SENCO good practice news spring 2013
Welcome to the final issue of the SEND information project’s newsletter. Our two-year funding from the Department for Education endson31 March 2013.We are pleased to have worked with so many SENCOs,trainee teachers, parent forums and parent support groups around England –and to have exceeded our targets!
We are still finalising our new workshops and training projects for parents and professionals going forward from April 2013, but will keep you updated as soon as we are able to.
We will be rebranding this newsletter to continue sharing new resources and training opportunities for all professionals who work with disabled children and their families around the UK.
We will still offer an enquiry service for SENCOsin England and all other professionals working with families with disabled children in the UK.
We work continually to revising our guides on a broad range of subjects - from benefits to holidays, and family relationships- for families and professionals who work with them. Parents can call our freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555 and ask for a free copy of any of our parents guides, including a Guide to Future Benefit changes written by our senior benefits adviser, Derek Sinclair:
Medical Information is free to use and is being updated regularly and new support groups for rare conditions are added.
News
Benefits are changing
Over the next few months the government will launch the biggest shake up of the UK benefits system in over 30 years. Our benefits specialist Derek Sinclair has produced an overview of what this may mean for families of disabled children. See our new web pages, or check for when and how benefits are changing.Also, to help parent carers make sense of what it may mean for you, a new guide for parents called Personal independence payment, universal credit and other forthcoming benefit changes is available from our freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555.
Do you know families getting in debt?
If you know a parent of a disabled child who is getting in debt, help is at hand. We have a new web section on debt and have asked parent advisers on our freephone national helpline to answer some commonly asked questions. Check and call our freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555, Monday-Friday, 9.30-5pm if you'd like to talk to someone.
Training opportunity
Teachers and SEN support staff can apply to National Scholarship Fund from the Department for Education:
Teachers and special educational needs (SEN) support staff will be able to bid for funds from the scheme worth up to £2 million to deepen their subject knowledge and develop their skills. Teachers can bid for up to £3,500. SEN staff can bid for up to £2,000.The application window, which opens for three weeks from 8 April 2013, will offer funding to teachers in the four priority subjects of English, mathematics, science and SEN.
New resources
Contact a Family’s latest publications include:
Understanding your child’s behaviour
How Contact a Family can help – French translation
When you child has additional needs
Falling through the net: illegal exclusions, the experiences of families with disabled children in England and Wales– a report based on our recent survey
All out guides can be downloaded for free from our website:
Parents can call our freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555 and ask for a free copy of any of our parents guides.
Early Support films on Short Breaks and Achievement for All
Early Support has commissioned a series of films to show their principles in action across England. These films demonstrate the work that is going on and features parent carers, young people, practitioners, managers and politicians talking about the difference Early Support is making.
The films address topics such as short breaks, Early Support's work with Achievement for All; the benefits of Local and Health Authority partnership work; Early Support's facilitation ofschool support offered to young people; and the personal journey of a father and son.
Web:
The Children’s reading fund
The Children's Reading Fund, which launched this year and aims to support vulnerable and disengaged children. Created by Booktrust, the independent reading and writing charity, the Fund will use books and e-books, CDs, games and performance to inspire children. It will target those in care, children with additional needs, such as those who are blind, deaf or partially-sighted, and children whose parents can't afford books.
I CAN factsheetsI CAN’s expert speech and language therapists not only run a free Enquiry Service line (020 7843 2544), but they've also created factsheets for parents and practitioners. These include information on topics such as English as an Additional Language for children, our Top 10 Toys for the Development of Communication Skills, and help understanding SLI, and many more!
Free on-line resource BME Resource:
Reaching and supporting diverse communities.
The National Family Carer Network (NFCN) has agreed
to host and produce future updates of the on-line BME
resource: Reaching and Supporting Diverse Communities,a guide to meeting the needs of people with learning disabilities and family carers, from newly arrived, Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BME) Communities BME)
Free cyber-parenting guide, to help parents understand their children’s online relationshipsTo mark Safer Internet Day 2013, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Sex Education Forum produced a short guide for parents to help their children be in control and enjoy safer online relationships.
You can also download Contact a Family’s guide to dealing with bullying for parents of disabled children which has information and resources on online safety:
Family Footings website –person-centred thinking resources
Part of our legacy of the DfE funded Family Footings project is a website with free information and materials on person-centred thinking.
Relationships and Sexuality
98% of parents answering a mumsnet survey (in 2011) said they were happy for their children to attend school SRE lessons.Many parents, though, said they don't know what the school is teaching and wanted to know more.The Sex Education Forumhosted by National Children's Bureauwill shortly be publishing a new guide 'Involving parents and carers in SRE; a practical guide for schools'
Films – for and by young disabled people on relationships and sexuality
Groups run by the charity Kids based in South Gloucestershire for young people aged 13– 25 recently developed a film about relationships and sexuality for and by young disabled people. The film features topics such as; relationships, contraception, personal space, a glossary and a section for parents. The film can be seen on YouTube in three parts:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
For more information on any of the groups, please contact Louisa Jennings by email
Preparing for adulthood (PfA)- pathfinder supportEdward Timpson visited Bromley and Bexley pathfinder in January 2013 to speak to parents and professionals about how the reforms to special educational needs provision are being tested. Watch the video here.PfA have developed good practice case studies that illustrate what needs to happen in local areas to ensure that young people achieve positive life outcomes. Alongside these we have gathered stories outlining young people and families' perspectives.
The Times Education Supplement (TES)
The TES website has lots of resources for SEN teachers that cover every subject area.
Over the Wall camps this summerOver The Wall provide free, residential activity camps to children aged 8-17 affected by serious illness in the UK.The dates for this summer'sSerious Illness camps in the South of England are:
- Sunday 21st July
- Friday 26th July
- Monday 29th July
- Saturday 3rd August, in Dorset.
Over the Wall will also be holding a Family Camp this summer, with the dates to be confirmed. Details of the locations and dates for all Over the Wall camps across the UK are availableon their website.
All campers for the Serious Illness and Siblings Camps must be aged 8–17. Family Camps can accept children of any age. For all camps at least one child in the family must be experiencing the challenges of a serious or life-limiting illness.
Good practice research
Research suggests that disabled
young people are still being denied
right to participate
VIPER is a three-year project funded by the
Big Lottery Fund to research young disabled
people's participation in decisions about services.
VIPER has published research findings which provides new evidence to show that disabled young people are being denied the right to have a say in how local services, such as education, health and leisure are being developed and delivered. To read the research findings, policy recommendations and more, please go to
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