Regional Meeting for Specialist Autism Outreach Services 04.02.15

Present:Anne McKelveyYork

Denise ThomasYork

Cerys TownsendNorth Yorks

Melanie Whitney Doncaster

Louise Stringer Barnsley

Carol Shiret Bradford

Moira Bolan Sheffield

Kathy Charles Sheffield

Cary Ann Sykes Wakefield

Sue Sharp Wakefield

Kathy Smith North Lincs

Updates / Any action?
CT North Yorks – Head of SEN has just been appointed
Autism Service – ‘Invest to save’ funding
  • Team Lead,
  • 2 x consultants (teachers),
  • Funding for Educational Psychologist for 2 years
Priorities for next 2 years:
  • AET – deliver schools program in schools
  • SCERTS
  • LA will fund Parent Programmes – Offer Cygnet, Early Bird, Early Bird +, Siblings, Puberty, Sex, Relationship
  • Developing ‘All Age Autism Strategy’ – due in October

MW Doncaster
Restructuring
  • CYPS – Children and Young People’s Services
  • SEND – 5 special schools included
  • Social Care Disabilities Team sits within the team
  • Managed through Principal Psychologist
  • Home/school worker – Teaching Assistant
  • Guidelines for new diagnostic pathway
  • Funded 3 new practitioners – not clear remit

SS Wakefield
  • Sue currently head of service role – potentially re-structure
  • Caseload monitoring
  • 3 teams in inclusion – Looked After Children, Behaviour, SEN
  • Resource provision – looking at funding changes
  • Working with Behaviour Support Team to look at cases which overlap – to keep ‘out of district’ down
  • Early Years Team – rating what we do using ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’
  • Lego Therapy – being rolled out into schools
  • Equipment funding – issues
  • ASD/ADHD pathway – done lots of work on this – 6 months engaging with parents
  • SPA = Single Point of Access

Training for Early Years Advisors:
  • AET Early Years Training, ELCLAN, SCERTS
  • Pilot project – to increase the links between PVI settings and reception classes.
  • Embedding SCERTS into secondary schools
  • Funding for a Teacher for Early Years (Communication & Interaction)

Discussion (all)
  • Concerns about increase in diagnosis in Early Years and how different services work with this.

Bradford
  • Developing Universal Training and then Specialist Training
  • Still working on Autism Strategy for Children
  • Pamper Days/Dads Away Nights
  • Parents Group support for parents with school

York
  • Discussion about Autism Strategy – All age
  • Parent group – workshops/trampoline sessions
  • Small Authority – New building 2 years ago
  • College/University – extended our service
  • Restructuring – to start working with Social Care
  • Team Roles – 2 Teachers and 2 TAs
  • EY work increased
  • Late diagnosis/Mental Health concerns
  • Lego Therapy
  • All Age Autism Strategy
  • ASCEND parent programme – reduced to 7 weeks from 11

Barnsley
  • Restructure – losing a Service Manager post
  • Senior Advisory Teacher – not linked to particular areas of inclusion
  • Loving to a traded service – big increase in EY diagnosis

Lincs
  • Discussion about Parents/Parent Support Groups

SCERTS
  • Assessment and Planning Framework for Children who have Social Communication (Readiness for Learning) Issues
  • Emotional regulation delay
  • American developed framework – devised by Multi-Disciplinary Team – Psychologists, SaLT (ABA provider), OT
  • Been around since 2002 - more recently in this country
  • Barry Prosant/Emily Rubin
  • Training in UK tends to be in Kettering – 2 day or 3 day training
Basic Information:
  • SCERTS.com
  • communicationxroads.com – Emily’s website
  • 2 manuals - £200
  • Pack of 5 sheets available from Carole – Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support
Process:
  • Observe child
  • Work with parents for information about the child
3 Levels:
  • Social Partner/Language Partner/Conversational Partner
  • Assign child to a level according to observation
  • Work as part of Multi-professional team
Bradford:
  • Embed in education settings
  • Raise awareness in social care setting
Trained:
  • Special schools, 10 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, a;; EPs, (around 150 staff), SaLT
  • Had Emily to do training x2
  • 4 – 5 times a year SCERTS support groups – share good practise
  • Emotional regulation, self-regulation, mutual regulation
  • Targetting those aspects which children with autism find really difficult
  • Emotional Health and Wellbeing tracker
  • Can evidence impact, longitudinally
N Yorks:
  • Case studies
  • Social Emotional Growth Indicators correlate with academic progress.
Bradford:
  • To develop training
  • Programme is appropriate to a wider cohort than young people with autism
  • Magdalene Maguire – academic study (EP)
/ Carol to send info out
AET – Carys Townsend
  • Leeds – school based hub
  • N Yorks – Early Years and Post 16
  • Sub-contracting advice from AET – N Yorks not ready yet. Leeds?
  • It is possible to commission Leeds/North Yorks
  • Leeds Stars – leaflets
  • Making sense of Autism – Free training
  • Post 16 training not available at present
/
  • Request to have training dates on AET website – CT to discuss this.

Discussion about Personalised Packages/Curriculum Demands in Schools
Wakefield:
  • Mix of cohort
  • Anxiety issues pupils
  • Challenging behaviour pupils
York:
  • Developing the role of ERPs
Bradford:
Lincolnshire:
  • Resource base – children remain on home school roll

Pupil Voice and EHCP
  • My Support Plan
  • EHCP
Wakefield:
  • Trialling pupil voice – training from VI Specialist
  • Positive Eye – Gwynne 07947 571599
  • Lots of tips and hints
  • Work on independence of the child.
Strategic approach to Pupil Voice
  • ‘Who’s in the Driving Seat?’
Bespoke packages
  • ‘What I can do?’
  • What I could do better?’
  • Posting boxes
  • Toon cards – 4 stages
  • Basic black and white cards for discussion
Wakefield:
  • Y5 Review – Choose secondary school
Bradford:
  • Difficulties with young person diagnosed in Y5 and 6. Enhanced Resource
  • Access 70% of mainstream
  • Access some mainstream – target is to access tertiary settings
  • Staff should be coming into Enhanced Resource to teach pupils
Wakefield:
  • Graduate Training Programme – SEN element
York:
  • In reach in schools from ERP
Wakefield:
  • Depends on complexity of cohort in ERP
Discussion about Academies and alternative provision
Lego Therapy
Lincolnshire:
  • Pilot in 2 ’ schools
  • Trained wider team and EPs
Wakefield:
  • Developed Lego therapy – to support English and Maths, Social communication using figures
  • IT programme? £90
  • Social box - £65-70
  • Lego education site
Barnsley/Lincs/Wakefield:
  • Trained staff in school
Barnsley:
  • Follow up session to support embedding the skills in group work in the classroom
  • Use social communication skills list pre and post
  • Do groups 2 children and 1 adult as engineer
Wakefield:
  • Member of staff
  • Fitted to p-levels – need to use this as assessment
Barnsley:
  • 3 in 1 kits are useful
  • Work over two weeks to complete model
  • Set expectations at beginning of session
York:
  • Lego zone

Discussion
Statutory Duties for Special Schools
Code of Practice
Monitoring visit/Report/Attendance at Meeting

Next meeting Mary Woolett Centre

Doncaster Thursday 18th June 10-1pm