10:51 am, Friday, 4th November 2022

SEND Newsletter- Friday, 4 November 2022

This is the SEND Newsletter for 31 October- 6 November 2022.

SEND Business Chartermark

The SEND Business Chartermark is launching next year!

This accreditation offers local businesses the chance to upskill their staff and improve their offer to be more inclusive.

To achieve the SEND Business Chartermark organisations will audit their service and undertake training to understand how they can be more inclusive.

This means that when you are taking your child for their hair cut, to a local activity, or restaurant you can see which businesses have a great awareness of SEND and the ways that they may be able to help your child and family have a great experience.

Parent carers have given us ideas like:

  • Sensory bags
  • Videos to show where to park, the entrance through to reception or main rooms, key facilities like toilets and any disabled adaptations etc.
  • Pictures and videos of staff and familiar faces
  • Patience and understanding

What can places do to help you to have a positive experience? Would you like more information on their website? Taster sessions for activities? A SEND friendly quiet hour?

Have you been somewhere that was great with your kids? Let us know so that we can work with them.

Email lauren.thompson2@nelincs.gov.uk or use this form: SEND Feedback Form | Inclusive businesses

Contact has more free workshops and Q&A sessions coming up, you can have your say on school admissions and the Down Syndrome Act, and a donation gives our local young carers a boost.

Find out more.

School attendance and disability Q&A from Contact on Thursday 10.

Many disabled children have to miss school due to a disability or medical need — and more parent carers in England are being penalised for genuine absences.

To help, our SEN team are running a Q&A for parent carers in England on 10 November, between 10am-11:30am, in Contact’s Facebook Group 👉bit.ly/Contact-FB

The Q&A will be done in writing — not as a live video. Just visit our group anytime between 10-11:30am, leave a comment with your question under our special Q&A post, and then check back later to read our reply.

Annual consultation for North East Lincolnshire’s school admission arrangements for the academic year 2024-2025 – NELC | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)

Donation gives area’s young carers a boost – NELC | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)

Down Syndrome Act 2022 guidance: call for evidence – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Free flu jabs

I’m on the learning disability register


Flu season is coming and people with a learning disability are more likely to be at risk.

You and your carer can get a free flu vaccine. If you want to book the vaccine speak to your GP surgery or pharmacy.

Learn more about vaccines in our #EasyRead: https://bit.ly/3U9tuLt


Unpaid carers & children and young people with long-term health conditions


Hospitalisation rates among young children are rising sharply as viral infections spread in the UK — and many disabled children are particularly at risk of serious illness.

Unpaid carers and children or young people with a long-term health condition are eligible for free flu jabs on the NHS. Don’t miss out on yours 👉contact.org.uk/flu

Babies and children with complex needs are also more likely to be hospitalised with RSV, a highly contagious respiratory virus. Find out how to spot the signs of infection and when to seek medical help 👉contact.org.uk/rsv.

SEND Bonfire night hack

Great idea for parent carers of children with sensory issues: set up a ‘escape zone’ that they can go to for peace and quiet on Bonfire Night!

You can find pop-up sensory tents and dark dens of various sizes at Fledglings — some even come with light-up toys included 👉fledglings.org.uk/collections/the-sensory-room. Fledglings is part of the charity Contact. Every penny spent helps families.

Early Years SEND Partnership. Work with us

This collaborative programme is part of the Early Years Partnership co-production offer, funded by DfE. The co-production Action Learning Sets bring together practitioners and parent carers to build relationships between families and services, increase awareness of the impact of disability on families and enable more effective, positive communication. This programme will enable families of disabled children and practitioners in the Early Years SEND field to work in active partnership, make shared decisions and listen to each other to put the needs of children at the centre of strategy and support. Understanding the experience of families can help practitioners to develop a better start to the working relationship with parent carers. Families empowered to voice their experience can come together to create positive changes. You will access tools to support you as you identify and take positive actions and measure your success.

The Action Learning Sets consist of:

• 3 sessions to take place before February 2023

• Up to 30 participants

Sign up. North East Lincs – Early Years Coproduction Local Action Learning Sets Tickets, Tue 8 Nov 2022 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

What else?

Find more events and training like this. NELC SEND Local Offer | Events and training (nelincs.gov.uk)

RADAR key for DPOW Changing Place

Due to the ongoing building works at Grimsby Hospital, the lock on the Changing Places Facility has been changed to a RADAR lock and key.  If someone doesn’t have access to a RADAR key but needs access to the facility, one can be borrowed from the security office.

Emotional health

Kooth – A confidential online counselling and emotional well-being platform for young people aged 11 – 18 years, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.

School nursing text service07507 331620.
If your child is aged between 11 and 19 years, they can use the school nursing team via text on 07507 331620. Children and young people can text for support about things like bullying, smoking, relationships and more.

Young Minds – Looking after your mental health, getting support and advice.

Let’s Get Talking – Useful guidance for parents who are worried about their child’s low mood or self-harm.

The Mix– Support service for young people.

Parenting Smart– Practical tips to support children’s wellbeing and manage behaviours from mental health experts.

Improve activities for SEND

Parents and carers of children with SEND have often asked our team about local activities for their children.

Universal activities are the things that every child with or without SEND can participate in. We want to work with local activity providers to help to make them more inclusive.

But first, we need you to tell us what it is that you and your child needs.

Give us as much or as little info as you’d like but it’s taken other parent carers about four minutes to complete, Inclusive activities for your child (office.com).

EHCP Annual Review

Is your child’s EHCP Annual Review coming up?

Remember that you can both see a copy of their plan before hand. It helps to remind you of what was expected and prepare any questions that you may have.

Give us your feedback after the review. It’s an important part of the process. Your child can do the same.

It only takes a few minutes to tell us how it went. EHCP Annual Survey Review

Film workshop for SEND!

Join an exciting film workshop for children and young people with SEND.

Did you know if you are If you’re over 14, with a learning disability, on the learning disability register you should receive an annual health check.

We’ve developed a new page on the Local Offer which tells you everything you need to know about Annual Health Checks.

NELC SEND Local Offer | Annual Health Check (nelincs.gov.uk)

We are looking for young people and their parent carers who would like to feature in a short film to promote annual health checks.

The team are holding a brainstorming workshop to create the video. Join other young creatives with learning disabilities on 9 or 16 November from 4-6pm at Foresight.

These workshops are on the Events and Training calendar. NELC SEND Local Offer | FILM WORKSHOP (nelincs.gov.uk)

If you’re interested and want to be involved in the workshops or video then please contact joanne.nejrup@nhs.net.

You will need consent from your parents to be in the video.


Foresight Jobs Fair

Foresight (North East Lincolnshire) Limited operates throughout North and North East Lincolnshire to meet the needs and requirements of disabled people, their families, and carers. Our Mission Statement is “To provide the way forward for the disabled community of North and North East Lincolnshire and surrounding areas. Empowering individuals to a new beginning, a brighter future, and a full and enjoyable life.”

Foresight is having a jobs fair on Monday 14 November from 10am to 2pm.

Email Rebecca Burrows at rebecca.burrows@foresight-nelincs.org.uk.

Foresight jobs fair. https://www.foresight-nelincs.org.uk/

Foresight have activities for children and young people with SEND during the school holidays. Find out more Foresight North East Lincolnshire – Children Services (foresight-nelincs.org.uk).

They are looking for volunteers to support service users. A DBS is necessary, and Foresight will fund this. Volunteering is a great way for people to start and to build up their own confidence, work skills etc.

They can also offer work experience in the Kitchen, café, IT, Life skills, ESOL and much more.

Did you know that they provide a ‘Meals Service?’ If you are disabled or ill and cannot cook for yourself pay just £7 for lunch and a pudding. This includes delivery.

Adult autism board

Parent carer representatives are needed to co-produce the adult autism strategy that will be going out to consultation soon.

If you are the parent of someone with autism who is over the age of 18 we would like to work with you to create the new adult autism strategy.

The adult autism strategy gives our services a strong direction to help adults with autism lead happy and fulfilling lives. Your experience is the expertise that we need to help to make our offer better for all local people.

You are needed right now so please get in touch soon to find out more.

Please contact Angie Kershaw at angie.kershaw1@nhs.net.

SMART Targets

We’ve developed new content on our section for professionals about SMART Targets. These help them develop effective plans for students.

NELC SEND Local Offer | SMART Targets – A how to guide to writing SMART Targets for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (nelincs.gov.uk)

SMART targets are targets that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound whilst also being personal to the child. They should be set as small steps towards the child or young person meeting their long-term outcomes and be used as part of a graduated approach to supporting children and young people in co-production with parents and the child or young person.

Why not take a look at the SMART Targets page and tell us what you think of it use this feedback form

SEND Feedback Form | SMART Targets professionals page feedback

SENDIASS

SENDIASS provide support for SEND, across education, health and social care.

SENDIASS logo

Sendiass North East Lincolnshire | Facebook

Contact SENDIASS:
Call- 01472 326363
Email- ask@nelsendiass.org.uk

SENDIASS – NELC – Just another WordPress site (nelsendiass.org.uk)



If you have questions about SEND we are always here to help. Please don’t hesitate to email sen@nelincs.gov.uk. We always try to make sure that children and parents/ carers voices are heard.

These Weekly SEND parent/carer newsletters are shared with teams within education, health and social care as well as parents/carers SENCOs, the DfE and local charities.

If parents/carers or young people over 16 do not have access to the internet or if they prefer to receive paper copies only please contact sen@nelincs.gov.uk.