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This newsletter is from the Southend SEND Partnership, made up of organisations and services who provide support in Southend-on-Sea for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families. This newsletter is to give you the latest updates and information on local services.
For information on local services and support, please visit the Southend SEND Local Offer.
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A new online portal for referrals for children and young people’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services in mid and south Essex is launching soon.
The portal, called My Care Bridge, is simple to use and secure. It has been developed with families and healthcare professionals.
Referrals will be accepted via the portal from educational settings, GPs and health visitors. After a referral is made, the family, child or young person will receive a login. They can use the portal to:
- Track their referral
- Provide information for their referral
- Access a library of support information available locally.
The portal will be available later in May for new referrals. It has been developed by the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative, a partnership between Essex Partnership University Trust, North East London Foundation Trust and Provide Community Interest Company.
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Please note the venue for the SEND Surgery running on Tuesday 23 April has changed to Shoeburyness Community and Youth Centre, Delaware Road, Shoeburyness, SS3 9NS.
The surgery will run between 9 and 11am. If you are a parent carer of a child or young person with SEND and need advice and guidance, please come along.
There is no need to book a place, just drop-in!
Further information about SEND surgeries.
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We hope you all enjoyed the Easter break and the return to school has been manageable for you and your children and young people.
SSIF wish to extend an invitation to SEND Parent Carers to our FREE second Seminar of the Year. The topic for the seminar is transitions up to the end of school year 8, for example, starting nursery/pre-school, primary or secondary school and phase transfers.
A panel of professionals from the SEND Team, the School Nursing Team and the School Attendance and Inclusion Team will will talk about the support for you and your child through some of these transitions. We hope you can join us.
Date and time: Monday 20 May 2024, 9.30am to 12.30pm. Arrivals from 9am to 9.30am.
Venue: Jubilee Room, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 9SB.
Book your place here.
As always, we continue to ask that you feedback to us on your lived experience of SEND services in Southend, the positives, the negatives & everything in-between! Please complete our family feedback survey.
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A polling station passport to support residents with learning disabilities and/or autism to vote with confidence in a polling station has been developed.
The passport is a booklet that electors can show to polling staff to help them understand the reasonable adjustments that may be needed to support the elector to vote.
For a copy of the passport, please email elections@southend.gov.uk or call 01702 215010. You can also visit your local library or contact Southend Mencap, SAVS or Project 49 for a copy.
More information.
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Grants of up to £10,000 are available for groups and organisations to provide short breaks for disabled children and young people. Applications opened on 2 April 2024 and will close at midnight on 30 April 2024.
Round 1 of Community Access Grants for parents carers (2024/25) will only open pending approvals/awards of the Main Access Grants for groups and organisations.
Communication updates will be available on the Livewell Southend website by 10 May 2024. Community Access Grant applications will not be accepted at this time.
Read more about Short Breaks Grants (2024/25)
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New dates available!
Learn more about how relational approaches can bring together change and improve behaviours for everyone through the Relational Practice, Supporting Families course.
You will be provided with tips, strategies and ideas that can also be shared with other family members. This is a universal training offer, available to families whose children and young people attend a Southend school.
Since September 2023, When the Adults Change has supported over 40 Southend schools to develop relational practice in each setting. Schools and families will be able to work better together to support attendance, engagement in learning and emotional wellbeing across the community.
The Supporting Family Course will be launched at an in person live event on Friday 14 June 2024, 10.00am to 12.00pm at the Civic Centre, Committee Rooms. Refreshments will be provided. This will be followed by a 3, 1-hour online workshops.
Booking a place on the Supporting Families Course will automatically sign you up for the in-person event and online workshops. Limited spaces. Book now by contacting Jade@WhenTheAdultsChange.com
Find out more about the training provider: www.whentheadultschange.com
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Children and young people with SEND aged 5 to 25 are invited to join a regional network called Voices of the East.
Take part and have your say on things that matter to you. Meetings are welcoming and friendly.
The next meetings are being held via Microsoft Teams. You can choose a time to attend from Thursday 9 May (6pm to 7pm) and Friday 10 May (10am to 11am and 1.30pm to 2.30pm).
If you know a child or young person who would like to get involved please contact us for further information at localoffer@southend.gov.uk
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Cambridgeshire County Council are running 2 online information sessions which Southend-on-Sea based young people and their parent carers are welcome to attend:
25 April 5pm to 6pm: Top tips for going to university, hosted by Margot Yale-Broadbent, outreach officer at Anglia Ruskin University. This session is for those aged 16 to 25.
2 May 12.30pm to 1.30pm: Benefit information session for young people aged 16 plus, hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Please email martine.simpson-thomas@cambridgeshire.gov.uk if you would like to attend.
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Join the Local Offer team to tell us what information you need on the SEND Local Offer section of Livewell Southend.
Parent carers, children and young people, and professionals are all welcome to attend.
Face to face session: Thursday 9 May at Shoeburyness Youth and Community Centre (come along any time between 9.30am and 12.30pm).
Online Teams session: Tuesday 14 May 7.15 to 8.15pm.
For more details and booking links please visit the Local Offer: Your Local Offer, your way sessions.
You can also give your feedback through a short survey.
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If you are working on co-production, or just interested in finding out more, join our Southend Co-production Collective!
We meet online every 2 months with individuals from many different organisations in Southend-on-Sea. It is a friendly and creative space where we share ideas, promote our work, and discuss what co-production means to us.
Our next meeting is Thursday 23 May from 10am to 11.30am and we will be focusing on the upcoming Co-Production Week and how we can get involved.
Contact luciebabbington@southend.gov.uk for more details.
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The Essex Autism Project team are excited to be launching the Kids Autism Hub at the end of this month! Over the last year, the service has been co-produced with some incredible young people and their parent/carers. A huge thank you to all the Southend families who took part.
The Kids Autism Hub is for young people who are newly diagnosed with autism, young people who are on the diagnosis pathway, and the family members of those young people.
The service will help young people and their family understand more about autism and the different ways autism can affect different people. It will offer:
- Autism guides
- Personal stories
- Online support groups
- Directory of local services
Look out for more information about the Kids Autism Hub and how to access it in the May edition of this newsletter.
Find out more.
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Intrepid Ventures SEND activity camps run on Saturdays from 9.00am to 1pm and offer a variety of activities including bushcraft, arts and crafts, and traditional and modern sports.
They are a hub of activity and draw on skills that are not always a priority for development in school. Activities are thought provoking, enjoyable and educational.
Children and parents often comment on the confidence gained from attending holiday camps. As well as character building it encourages independence, self belief, and the ability to socialise alongside differing age and friendship groups.
Read more about Intrepid Ventures on the Local Offer.
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The Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) is a free and exciting holiday programme for children and young people aged 5 to 16 who get benefits related free school meals.
We had a successful Easter programme that ran from 2 to 12 April. 1075 children booked onto the HAF programme, 161 of these children were from our secondary cohort and 172 pupils with SEN accessed a free place. All children and young people benefited from a high-quality and fun experience!
A parent has shared her experience: “My child’s additional needs bring a lot of barriers to her life, being able to have support to enable her to attend these groups means she's given the opportunity to socialise and be with other children which helps to bridge the gap her disabilities can put in place. In the past dropping off my son to clubs and not being able to drop my daughter off as well has been hard to explain to both children as neither understands why she isn't always welcome; to be able to drop off both to the same club was so nice not just for me but for the children to be able to go in together too.
We very much look forward to attending SECAT HAF sessions in the future as the staff were genuinely amazing. Both my children came out having had a wonderful time.“
We will be delivering our next HAF programme for 16 days in the summer holidays from 29 July to 22 August 2024 Monday to Thursday. We want to reach as many eligible children as possible. Contact your school if you are unsure if you are eligible.
You can contact the HAF team by emailing HAF@southend.gov.uk
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Ofsted is holding the Big Listen, a comprehensive effort to listen to everyone they work for and with.
They are seeking feedback on their work, ideas for small changes and big reforms and would like to hear from parents and families, professionals, children, young people and learners.
To participate and share your views please go to Ofsted Big Listen and have your say. Consultation closes at 11:59pm on 31 May 2024.
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Why does early maths matter? Is it all about the numbers? Are children born mathematical? What can we do to help them develop on their mathematical journey?
Come along to a free webinar with Elaine Taylor-Brown, project lead of the A Better Start Southend (ABSS) project Early Maths Matters programme, to dip your toe in to the fascinating world of early maths.
Too many of us are scared of maths and think we can’t do it. How does this impact the education we provide in our settings? Well, it’s time to stop, change the narrative and realise the joy of maths for our children, and the adults who care for them! Let’s talk all things maths for the under 5s!
Organised by: ABSS and Early Maths Matters
Details: Friday 26 April from 1pm to 2pm, online via Microsoft Teams. This is free training.
Find out more.
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Come and discover local groups and organisations and how they can support mental health and wellbeing.
There will be presentations from South East Essex Alliance, Mid and South Essex ICB, Andy’s Man Club, Social Prescribing, Southend Primary care mental health team and Rape Crisis. There will also be a panel Session on how we look after ourselves and tips for maintaining mental health in work and at home.
Venue: Salvation Army, 42 Clarence Street, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1BD.
Date: Friday 17 May 10am to 3pm
Further details.
For more information phone 01702 348999 or email Southend.citadel@salvationarmy.org.uk
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Southend-on-Sea City Council is looking to implement the refurbishment of several playgrounds (park and play areas situated throughout) in the city.
As part of this process the Council, in partnership with Ground Control Professional Services team, have prepared outline designs for the play areas within Southend and invite you to comment on the proposals.
Read more and have your say on the Play Area Improvement Consultation.
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