Home / HPCI parent network update 18th June
Welcome to this week’s HPCI network update. A larger email this week with 11 items.
Local focused items:
National items:
Although HPCI does not actively campaign we are able to inform you about SEND related campaigns.
Therapy Transition survey for parents & carers of young people aged 18 and over
This survey is part of some work that HPCI reps have been involved with on improving transition between children’s therapy service and adult therapy service which happens at 18. They are looking for parents and carers of young people aged 18 years and over who are moving or who have moved from children’s therapy service to adult therapy OR whose child received children’s therapy support but then did not qualify for adult support.
In both cases your child needs to be 18 and over for the purpose of this survey.
Herts Community NHS Trust hope that this survey will give help them improve the experience of transition in therapies and shape future developments. There is also one for young people to complete.
The surveys will be open all over the summer period.
Hertfordshire Carers Strategy Survey
This survey is aimed at those parents and carers whose child or young person receives a service from Herts Social Care either children’s or adults.
The Hertfordshire Carers Strategy guides the work of Health and Social care organisations in Herts. Herts County Council would like your feedback to help them in renewing the strategy for 2021-24.
The questionnaire is open until 12th July 2021: HERE
For carers who are under 18 they are welcome to complete this survey or can complete the Young Carers Strategy for Herts Survey.
HPCI/SENDIASS Webinars coming up:
There are three more webinars this term:
23rd June – Choosing a school
13th & 14th July – EHC Part 3 – Assessment feedback/EHC Planning meeting and beyond
Recordings of previous webinars are available to watch 24/7 and include topics such as:
SEN Support in schools, Making Meetings Matter, Choosing a School, EHC Plan (3 parts of the process) and EHC Plan Annual Reviews.
Book a place for a live webinar or view a recording at HPCI’s website: HERE
Purple Health Pages for ages 11-18
The purple health pages are designed to be filled in with the help of parents and carers, but they are all about the young person. They are designed to be easy to understand and to help young people with SEND in medical situations such as a doctor’s appointment. It aids both the young person and the doctor as it would highlight key issues the young person may not want to talk about or may not remember. It also gives the medical professional an insight on how to engage with the young person and is set out as an easy-to-read step by step guide.
Download the purple pages (ODT file 16kb)
This is a new document and the team at HCC would love feedback from young people to find out how well it’s working. Find it HERE . Young people can fill it out with the help of a family member or carer if they need to.
National items/resources/campaigns
Thrive and Survive Guide for Uni students
Thrive & Survive has been created as a guide to help young people adjust to university life: providing ideas, information and advice on things they might need to know to support their wellbeing. It has been developed with young people, so that it covers all the important areas. in one place.
Advice and guidance for settling into secondary school
It’s completely normal for young people to feel worried about leaving their primary school and moving to secondary school. It’s a big change that can cause a number of concerns such as how they will be getting to and from their new school, worries about getting lost in the school, making new friends, keeping up with their homework, meeting new teachers and leaving their friends and old teachers behind.
The following guides and resources on the Anna Freud Mentally Healthy
Schools and Young Minds websites, provide some useful advice and guidance to help
young people prepare and help build their confidence, to make the transition easier:
Contact Online workshops for parents and carers from 22nd June to end of summer term.
These cover topics such as Encouraging Positive Behaviour, Helping Your Child to Sleep, Money Matters, Early Years Education, Support for Speech, language and communication and Handling meetings.
For further information and booking visit their website: HERE
NDTi Report – “It’s Not Rocket Science” (National Development Team for Inclusion)
This report looks at considering and meeting the sensory needs of autistic children and young people in CAMHS inpatient services. Find out more and download a copy HERE
No More Exclusions
No More Exclusions is a UK grassroots coalition of over 140 teachers, teaching assistants, trade unionists, social workers, lawyers, youth workers, faith leaders, local councillors, journalists, academics, education researchers, SEND specialists, mental health practitioners, parent advocates, parents and young people. They are calling for a moratorium on school exclusions.
To find out more see this article in Special Needs Jungle HERE or visit the NME website
https://nomoreexclusions.com/about/
Online petition re Speech and Language Therapy
HPCI is aware that many parents are concerned about the ability to access speech and language therapy for their children and young people and so maybe interested in this online petition.
We want the Government to improve the lives of people of all ages with communication and swallowing needs by ensuring they are able to access the speech and language therapy that they and their families and carers need. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/587872
If petition reaches 10,000 signatures then the government will respond and at 100,000 there would be a parliamentary debate.
National charity Contact’s campaign to give clinically vulnerable youngster access to Covid 19 vaccine.
Contact have produced a template letter for families to write to the government committee on vaccines to urge them to give clinically vulnerable youngsters and those with underlying health conditions access to the vaccine. Since the news that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for 12-15 year olds, families of young people with underlying health conditions are asking, what are we waiting for? Write to the JCVI today to let them know importance of giving this group access.