A message from Simon White our Interim Director for  Children and Family Services

The SEND reforms are all about trying to respond to families’ experiences.  Nationally, people have said getting the right help for their children has felt like a struggle, with delays in getting assessments completed, obtaining diagnoses, and getting statutory organisations to work together effectively.

Here in Stoke-on-Trent we are trying to get this right, although we know there is still a way to go. Our partnerships with families are important, and this newsletter is one of several ways we are improving communication. 

As well as information about local organisations that might be able to help, there is information about our Community Lounges, and the chance for young people themselves to get their voices heard.

One of the important items is the consultation on our new SEND Strategy – we have co-created this with children and their families, and we think it covers the right issues. But we would love to hear from you!  

I was interested to read about the Early Years Co-Path Assessment, which really seemed to be trying to produce an alternative to an assessment process dominated by professionals, or based on the assumption that we inevitably have an adversarial relationship with families.    

I hope you find it useful.

SEND Strategy consultation Have you got 5 minutes to complete our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy consultation? We're looking for your thoughts on our draft SEND Strategy.      We want to ensure that children with SEND have: The right support At the right time Delivered by the right people The consultation closes at11.59pm Friday 5 April. Click the link below to have your say - an Easy Read version of the survey is available on the website.

Make your mark 2024

What is it?

Make your mark is a nationwide consultation for all young people aged 11-18. Young people have 10 topics which that can vote from. The results will be shared nationally and will also be broken down regionally, helping to inform and influence the UK youth parliament, local authorities, commissioning, education and health services.

When is it?

Voting is now live and will close Thursday 8th March 6pm.

Thursday 21st March - All results for Make Your Mark announced.

How to get involved and useful resources.

Young people living in Stoke-on-Trent can vote online.

The link for young people to cast their vote is below:

Please share this far and wide as it gives young people an opportunity to vote on subjects important to them.

Make Your Mark Topics

The Make Your Mark 2024 ballot paper will include ten topics which have been selected by the UK Youth Parliament Steering Group, in consultation with their local MYPs. Attached is a document which provides practical examples of these topics:

• Education and Learning
• International Relations
• Health and Wellbeing
• Rights, Equalities, and Democracy
• Jobs, the Economy and Benefits
• Crime and Safety
• Culture, Media, Sport
• Climate Change and the Environment
• Transport
• Youth Work and Young People's Services

Before you vote please watch the video by clicking the link below:

Once you've voted click the link below to watcha  video on the 10 subjects along with examples and what it might mean to them:

Community Youth Lounges Community Lounges are run across the city between the City Council, NHS and other charitable agencies. They have helped and supported many people across the city.   In case you don't know what the purpose of Community Lounges are, they offer a 'one stop shop' which means there is everything in one place for all types of support, which take place once or twice a week, at different venues in communities across the city. Examples of what they offer are; a social space, mental health support, physical health support, financial advice, employment advice and if there isn't the suitable support available for a particular problem, there are plenty of specialised people there who can advise you where to go to get the help you need.   We are keen to explore extending the Community Lounges to offer Youth Lounges for young people aged 14 years - 25 years with the intention to help and support hundreds of young adults.  If you are 14-25 years old, please complete our survey and help us make our community lounges somewhere you will enjoy visiting.  Please click on this link to go to the survey which is open until 15th March 2024.:

... on Early Years CoPATH  The Early Years CoPATH assessment meetings have been piloted in Stoke-on-Trent in the past year. CoPATH stands for ‘Collaborative Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope’. It is an alternative approach to the current EHC Needs Assessment process bringing together parents and professionals who know the child in a collaborative meeting.  The CoPATH assessment meeting approach  CoPATH assessment meetings are collaborative and person-centred; everyone involved in the meeting (parents and professionals) works together to jointly produce a description of the child’s strengths and areas of need.  Person-centred approaches are about discovering and acting on what is important to the child and for the child and planning future outcomes based on these.   Each meeting uses a visual framework broken down into a series of steps, this is used to guide the group towards developing a shared vision towards a desirable future. Impact of the CoPATH assessment meeting  The CoPATH meetings have been well-received by the parents/carers who have participated in the process so far:

We look forward to the continued development of this assessment process and we would like to say a huge thank you to the families who have taken part so far.  

Sensory rooms Did you know that our sensory rooms are free to book for people living within Stoke-on-Trent? They are suitable for any age and can be therapeutic for people with a wide range of different needs.  Westfield Family Hub, Longton – available to book Monday - Thursday 9:30am – 4:30pm, on Friday it is open 9:30am – 4:00pm. Call 01782 237 500 to book.  Stoke Children's Centre, Chell Heath – available to book on Thursday, 12:30pm – 3:30pm. Call 01782 232 977 or email supportingfamiliesnorth@stoke.gov.uk for more information and to book.

Free virtual webinars by The Charlie Waller Trust 

Hello parents, we hope you are all doing ok.

This year seems to be going so fast as we’re over half way through the academic year already! How do these weeks roll by so quickly I ask myself every year! We know that there are many things as families you are navigating within the system and we at PEGiS and the Parent Carer Forum (PCF) are working really hard to amplify your views and voices within the system.

PEGiS works alongside both local and national charities and we have been offered some amazing free virtual webinars by The Charlie Waller Trust. These workshops have been commissioned by NHS England so we know they are amazing.

The Charlie Waller Trust help young people to understand their own mental health, to equip them to support themselves and those around them, and to empower them to talk more openly about the subject and they do this by working in partnership with those with responsibility for young people - families, schools, colleges, universities, and employers. 

They run free live webinars for anyone who looks after children and young people - parents, carers, educators - as well as young people themselves and anyone interested in psychology or mental health. The current series of webinars running in March and April are themed around “Spotting Signs” of a whole range of topics including struggling with mental health, anxiety and eating disorders.

Please, please, please sign up and make use of the workshops: they are free and none of us ever stop learning.

Remember we are always here to help, listen and support you. Your voice is important.

We're looking forward to hearing all about the webinars and seeing some of you during the holidays.

Michelle (PEGiS) & Charlotte (PCF)

The Willows’ Resource Base celebrates Science Day

The Resource Base for children with Hearing Impairment had a great time on Science Day. The theme this year was ‘Save the Planet’ which helped them to learn about the different ways that they can help in keeping our seas clean and the sea life happy. They had loads of fun designing their own turtle or fish as well as learning new BSL signs for animal creatures.

Port Vale Foundation Established in April 2015, Port Vale Foundation has grown and developed from an operation with a handful of delivery staff into a modern and well-developed organisation. We sit at the heart of the local community, meeting the real localised needs that are much bigger than football supporting initiatives in sport, health, education and community engagement.   We use the power of sport and the reputation and brand of Port Vale Football Club to engage, inspire and motivate individuals of all ages and backgrounds, helping them to fulfil their potential. We collaborate with many fantastic partner organisations from the public, private and community sectors to enhance the opportunities we provide.   We engage with thousands of young people each year supporting some of the most vulnerable in our city via a range of positive interventions, providing tailored and meaningful engagement activities, which in turn positively transform people lives.   We support our community by providing a one stop shop and service, helping them to gain the support they need, whilst retaining a core focus on our values and being people led. We place the people of our community at the heart of our work, listening to them, consulting with them, bonding and building trust.   To find out more about what we offer, go to our webpage:

You can contact us by email - foundation.trust@port-vale.co.uk or by phone – 01782 757 066