Archived SEND News and Updates
View archived material of news and updates shared in previous years.
Page last updated
We keep an archive of news and updates, as some of the resources and information may still be useful for parents and professionals.
Early Years Support Pathway E-book
This guide have been produced to help parents and carers identify and access the support that is available within the community for children under 5 years, with additional needs and/or disabilities.
The guide will share information from a range of service providers and explain how you can access these services. Some of the services in the guide are universal services, whereas others may require referral or be fee paying.
Click here to view the Early Years Support Pathway E-book [External Link].
Council launches new SEND and Alternative Provision strategy at event for young people
Hundreds of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Sutton attended the Council’s third Preparation for Adulthood event on 7 November at Westcroft Leisure Centre.
Read the full article on the Council website [External Link].
Orchard Hill College - Club House
Orchard Hill College presents Club House, a monthly accessible and inclusive club night at Sutton United Football Club. Open to everyone 16+, featuring a Live DJ.
Where: Sutton United Football Club, Gander Green Lane, Sutton, SM1 2EY
Book your tickets at Eventbrite [External Link], or you can pay cash or card at the door. Tickets cost £6 and one carer per ticket comes for free.
Time to Talk Next Steps
A three-year project (2021-2024) to support young people with additional needs to build confidence, provide motivation and make plans for the future.
Time to Talk Next Steps is free support for young people in England in this age group with additional needs. It is for young people who are experiencing anxiety, isolation and who have limited or no plans for the future. You may be in school or in college or have finished all education and be unsure how to move forward.
Visit the Time to Talk Next Steps website [External Link]
Join Sutton Youth Board in improving where you live and study in the Borough of Sutton
Help Sutton Youth Board get your voice heard to improve where you live and study in the Borough of Sutton.
Benefits on joining them include:
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Direct contact with decision makers
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Represent what is important to you
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Get your views taken seriously
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By young people for young people
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Plenty of snacks
When:
Thursday 5th December
Where:
Central Sutton location
RSVP your space by contacting: youngcommissioners@vcsutton.org.uk
SIASS Social Media
Be sure to keep up to date with all the latest news over at SIASS by visiting their social media pages!
SIASS Facebook [External Link]
SIASS Instagram [External Link]
SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan Resources
The Council for Disabled Children have provided some resources setting out the actions government will take to improve the SEND and AP systems.
Read SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan Resources [External Link].
National Autistic Society Card and Autism Alert scheme
If you are autistic of have a family member who is autistic, sometimes it's helpful to have a discreet way to let people know you're autistic and might need a bit more support. Here are two different schemes which might be helpful.
· National Autistic Society Care is a good way for you to let people know that you are autistic and that you might need some extra time or help in certain situations. Download the Autistic Society Card from the national autistic society website [External Link].
· The MET police has an 'autism alert' scheme, a credit card sized card and a more detailed A5 size passport which gives more details. Once an officer is handed the card, it helps identify the person is autistic and has additional needs. If you would like one for you or your family, email autism@met.police.uk to ask for one and it will be sent to you. The police do not hold any personal data.
ZSL London Zoo Community Access Scheme
Sutton Council is taking part in the community access scheme with ZSL London Zoo which allows the Council's people services and voluntary and community sector groups to access discounted tickets to the zoo for the people they work with.
£3 tickets available for: low income families or individuals (proof of eligibility not required when booking via an organisation) and refugees
£6.50 tickets available for people over the age of 60 and may be at risk of isolation and people that have additional needs or disabilities (Free entry for one essential carer per paying disabled visitor).
Fill in the form on the ZSL website to apply [External Link]. Select 'Sutton' for where users are based.
Email communityengagement@zsl.org for more information.
The HOPE Study (Health Outcomes of young People throughout Education)
The HOPE study is a new study at UCL and is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Programme for Applied Health Research. The Hope Study is investigating the impact of adjustments for special educational needs or disability (SEND) on children’s health using linked education and hospital data for all children in England (the ECHILD database).
The findings will enable policy makers, service providers and users to make evidence-informed decisions about benefits from SEND provision for health and education and which children benefit.
Find out how to get involved through the UCL website [External Link].
Cognus Autism Acceptance Events
The Cognus Autism Service is holding a wide range of events during autism acceptance week. There are events for young people and parents on a range of topics including crafting sessions, drama therapy and supporting challenging behaviour. To view all the events and to book your place, visit the Cognus Eventbrite page [External Link].
Barnardo’s SEND partnership update
Work has now started on the Sutton Council and Barnardo’s innovative new partnership where we will work with parents and carers to help develop services and outcomes for children with special educational needs (SEND) in the borough. The goal of the partnership is to:
Co-design and implement a more consistent and inclusive model of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional needs, to improve outcomes and experiences for all children and young people with SEND in Sutton
The initiative will be a collaboration between a range of local area partners, with families being directly involved in helping to co-produce and shape services going forward.
**The partnership will be working towards three strategic aims: **
1. Children and young people, parents/carers and professionals will be able to make positive and informed choices about the support that is available in the local area
2. To develop a multi-disciplinary model of practice across education, social care, health and community partners that provides the right services to young people, in the right place at the right time to improve outcomes and help prepare young people for adulthood
3. To strengthen confidence and resilience in the local area to improve the lived experience of children and young people / families with SEND
Congratulations to Claire Smith who has now been appointed as the Project Manager for the Partnership. The Strategic Partnership team has also appointed a Learning and Research partner, Dartington Service Design Lab, who will have a pivotal role in researching key areas of the SEND system locally and nationally to help shape the work in the Strategic Partnership.
Governance has been agreed for the partnership and we have established an Aims and Enabling Group (AEG), meetings will occur initially every 6 weeks.
This Group will be reporting and feeding into the Sutton SEND Partnership and other programme boards relevant to discussions and decisions as required.
Over the coming months, we will keep you informed as the work progresses. This will include updates to the Local Offer. If you have any questions, please email claire.smith@sutton.gov.uk.
Free Autism Advice Sessions
An opportunity to talk about your young person and gain some new ideas, strategies and support.
To book email the Cognus Autism Service at: theautismservice@cognus.org.uk
Children and Young People's Response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper
The SEND Review is a piece of work by the Department for Education (DfE) that looks at improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Council for Disabled Children have been gathering their opinions to create a children and young people’s response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper.
Their national young SEND advisory group, FLARE, has been in consultation with the DfE for the review and as part of the Youth Voice Matters Children and Young People’s SEND Conference 2022, CDC led a workshop focused on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to support the development of the SEND Review in this area, providing an opportunity for children and young people to be heard by the SEND Review Team.
Following the consultation period they have published a children and young people’s response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper. An accessible and easy-read version of the report will be coming soon.
Government seeks views to improve lives of people with Down's syndrome
Government launches call for evidence to ensure better access to health, education, social care and housing for people with Down’s syndrome.
People with Down’s syndrome, families, professionals and charities are invited to share their experiences and expertise which will be used to shape new guidance.
Find out more about the Call for Evidence on the GOV.UK website [External Link].
The British Sign Language Bill has received Royal Assent and has passed into law.
The BSL Act 2022 recognises BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland. Read more about the British Sign Language Bill on the GOV,UK website [External Link].
Accessible versions of the green paper (29 March 2022)
The Department for Education has published accessible versions of the green paper, including:
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a full British Sign Language version to support those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment
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an easy-read version to support those with learning disabilities
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a guide to help children and young people with SEND or those in alternative provision to understand the green paper and respond to the consultation
View the Accessible versions of the green paper [External Link].
Education Secretary's open letter to children and young people on SEND reform (31 March 2022)
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has written to all children and young people about how he and the Government are going to change the ways that children with special educational needs and disabilities are supported.
Read the letter from the Education Secretary [External Link].
Changes to the law and guidance about making your own decisions (17 March 2022)
The government is making changes to the rules about making your own decisions. They are updating the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and considering a new system of safeguards - the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The documents below can be viewed on the GOV.UK website.
Learn more about the consultation [External Link].
Find an easy-read outline about the consultation [External Link].
Vaccinations for clinically vulnerable children and young people– your questions answered (February 2022)
The Education Hub, in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA), NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, have sought to provide some reassurance and clarification, including for children who are clinically vulnerable.
Education Untapped Podcast – Encouraging diversity in the world of disability (February 2021)
Ashlea Stephens (Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and Post 16 Lead for Cognus Therapies) interview Luke Fox, an autistic adult with a language disorder from Sutton. Luke was shortlisted for a Sutton Community Award in the category of Outstanding Young Person in February 2021.
Listen to the Podcast on the Cognus website [External Link].
Sutton Learning Disability Strategy
Sutton Council and the NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group have updated the Sutton Learning Disability Strategy. This sets out how they will work with partners to meet the needs of young people and adults with learning disabilities in Sutton, now and in the future. The draft strategy was developed following conversations with young people and adults with learning disabilities, families, carers and health care professionals. Please read the draft strategy [External Link].
Voters with learning disabilities
Learning Disability England has published a May 2021 local elections resources hub [External Link] which provides a range of useful resources to support voters with learning disabilities to engage in this year’s local elections. It includes information about the right to vote, accessibility, events, easy read guides, videos, and a survey to gather insights into why people do not vote.
Health and disability green paper
The consultation closed on 11th October. Visit the Government website for details of the green paper [External Link].
Short Breaks Holiday Offer - Summer 2022
Children and young people eligible for short breaks provision can take up one of two core funded offers for the school holiday period, as follows
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Option 1: A contribution equating to one session per school holiday week (for a maximum of 10 sessions per year)
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Option 2: Up to a maximum of six hours of Personal Assistant support via direct payments.
Specialist short breaks providers in Sutton are running a range of provision throughout the summer that may be accessed as part of a Short Breaks or Direct Payments package. These include:
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Keen 2 Go are running 55 sessions over the 6 week school summer holiday period. View Keen 2 Go's sessions [External Link].
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Sutton Mencap are running children’s holiday services, Monday to Friday for 5 weeks during the summer holidays. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.
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Springboard are running groups over the summer holidays. Details of the programme were sent out to families last month and spaces have been allocated. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.
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Playwise are running a number of sessions for members. Find details of Playwise session [External Link].
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The Children’s Trust in Tadworth is running fortnightly Camp and Club sessions and 9 extra weekday sessions throughout the school summer holidays. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.
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Sutton Parent and Carer Forum run Stay and Play Sessions for Children under the age of 10 with special educational needs or disabilities. These will be run on the following dates at Tweeddale Children’s Centre throughout August: 9th and 11th August, 16th and 18th August, and 23rd and 25th August.
Sutton Parent Carer Forum also hope to run Cage Cricket and football. Please check their website for updates [External Link].
For children and young people that require a higher level of short breaks with extra specialist care, the enhanced short breaks offer may include personal care support, overnight stays, and / or increased specialist short break provision during the school holidays pending the recommendations of the social worker assessment and the availability of provider services.
Preparing for Adulthood - Parent/Carer Event (8 December 2021)
Find resources from the event on the London Borough of Sutton website, which was held, virtually, on Wednesday 8th December.
Read the slides from the presentation [External Link].
Download the Preparing for Adulthood Pathway guide [External Link].
Download the Preparing for Adulthood Transition tool [External Link].
Subscribe to the Ambitious for SEND newsletter [External Link].
The Big Ask (September 2021)
Over half a million young people answered the Big Ask survey. This was the largest ever survey for children in the world. Read The Big Answer PDF [External Link].