SEND weekly parent and carer update

SEND Review Webinar

This is the recording of the webinar with Will Quince, Children & Families Minister, recorded ahead of the publication of the SEND Review Green Paper. The webinar was facilitated by Special Needs Jungle in collaboration with the Department for Education, NNPCF, Contact and Family Fund. 

The Young Minds Matter ADHD Support Group is back!

These informal sessions are for all parents and carers of children and young persons with ADHD under the care of Young Minds Matter and are facilitated by our Treatment Team. 

The sessions are not intended to be clinical in nature, but allow you to connect with other parents, ask questions, and get ideas to help with the challenges of parenting these unique children while having a cuppa and a biscuit.

Training sessions and guest speakers from agencies that can help support your child or young person will also be attending too.

Ideally these sessions are intended for parents to have some time to themselves with other adults, so we would request you provide childcare for your young people, however if you have no one to care for them to allow you to attend, we will do all we can to facilitate some fun activities. 

Places are given on a booking basis and limited to 26 people for each session. 

Where and When?

The meetings are held on the last Wednesday of every month

5:00pm—6:30pm

Meeting Room 2, Freshney Green Primary Care Centre, Sorrel Road, Grimsby DN34 4GB

Visit their website: ADHD Treatment Team :: Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust (lpft.nhs.uk).

Join NELPPF

Join the North East Lincolnshire Parent Participation Forum. Meet other parent carers, improve local services, and provide advice and guidance.

Join the forum on Friday, 29 April at 12pm at the Carers Support Centre, 1 Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU.

Community Hub

Check out these great courses from the Community Hub. This includes financial affairs course which starts 27 April, 10am-12pm. Community Shop (companyshopgroup.co.uk).

---

Focus: On-line Platform for Autistic Young People

Ambitious about Autism has launched the UK’s first online platform for autistic young people.

Visit Ambitious Youth Network | Ambitious about Autism.

This will offer autistic young people aged 16 to 25 a safe and moderated online space to help them understand their autistic identity and reduce isolation and loneliness that many feel.  Young people will be able to take part in peer support sessions, share experiences and find volunteering, work experience and employment opportunities. There will also be opportunities for them to work together and campaign for change.

Five-a-day to improve SEND outcomes

Meeting the range of needs presented by a class of children is undoubtedly a challenging task. However, research suggests that there are approaches which teachers can employ to support learning and improve outcomes for all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs.

The evidence which informed the EEF’s ​‘Special Education Needs in Mainstream Schools’ guidance report indicated that there are five particular approaches which can be integrated into day-to-day teaching practice to raise attainment among children with additional needs, as well as their classmates.

Best of all, this ​‘Five-a-day’ is already part of most teachers’ practice (or can be relatively easily added), meaning that small tweaks could make a significant positive difference for the pupils in improving SEND outcomes EEF blog: ‘Five-a-day’ to improve SEND outcomes | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Support for the families of Ukraine

The people of Ukraine will have many needs in the coming months and years.

The most pressing priority at this stage of the emerging catastrophe is to ensure physical safety and to meet other basic needs such as food, shelter, and access to medicines. Many Polish and Russian speaking Ukrainian families and children are being affected by the crisis.

Psychology Tools  have made the same trauma support resources available for free in Polish, Russian and English too, so that they can be useful to as many people as possible that need them.

Free Ukrainian, Polish, And Russian Translations Of Trauma And PTSD Psychoeducational Resources – Psychology Tools

The resources that have been translated include:

• How Trauma Can Affect You
  This is an illustrated information handout designed for children and young people. It describes and normalizes common reactions to traumatic events, including feeling scared, having unwanted memories, or having nightmares and sleeping badly. Symptoms experienced post-trauma can be physically and emotionally powerful, and can feel especially disturbing if the person doesn’t know why they are occurring. This resource can help children and adolescents to understand that they are  experiencing normal reactions to powerful events. It can also be used to help wider family and other people to understand how young people might be feeling.
• Reactions To Trauma
  This is an information handout designed for adults. It describes symptoms which commonly follow trauma – including re-experiencing symptoms, hyperarousal, and avoidance. It also gives helpful pointers about what to do to help someone who has experienced trauma.
• Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  This is a guide designed to help people with PTSD to understand more about their condition. As well as a description of trauma, symptoms of PTSD, and effective treatments, this guide explores key maintenance factors for PTSD including: unprocessed memories, beliefs about trauma and its consequences, and coping strategies including avoidance. Written in a friendly and explanatory way, this guide is a comprehensive source of information for those with PTSD. The concepts are explained in an easily digestible way, with case examples and accessible diagrams.

---