SEND weekly parent and carer update

Take the challenge! Autism in Girls Training

This year, World Autism Acceptance Week is from 28 March to 3 April.

It’s the 60th anniversary of the campaign.

We are challenging 60 parent carers and professionals to sign up for the National Autistic Society Autism in Girls training.

The course is held online for two hours and we will cover the cost for you to take it. Find out more about the course. Women and girls (autism.org.uk).

Half way there!

We are about half way to meeting our target of sixty sign-ups! This is a mixture of parent carers and professionals.

Have you told your child’s favourite teacher or support staff that they can take this training? Maybe you, a grandparent, or another carer would like to take the training? We’ve also had childminders and volunteers enquire.

Make sure to get in touch as soon as possible so that you can learn more about autism in girls and women.

Sign up

If you’d like to take this online training, please contact us at StrategyPolicyandProjects@nelincs.gov.uk and include the following details

• Your name
• The school or organisation you work for
• The email address you would use to set up an account on the National Autistic Society (NAS) website (needed to access the training)

We’ll then send you a code which you enter on your National Autistic Society account to access the training.

We’ll also ask to let us know when you’ve completed the course and to send in a copy of your certificate.

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From Monday to Thursday we had drop-in events at local libraries to showcase our extensive new range of books on SEND. Thank you to all the parent carers and professionals who dropped by to see what we had on offer and speak to our team.

Young designer creates the new SENDIASS Logo!

We recently had a competition for local children to design the new SENDIASS logo.

Noah from Signhills Academy was the winner!

We think his logo is ace. What do you think?

Noah’s logo design was sent to North East Lincolnshire Council’s design and print hub where it was made into the final product by Senior Graphic Designer Christopher Howson.

Chris said: “I just want to say how impressed I am with the design of this logo.

“The colours and the typography are excellent.

“I think you may have a Graphic Designer in the making here!

Pass on my congratulations to your winner.”

To congratulate Noah he will receive an art kit and be visiting the Design and Print Hub at the Grimsby Municipal Offices to meet the Team and see where his design came to life!

Well done Noah! ?

SENDIASS update

After a lengthy tendering process, we have opted to bring our SENDIAS Service in-house to provide our parents and young people with the best possible advice and support. This will be in effect from Friday 1 April.

The specification for this service was written with families of children and young people with SEND, and we know how much this service means to them. Many of the familiar faces from SENDIASS who work tirelessly to support our families will continue to do so under this new service.

Lots of other Council’s in England provide their SENDIAS Services in this way and we have already started to learn from their experiences to build a really supportive and impartial service.

Our local SENDIAS Service will continue to have a separate database, website and email, independent of the Local Authority.

Jayne Parrish is the new SENDIASS Service manager.

Jayne said: “SENDIASS staff are devoted to continuing to build on their fabulous skills and knowledge base which has ensured free, impartial, confidential and accurate advice and support to parent carers and children and young people in North East Lincolnshire, since 1999.

The team has had vast amount of training and we will be working hard to deliver the same standard of service.

“I am privileged to become the Service Manager and my vision is for us to continue to support families of SEND.”

Meet the team

Contact SENDIASS

Website: www.nelsendiass.org.uk

Email: ask@nelsendiass.org.uk

SEND review green paper

The long awaited SEND review green paper has been published.

SEND review: right support, right place, right time – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

A British Sign Language (BSL) version and an easy-read version of the green paper will be available in early April.

We look forward to working with parents carers and professionals to discuss the implications and next steps.

Support for Ukranian children with SEND

Read the IPSEA guidance for supporting Ukranian children with SEND arriving in England. Support for Ukrainian children with SEND arriving in England | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice.

Read the SEND Local Offer page on English as an Additional Language. NELC SEND Local Offer | English as an Additional Language (nelincs.gov.uk).

Sleep training

The Sleep Training has received some great feedback.

“The honesty and support offered by Claire and Carol. All too often you are told well I would do this that, don’t do this. Very often other places are too judgemental. Having gone through similar situations themselves”.

“I found it all useful, the strategies and suggestions made and the reasons why. all gave me a more informed understanding”

“ I could see the difference in my Son’s sleep from the first week, thank you so much”

“I’m going to continue to follow the steps and advice as it really does work”

“Carol was friendly and very welcoming. I felt I could ask any questions I had and felt supported”.

“Claire is the most beautiful character making you feel safe and supported without fear of judgement – a total Fairy Godmother!”

Why not sign up?

The workshop consists of two, two hour sessions that are held over two weeks.

The next sessions are on Tuesday 5 and 12 April 2022, 12pm-2pm.

• Monday 25 April 2022 10am-2pm
• Tuesday 17 May 2022 10am-2pm
• Friday 27 May 2022 9.30am-1.30pm
• Monday 6 June 2022 10am-2pm
• Tuesday 21 June 2022 10am-2pm

To book a place please email Claire.Earley@kids.org.uk

Easter Activities

If your child gets free school meals they can join in a Holiday Activities Food (HAF) programme.

There are lots of other activities for children of all ages and abilities.

NELC SEND Local Offer | Easter Activities (nelincs.gov.uk).

SEND Coffee mornings restart after Easter

Please remember that the SEND coffee mornings only run during term time and will restart after the Easter break.

Making Sense of Autism in the Early Years training

As part of our commitment to supporting staff CPD on SEND, the Local Authority are offering each Childminder one free place and each Early Years Setting two free places on the Autism Education Trust’s training; ‘Making Sense of Autism in the Early years’.  There is also an allocation of training places for other professionals who work face to face with Early Years children and families, including, health visiting, Early Help and Children With Disabilities team in social care too. 

The training will be delivered face to face by practitioners from Cambridge Park Academy who are not only fully trained by the Autism Education Trust, but also work daily with students at Cambridge Park with children who have ASD.  The sessions will provide opportunities for professional discussion around this key area of SEND.  Training will take place on various dates throughout April and May at a range of venues across North East Lincolnshire.  All dates, venues and times are on the flyer attached.

Educational Team for Hearing and Vision’s After School Bowling Event

In March this year, we celebrate our 20th bowling event at Cleethorpes Ten Pin Bowl for a group of mainstream students who have a visual impairment.

Children have fun with other visually impaired young people living in North East Lincolnshire of a similar age.

One young man who feels quite isolated in his school said, ‘Everyone wore glasses!’ and later said ‘I think I’ve made some friends’.

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