family might need.

There’s also a directory element, where you can find information on groups, services and organisations who offer support to children, young people and their families. These include local, regional and national organisations. Search the directory to find information.

We’re always looking at ways in which we can continue to develop and improve the SEND local Offer so if you have any comments please complete our online form or email local.offer@shropshire.gov.uk  

For the first time, children aged 2-3 years can now get the flu nasal spray at participating community pharmacies, in addition to GP surgeries. School aged children will be vaccinated in schools or community clinics, so parent carers just need to make sure they complete and return consent forms. Children aged six months and older with certain health conditions are also eligible for the vaccine. To find out more, click here.

BBC Tiny Happy People has a new home in ‘CBeebies Parenting’  which is a brand extension of BBC CBeebies, aimed at parents and caregivers of pre-school children. 

BBC CBeebies Parenting builds on the great resources from Tiny Happy People and is a one-stop-shop offering trusted advice, expert insight and accessible resources to parents and caregivers at all stages of their early parenting journey. It brings Tiny Happy People and the educational content from CBeebies brands together in one place. 

BBC CBeebies Parenting helps parents & caregivers to support their child’s development and language & communication skills, from pregnancy up to 4 years old in the home learning environment.

The website is full of free, fun activity ideas, expert tips & advice on all things parenting and child development content.

On the website, parents/caregivers will find:

• Activity Content: to support children’s development with hundreds of fun simple activity films, all organised by age. All content has a speech, language and communication focus.

There’s also a dedicated section supporting ‘Skills for nursery & starting school’ - Skills for starting school - advice for parents

• Tips and Advice: from healthcare professionals, speech and language experts and early years practitioners covering a wide range of parenting topics including parent wellbeing.

• Child Development Content: shows you why supporting language learning is important. It’s all about children’s amazing brain development and how they understand their world around them.

Plus, there’s a brand new CBeebies Parenting podcast: Reality star Holly Hagan-Blyth and Radio 1’s Charlie Hedges take calls and get expert parental advice. From CBeebies Parenting, the BBC’s destination for all things parenting.  - BBC Sounds - CBeebies Parenting Helpline - Available Episodes

BBC CBeebies Parenting Newsletter: Sign up to the monthly newsletter here, for regular updates and new content from the BBC CBeebies Parenting team.