If you are a young person with special educational needs and/ or a disability (SEND) or the parent carer of a child or young person with SEND and live in Southend-on-Sea, we want to hear from you.

Southend SEND Independent Forum, the parent carer forum for Southend, and the SEND Local Offer team invite you to tell us about your lived experience and hear about local SEND system developments.

Ways to get involved:

• Monday 18 November 9.30am to 11.30am. In-person drop-in session, Jubilee Room, Southend Civic Centre.
• Thursday 21 November 7pm to 8pm. Online session on Microsoft Teams. Booking is required for this session.
• Complete a survey - tell us what is working, what is not working and what could be done to improve education, health and social care for SEND in Southend.

Read more and get involved.

Do you have special educational needs and are aged 11 to 25 years old? Become part of the Southend SEND Youth Voice. Meetings will be held every half term, starting on Thursday 28 November.

Share your experiences, thoughts and feedback, take part in fun activities and make important changes needed to improve the lives of children and young people with SEND in Southend-on-Sea.

Read more about Southend SEND Youth Voice.

We are excited to announce that we are hosting our second SSIF Seminar this year!

Early Identification of SEND and the Support Available is a session aimed at parent carers of children and young people with SEND who are at the start of their SEND journey and are looking for information and guidance about the support that is available.

This free event is taking place on Monday 9 December from 9.15am to 12.45pm at the Civic Centre. Find out more and book a place.

We are also thrilled to announce that we have finalised dates and topics for other SSIF Seminars taking place in 2025.

As always, we appreciate feedback on your lived experience of SEND services in Southend-on-Sea, - the positives, the negatives and everything in-between!  Complete our Family Feedback Form.

Neuro Inclusion UK and Southend High School for Boys (SHSB) are pioneering change with the Neuro Ambassadors programme.

Initially trialled at SHSB as an extra-curricular club and integrated within the whole-school tutor time programme, the initiative is raising understanding, acceptance and awareness about neurodiversity amongst both pupils and staff.

Locally, Neuro Inclusion UK offers free consultancy on the programme to Southend schools. It also provides training and consultancy for workplace settings to help foster inclusivity for neurodivergent employees. 

Read more about Neuro Ambassadors and Neuro Inclusion UK.

Our next drop-in Surgery for parent carers of children and young people with SEND takes place on Tuesday 19 November from 9am to 11am at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, Windermere Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2RF.

If you have any questions or need some advice and guidance, please come along. Surgeries are very friendly and welcoming.

All Southend-on-Sea resident parent carers are welcome.

Visit the Local Offer for further information.

The Holiday Activities 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. It is funded by the Department for Education.

We will be delivering our next HAF programme in December 2024. HAF Codes will be issued to eligible pupils from 21 November 2024 by your school. Please check that your school has your current email address.

We look forward to seeing you this winter break. You can contact the HAF team by emailing HAF@southend.gov.uk

Read more about HAF.

Support for families with babies and young children in Southend is changing as the A Better Start Southend (ABSS) National Lottery Community Fund grant ends in March 2025.

Those who want to know more about the end of the A Better Start Southend programme can visit Beyond ABSS: What Next? or email BeyondABSS@eyalliance.org.uk.

The Lighthouse Parent, Carer and Young Person Network is open to all parents, carers and young people living in Southend and Essex who use services provided by the Lighthouse Childhood Development Centre in Southend. 

Meetings give you the opportunity to: 

• meet and speak to the Lighthouse team
• ask questions
• hear about service developments
• connect with other parents, carers and young people

Stay for as long or as little as you like, come with a question or simply to listen. 

The next meeting takes place on Tuesday 3 December, 12.30pm to 2pm. Use this link to join.

EPUT also runs regular patient experience forums you can get involved with - find out more information on the EPUT website.

The Children with Disabilities Team has created a new Transition Plan that was co-produced with some children from Lancaster School.

This has been an 18-month project which has focused on the voice of the young person. The form has been rewritten with the comments and suggestions of the students but still captures what is needed to assess and inform the transition plans for children and young people towards adulthood.

The new Transition Plan was presented at our Improvement Board on 30 September 2024 with very positive feedback and with approval from senior management has now been added to our electronic system (LCS) that is accessible to all practitioners.

The Transition Plan is completed for all young people already in receipt of services from the Children with Disabilities Team and start at age 14 years.  Over the next few months, the team will be developing easy-read formats and feedback forms for our young people and their families as well as reviewing their documentation to ensure that it continues to reflect the team/service provision and supports young people to achieve a smooth transition to adulthood.

The Early Years SEND Support Service host stay and play sessions, designed to support you and your child with a variety of play and sensory experiences. The sessions are available to children with SEND aged 0 to 5 and their families in Southend and run on Wednesdays 1pm to 2:30pm. A variety of different services join the sessions to provide support and information.

Future dates: 20 November, 4 December, 18 December.

Venue: Summercourt Family Centre, Summercourt Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 7AT

Find out more.

Ambitious about Autism wants to learn more about the experiences of autistic children and young people in state mainstream education in England. If you have current or past experience, please complete the survey.

Take the survey.

The Southend SEND Network is for organisations and groups who support children and young people with SEND and/or their families who live in Southend-on-Sea, and local parent carers.

If you wish to join the Network, please contact localoffer@southend.gov.uk

Read about news and events from the Southend SEND Network and other local organisations:

• SSIF Coffee and Chat sessions
• Bouldering Sessions from STRM - `Give it a Go` and `Previous Climbers` sessions.
• Southend Mencap's MODS drama group show Whisper of Angels

The Elective Home Education Team's aim is to ensure that every child has access to the tools they need to succeed, even where education happens outside the usual school system.

We aim to provide families with similar access to key information that would normally be accessed at school. Our strong partnership working with the school nursing service, Connexions, SEND and SENDIASS teams are great examples of how we ensure all home educating parents and children have access to the advice and guidance they need.

We also host events like our GCSE Information Day to encourage EHE learners to sit formal exams. While home education allows flexibility, taking formal qualifications like GCSEs can be a challenge, as families need to self-fund exam entries and tutoring. Events like ours help bridge the gap, providing vital information and connections that empower parents and learners to make informed choices.

To find our more about Southend’s EHE offer and what’s on, visit our EHE Hub.

Do you need support with education, employment or training?

Southend Connexions advisers can offer one to one information, advice and guidance on CV writing, covering letter, vacancy information, interview techniques and finding the right courses.

Book an appointment with Connexions SEND champion, Ami Sewell, every Friday at The Forum Library.

Read more about Southend Connexions.

It is that time again when the RNIB and Santa work together to send your child a special letter in an accessible format.

If you know a blind or partially sighted child who would like to receive an accessible letter, please send your requests by Sunday, 1 December 2024. 

Read more.