Newsletter - signhillsinfants.co.uk50176]Autumn_News… · Newsletter ISSUE3 • AUTUMN2015 • FREE For parents, carers and families of children and young people with special needs

NewsletterISSUE3 • AUTUMN2015 • FREE

For parents, carers and familiesof children and young people withspecial needs and/or disabilities

in North East Lincolnshire

Welcome to our thirdnewsletter. What are wemissing? Please let us knowwhat you would like to seeincluded in the newsletter? Wehope to keep you informed ofevents, workshops, drop insessions, coffee mornings aswell as available support.We welcome comments and ideas fromparents, professionals and practitioners;please contact us to discuss further [email protected] 07583474829 please ask for KarenHoe.

If you require this informationelectronically please let usknow your email addressusing the details above.

EDITORIAL GROUPMEMBERSNorth East Lincolnshire ParentParticipation Forum (NELPPF)Karen Hale/Karen Hoe.

BarnardosEmma Graham, Project Worker.

SchoolsEmma Beveridge, SENCO,Ormiston South Parade Academy.

SercoDenise Faulconbridge, The Knoll,Cleethorpes.

North East LincsClare Ward, SEN ServicesManager.

Clinical Commissioning GroupChris Ward, Head of Service forChildren's Complex Healthand Palliative Care & DesignatedClinical Officer for SEN.

Luke Clements EventCARERS were able to have theirquestions answered by a leading professorin the industry following a recent change inthe law.A free event was held at Grimsby TownHall for young carers, people under theage of 25 with additional needs and thosewho care for them.A spokesman for the North EastLincolnshire Care Clinical CommissioningGroup, which organised the event, saidthinking of their own needs was often not apriority for carers.The event was aiming to explain theadditional rights of carers as a result of twonew laws – the Care Act and the Childrenand Families Act.Professor Luke Clements, who has writtenbooks on the rights of disabled people andtheir carers, was on hand to offer advice.He said: "I will be talking about two bigpieces of legislation that came into force inApril that will affect disabled people andtheir carers. Both acts are largely goodpieces of legislation but they areaspirational with worthy ends, but so farthey have not given us the means to fundit."Without the funds, more carers are havingto give up work."Professor Clements was special adviser tothe Parliamentary Committee, whichscrutinised the bill that became the CareAct, and answered questions about thelaw.The event provided an opportunity forcarers to learn from an expert on the rights

of those with needs for care and supportand their carers.He added: "The cuts to local authoritieshave been savage and have made thingsreally difficult. We're looking at around250,000 people who have lost services inthe past three years alone."But the impact has not only been oncarers or those people who need carers,but to their families as well."It just emphasises how much the systemneeds funding. These acts are promisingbut we have got to get the cash toimplement them."Family members and carers came along toget their questions or concerns answeredby a national expert on rights around careand support.Health and social care organisationsincluding North East Lincolnshire Council,North East Lincolnshire NHS ClinicalCommissioning Group, FocusIndependent Adult Social Care and theParent Participation Forum were also onhand to talk about what's on offer for localpeople.Julia Glover, a disability social worker forFocus Independent Adult Social Care,said: "We are here to talk to carers andyoung people about the services weprovide and the services that are availableto people through the transition process."She added: "I'm really excited to hear Luketalk. I've read a lot of his work so I've beenreally looking forward to it."Read more:http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Making-sure-carers-cared/story-26680814-detail/story.html#ixzz3kkj8YBuD

Person Centred Planning- One Page profilesTo enable young people to fullyparticipate in their school reviews andmake choices and important decisionsregarding their present and future life –all reviews should be delivered in aperson centred way.

This means ensuring the young personis present and where possible engagedin the process. Their views and wishesare incorporated within transition review.A One Page Profile is a quick andsimple tool that can identify and statethe young personʼs wishes. It can bedone with the young person using thebooklet opposite or designed andcompleted individually by the person.See link below to download a blanktemplate and booklet on how tocomplete the one page profile:www.sayingitall.com/v2/help-support/transition/Telephone: 01472 [email protected] Learning Disability TeamQueen Street health & wellbeing centreDN31 1QG

EDITORS ARTICLEA day in the life of a Primary School SENCo- Emma BeveridgeAs SENCo at Ormiston South Parade Academy in Grimsby, I am lucky to workwith a fantastic inclusion team, amazing children who want to learn and incrediblysupportive parents. At our academy we aim to give every child the very bestchance to succeed by removing barriers to childrenʼsʼ learning and preparingthem for a happy and successful future. In our quest to do this, a day in the life ofthe SENCo at OSPA looks a little something like this…7.30am: My inclusion team and I meet with teachers to discuss strategies tosupport children with a special educational need or disability (DSEN). We set upintervention programmes such as Lexia in preparation for the start of the day.9.15am: I go into classrooms to observe children with a DSEN or children thatstaff are concerned about. We work with children on a 1:1 basis to assess themand work out where the gaps are in their learning.10.00am: We host a parent support group which is for parents of children on theAutistic Spectrum, are on the road to a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder(ASD) or who simply want support with their childʼs behaviour. Breakfast isprovided and it gives us all a chance, in partnership with Barnardoʼs and ParentPartnership, to have a good old chat about how we can help and support eachother.12.00pm: My favourite thing to do at this time of day is to join the children in thedining hall or the playground. It is always great to find out how their day is goingand see them in their friendship groups.1.00pm: We work with a fantastic team of outside agencies that support us inmeeting the needs of our children with a DSEN. I am very often involved inmeetings with outside agencies during the day. I also spend a lot of time meetingwith parents to discuss and plan for the provision that we put in place. Parentsare the experts so we always try to work closely with them.2.00pm: I use this time to run intervention groups or observe intervention groupswith the aim of ensuring every child makes the best possible progress. On aWednesday we run a Yoga group for some of our children with a DSEN. It isgreat fun and very effective in helping our children with gross motor difficultiesand emotional anxiety.3.30pm: After the children go home we often hold staff training events. The focusof this varies from deaf awareness training, to training on the new legislation inthe DSEN Code of Practice.So that, in a nutshell, is a day in the life of the SENCo at OSPA; a mixture of workwith children, parents and professionals. It is a role that changes all the time,keeps me on my toes and never fails to make me smile.

Gift Ideas

Homemade Sensory Den. Buy a pop uptent suitable to place in a corner of aliving room, dining room or suitable quietspace. Make a comfy space withcushions and blankets. Provide favouritecalming toys and if appropriate, torchesor light sources. Look at Amazon.co.ukor shop direct in stores such as Argos orSport Direct for tents.

Homemade Sensory Box. Buy a smallplastic tub with a lid and create your ownsensory box. Include toys which yourchild prefers; soft, hard, squashy ortextured. Keep a look out for things toput in the box for example small pots ofplay-doh, tactile balls and toys. Look athttp://www.cheapdisabilityaids.co.uk/fidget-toys-16-c.asp for examples.

Jellyfish Tank £44.98 (free delivery) fromAmazon.co.uk. 7 realistic jellyfish movein water along with changing lights.Includes a 3D backing, 7 jellyfish and analmost silent motor.

Kinetic Sand available from £10 at TheEntertainer, Argos and on-line. Emptykinetic sand into a washing up bowl orsimilar container and allow your child tosqueeze, build pull and shape the sandwhich wonʼt dry out or stick to otheritems. The sand works like wet sandand keeps it shape.

Marble Runs available from around £10.Marble runs are available from mosthigh street retailers and provide hours ofbuilding fun, available in wooden andplastic options they great at building upfine motor skills.

EDITORS ARTICLEMy role as the DesignatedClinical Officer for SEN- Chris WardHello, my name is Christine Ward butplease feel free to call me Chris. I amthe Designated Clinical Officer (DCO)for North East Lincolnshire. I coverchildren and young people from 0-25years. I qualified as a Registered SickChildrenʼs Nurse (RSCN)/RegisteredGeneral Nurse (RGN) in 1980 aftercompleting nearly 4 years of training atSheffield Childrenʼs Hospital includingThornbury Annexe, The Royal Hospitaland Royal Infirmary. On completion ofmy training I have worked extensivelywith children, young people and theirfamilies within both hospital and homesettings and have been a frequentvisitor to schools. Long term chronic andcomplex conditions have featured in mycase load for the last 30 years. Alongwith other health colleagues from thehospital, speech and language,occupational therapy, physiotherapy,CAMHS, health visiting, school nursing,the hospice and colleagues in adultcontinuing health care we havedeveloped and agreed a method ofcapturing the health outcomes ofchildren and young people locally.

We would not have been able to do thiswithout the support and input fromparents who have children with complexhealth issues and so understood fullythe issues, anxiety and effort to obtainthe right support for children in theireducational setting.

My role requires me to coordinate andconsider health submissions for theEducation, Health & Social Care (EHC)plans which are replacing the old stylestatements and submit health outcomesfor the EHC. The EHC is a much moreindividualised plan with measurableoutcomes so we can make sure thechildren and young people are receivingappropriate interventions.Parents/carers and where possible theyoung person themselves are involvedfully in the process; the health reports Isubmit contain information from allagencies actively involved with yourchildʼs care so that we have a generaloverview of what your child needs tosupport them in achieving their verybest.

I work closely with School Nursing,Health Visiting and the ChildrenʼsCommunity Team; parents/carers andyoung people should use them as a firstpoint of contact if you have issues withyour childʼs health in school, as they

should be working with your child andbe aware of current health needs. Theymay if your childʼs needs are morespecific or specialist discuss them withmyself and I will in turn seek furtheradvice from a broader range of healthprofessionals so that we can quicklyrespond to any issues.

Routine medicals will no longer beundertaken as part of the EHC process,as we considered it was an additionalreview by someone new to you and yourchild, which would not provide anyadditional information; as we alreadyobtain information from all services weknow are involved with your child. Weunderstand how busy you are andthought removing this may be helpful.

I also sit on the specialist needsadvisory group (SENAG) and representhealth at that meeting. I currently workthree days a week and can becontacted on extension 324404.

This is an evolving role designed tomeet the statutory requirements of theEHC process; it is recognised thatadjustments and a degree of flexibilitymay be required in order to achieveoptimal health outcomes for childrenand young people. I am happy toreceive your thoughts on the process.

Childrenʼs CentresThere are currently 10 Childrenʼs Centresacross north East Lincolnshire whose corepurpose is to improve outcomes for youngchildren and their families and reduceinequalities between families in the greatestneed and their peers in:

• Child development and school readiness;• Parenting aspirations and parenting skills;• Child family health and life chances.

Childrenʼs Centres are at the heart of thecommunities across North East Lincolnshire,providing a safe, welcoming environment forfamilies with a child under five years of age.Childrenʼs Centres provide a range ofuniversal services with a focus on learningthrough play using a structured approachthrough holistic activities from babymassage, yoga at birth, through to stay andplay sessions which is inclusive of allchildren and families with the attentionplaced on child development.

All individuals are encouraged and welcomedto join any activity within centres, led bytrained members of staff who are happy totailor and alter their delivery to meet any

special requirements of any of the childrenattending. Alongside universal activities,centres have provision for children withadditional needs, such as the sensory roomwhich is available to book through your localcentre. To support other aspects of earlydevelopment such as speech and language,centres provide language through listeningprogrammes and groups around parents andchildren learning together through play.

In addition to the general timetable which isdesigned to meet the needs of individuals aswell as the local community , RiversideChildrenʼs Centre, Central Parade, Grimsby,DN34 4HE hold a drop in coffee afternoon onThursdays 12.30-2.30pm, which also runsthrough school holidays, Parentʼs Provide

Support for Parentʼs and Carers of childrenwith additional needs . Parents/Carers canmeet to chat and children can play, with thesupport of a worker from Barnardoʼs.

Childrenʼs Centre staff are available and onhand to support any family to accessavailable services throughout North EastLincolnshire. Details of your nearestChildrenʼs Centre can be found on the FamilyInformation Service website linkhttps://www.nelincs.gov.uk/resident/family-information-and-children-s-centres or call01472 326293 and select option 4.

Luke Short - Deputy Co-ordinatorQueensway and Riverside ChildrenʼsCentre, Grimsby

Whatʼs On?EVERY WEEKAspie Lounge – parent support group forparents/guardians and carers of youngpeople with ASD/C. Every Friday morningschool term time. 10 am until 12:30pm atOpen Door, Albion Street, Grimsby,DN32 7DL.Autism Coffee Group – Every 3rdWednesday of the month in term time from9:30 – 11:30 at Open Door, Albion Street,Grimsby, DN32 7DL.Epilepsy Action provides support to peoplewith epilepsy, carers and their families in arelaxed environment with a coffee. We chatabout anything, not necessarily epilepsy, butthe group allows you to meet with others andreceive support. The Coffee and chat groupmeet on the first Thursday of every monthfrom 11:00am to 12:30pm at the YarboroughHotel, 29 Bethlehem Street, Grimsby.Little Readers – Every Monday atCleethorpes Library 9:30am – 11am; thisactivity is free.North East Lincolnshire Down's SyndromeFamily Support Group, 12 noon - 2.30pm onWednesdayʼs at Scartho Childrenʼs Centre,term time only.North East Lincolnshire Deaf ChildrenʼsSociety - We are a small group of parentswith deaf children. We do a range ofactivities for the children including arts &crafts, cooking etc. We also organise tripsout and theatre visits. We meet on thesecond Saturday of every month - 1-3pm atSt Hughʼs Community Centre, HaycroftStreet, Grimsby, DN31 2EE. New membersare welcome please call \Ann Lusty on07891 978 922 or Tracey Rudd on07985 219 501.Stanford Club Young Peoples Disco locatedat the Stanford Club, Cleethorpes. The discoruns every Monday from 7pm and is free toattend. The age range is around 14+ toadult.If your group has any up and comingevents and would like to advertise in ournewsletter free of charge please contactKaren Hoe on 07583474829 or email:[email protected].

Activities for familiesDisability Sports for young peopleaged 14+. At Grimsby Leisure Centre:swimming on Monday 9:30am-11am;trampolines, accessible gym and iceskating sessions on Wednesdays9:20am -11:30 am. CleethorpesLeisure Centre: swimming onTuesday mornings 10:30 am -12noon. Both centres have adaptedbicycles for hire. All sessions cost £4and are run all year round includingschool holidays. Please contact BenFrary on 324385.FLAG (Family Links Around Grimsby)provide recreational activities forchildren and young people agedbetween 5 to 21+ who have a rangeof disabilities. The club is open eachSaturday in term time and up to fourdays in the school holidays at StrandStreet School. There is a costinvolved. For more information pleasecall Malcolm on 07944627352.Foresight run an additional needs hubon a Saturday morning for childrenaged 5-17 years, from 10am – 3pm at60 Newmarket Street, Grimsby. TheSaturday club costs £1. Foresight alsorun a holiday club in school holidays.For more information please call269666 and ask for Lisa.If your group has any up andcoming events or activities andwould like to advertise in ournewsletter free of charge pleasecontact Emma Graham, Barnardoʼson 01472 355365 or email:[email protected].

ResourcesContact a family - Contact a family is anational charity for families with disabledchildren who campaign to improve theircircumstances, and for their right to beincluded and equal in society. They provideinformation, advice and support by bringingfamilies together so they can support eachother. The website can be found athttp://www.cafamily.org.uk/Core Assets – Provide independent adviceand support to parents and young peopleduring the Education, Health and Care Plan(EHCP) needs assessment process. Forfurther information please contact; ISHelpline 0800 028 8455 or explore theirwebpagehttp://www.coreassets.com/whatwe-do/independent-supportservice/ERIC - www.eric.org.uk/Home children andyoung people with on-going continenceproblems. ERIC provides a helpline; call0845 370 8008 to support children, parentsand professionals on a Monday andWednesday between 9:30am and 4:30pm.Local Offer – services for people aged 0-25with special educational needs anddisabilities can be found athttp://localoffer.nelincs.gov.uk/EarlyYears/LocalOffer/Default.aspxTransition Information Network – Informationto improve the experience of disabled youngpeopleʼs transition to adulthood can be foundon www.transitioninfonetwork.org.ukIf you would like to advertise your disabledfriendly resources or group in our newsletterfree of charge please contact EmmaGraham, Barnardoʼs on 01472 355365 oremail: [email protected] you would like to advertise yourdisabled friendly resources or groupin our newsletter free of charge pleasecontact Emma Graham, Barnardoʼs on01472 355365 or email:[email protected].

Disclaimer.The information contained inthis publication was correct

at the time of printing, however,if you see something wrong

please let us know.