Hackney Ark Resource Centre E-Newsletter

Welcome to the Hackney Ark “Resource Centre” weekly newsletter! We are here to keep you informed!

15th April 2014

Resource centre news

Tell us what you think!!!

  

The Resource Centre weekly newsletter has received some fantastic feedback that has been valuable and has helped us to identify the type of content that parents/carers and professionals would like to see.

In order for us to continue improving your Resource Centre weekly newsletter, we need your views… Please can I ask for one minute of your time to complete the short online survey? (Only six questions)

 Open the Hyperlink below:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WCXL2BW

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The Resource Centre will be having a brand new Sensory Corner installed. We received some fantastic feedback from parents/carers and professionals on what they would like the new Sensory Corner to look like, and as a result we have decided on a lilac theme with lots of interactive lights.

At the moment we do not have a definite start date for the works, but it is expected to start over the next couple of weeks and could last between 6-8 weeks (possible longer).

During this time the Resource Centre will be closed and we will be on outreach, providing our information services in the community. Details of where we will be working will be published in the Resource Centre’s weekly e-newsletter.

If you have an enquiry during this time you can still  send us an email us at : ResourceCentre@homerton.nhs.uk alternately you can call us on: 0207 014 7005/6.

Thank you all for your patience and support.

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Special Needs Website for the Jewish Community

  Jweb – Jewish Learning Disabilities networking

• Chat on jweb forum
• Exchange goods and information on the noticeboard
• Tell us what you are doing
• Share your news
• List your events & activities for FREE

 

www.jweb.org.uk Bringing the Jewish Learning Disability Community Closer. Find jweb on Facebook

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Knowledge is Power

Date:   Wednesday 30 April 2014

Venue: Hackney Learning Trust – 1 Reading Lane E8 1GQ

Time:       9.30am-12.30pm

For parents and carers of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) age 13-25

 This free workshop for parents and carers will include information on

•  Changes and the effect of service provision for 13-25
• Options for young people with SEN in mainstream, special school and college

places to learn, train and work

• Education for young people with SEN aged 13-25
• Impact of the new Education, Health and Care Plans
• Benefits and what is affected
• How the new personalised budgets works
• Where to go for more information, advice and support
• Are you wondering about your teenager’s future?

If your answer is yes……     

You need information on the Preparation for Adulthood process and services available to you and your child with   special educational needs

Come along meet with professional and talk with other parents/carers

 

• Light refreshment provided.
• Call on 020 7014 7123 or email parent.partnership@homerton.nhs.uk to book your place. 
• Need an interpreter, please let us know by 27^th April 2014.-+

@HackneyPPS

hackney parent partnership service is a confidential, arms-length service based at Hackney ARK, Downs, Park Road E8 2HY.  ‘helping you to help your child’

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Keep the kids entertained this Easter

The Copper Box Arena and London Aquatics Centre are hosting a number of sports activities and a holiday play scheme to keep the kids entertained and active this Easter holiday.

Copper Box Arena
Come along to one of our multi-sport sessions and take part in one of the following activities:

– Basketball
– Badminton
– Indoor athletics
– Indoor football and much more

For more information and to book online visit our website

London Aquatics Centre
Come along to the London Aquatics Centre this Easter and make a splash in the world’s greatest swimming pools. Along with general swimming you can take part in the following activities:

– Short course swimming and dive lessons
– Aqua-Splash activities (fun inflatable sessions for all)
– Extreme Aqua Splash Sessions (fun inflatable sessions for competent swimmers)

For more information and to book online visit our website

Terms and conditions apply. Parental consent must be signed. Ask at reception for details. Food and will not be provided. Please ensure that your child has enough refreshments for the day.

Better is a registered trademark of GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited), a charitable social enterprise.
Registered office: Middlegate House, The Royal Arsenal, London, SE18 6SX
IPS No: 27793, Inland Revenue Charity No: XR43398

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Hackney Playbus at Hackney Downs Park

A mobile community Play bus for under-fives. Come and socialise, play freely confidently and safely

Location: Hackney Downs Park

Day: Tuesday    

Time: 1pm-3pm

Starting 29th April—30th September 2014

For further information please contact Linden Children Centre on 020 7254 9939

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Family Weekend 2014 for Visually Impaired Children

Date: 28th – 31st August
Location: PGL Boreatton Park, Shropshire
Theme: Seaside

The family weekend is our biggest event of the year with over 200 attendees! It is a great chance to try new experiences, meet new people and share stories. We provide some amazing activities for you and your children, as well as the chance to attend workshops and talks. It is our most popular event so sign up now to avoid disappointment. The minimum age for this event is 5 years old. Sorry, there is no crèche this year and we cannot accommodate children younger than 5.

The theme for the weekend this year is “Seaside”. There will be a fancy dress party on Sunday evening with prizes for best dressed family and best dressed individuals!

This year the family weekend will be at PGL Boreatton Park, an activity centre in the countryside of Shropshire. Boreatton Park is the biggest most popular PGL Centre set in the woodland grounds of a huge mansion. You will be sleeping in the “Tall Timber” lodges, these are authentic wooden cabins set in the woodland grounds that will provide that true feeling of an outdoor adventure. Each cabin has bunk beds and an en suite bathroom with shower and toilet facilities.

Like last year we have a huge range of activities including quad biking, giant swings, zip wires, swimming and many more. The activities will be run by the fantastic PGL staff who ensure everyone has an amazing time. There will be 3 warm meals per day provided by PGL as well as free tea and coffee all day.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Places are limited so please complete your application form as soon as possible.

For more information please call us on:
01908 240831 or email
shemming@victa.org.uk

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Siblings Group Drop-In

Date: WEDNESDAY 16TH APRIL 2014

Time: 10am—11.30am

Location:PLAY ROOM, HACKNEY ARK

Would you and your child like to find out some information about the Siblings Groups run by the CAMHS Disability Team at the Hackney Ark?

• Ask questions and meet clinicians who run the sessions
• Find out more about the sessions and what we do
• Sign up to attend future groups

 No need to book—just come along!

 11-18 year old siblings

* Workshop (1/2 day)  

 –11 year old siblings

* Workshop (1/2 day)

* Therapy Group (4 sessions)

 Questions? Contact Jenny Breen or Sara Leon (CAMHS Disability Team) on 0207 014 7071

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New resource for parent carers, the Children and Families Act 2014 and much more!

SEN and Disability reforms

The Children and Families Act 2014

The Children and Families Bill has successfully completed its passage through both Houses of Parliament and on Thursday 13th March it received Royal Assent, becoming the Children and Families Act.

There were a number of significant changes to the Act during the final stages in the House of Lords:

• The Government brought forward a number of amendments to include young people in custody within the scope of the Act. Previously young people in custody were not covered by the SEN legislation. These amendments require local authorities to maintain Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for young people in custody, allow EHC assessments to be requested in custody, and for appeals to be made against local authority decisions.
• The Government tabled an amendment requiring EHC plans to include any social care services required by the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. This amendment will mean that local authorities must identify any social care provision it needs to make as part of the EHC assessment process, specify that provision clearly in the EHC plan, and deliver that provision.
• The Government tabled a series of amendments that removed the expression ‘have regard to age’ from the Act entirely. This followed concerns that young people with SEN would be disadvantaged because local authorities had to ‘have regard to a young person’s age’ when assessing for or maintaining an EHC plan for anyone over 18.
• The Government committed to a review of the complaints and appeals processes in relation to young people who are challenging the education, health and social care elements of EHC plans. This review will include piloting a greater role for the tribunal in hearing complaints in relation to all aspects of EHC plans. The
  review will report back to Parliament.

Next stages

The next stages are laying the final Regulations (secondary legislation which set out in more detail exactly what the law requires) and the Code of Practice before parliament.

The Government are seeking to table a revised version of the Code of Practice for

Parliamentary approval as soon as they can.

Discuss the reforms! 

The Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) programme is running an online forum for 7 weeks to discuss the Special Educational Needs and Disability reforms and consider how to create positive outcomes for young people with SEN and disabled young people.

They have so far covered the local offer; personalisation; engagement of young people and families; Education, Health and Care Plans and personal budgets.

Visit the PfA forum here.

If you have any questions please contact PfA on

info@preparingforadulthood.org.uk

Resources on the reforms

We have produced a number of resources as part of our Countdown to Change programme, getting the sector ready for implementation of the SEN and disability reforms, including guidance for parent carers on what the reforms will mean for them, written with NNPCF, NPPN, Contact a Family and CDC.

We have also produced a factsheet for young people on how the reforms will affect them, written by Making Ourselves Heard and CDC.

We have collated these resources and more into an information sheet available to download FREE at www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sendreforminfosheet.

We’ll continue to keep you updated via our website at www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/childrenandfamiliesbill

CDC News

Health

CDC and In Control are working in partnership to deliver a programme of support for the NHS and other health partners about the implications of the Children and Families Act and associated NHS Mandate commitments.

CDC have also produced a briefing which highlights the key reforms in the Children and Families Act and some of the key issues professionals in the health services should be addressing as they prepare for the implementation of the reforms.

Independent support

13 voluntary and community sector organisations and 12 Parent Partnership Services have been announced as being selected for the evidence & build phase of Independent Support programme.

The National Parent Partnership Network have produced a briefing on Independent Support.

To keep up-to-date with all things Independent Support and, please see the Independent Support webpages.

Resources

We’ve created a new free resource for parent carers on what the reforms will mean for them, written with NNPCF, NPPN and Contact a Family.

We have also produced a factsheet for young people on how the reforms will affect them, written by Making Ourselves Heard and CDC.

Policy

Parent carer forums can now bid for up to £15,000 for their parent carer participation grant.

The government has published the results from an evaluation of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) pathfinder programme.

The Government has now amended legislation to allow for an extra bedroom for a disabled child eligible for the middle or highest rates of Disability Living Allowance care who would normally be expected to share a room under the size criteria rules but who is not reasonably able to do so due to severe disability.

The Care Bill has completed its passage through both Houses of Parliament. The House of Lords will now consider amendments made in the commons. Download factsheets about the Care Bill here.

Consultation

Adoption: getting it right, making it work: Department for Education. Closing date 11 April 2014

Child poverty: a draft strategy: Department for Education & Department of Work and Pensions. Closing date: 22 May 2014

Proposed revisions to the framework for inspecting initial teacher education: Ofsted. Closing date 6 May 2014 

Consultation on changes to specialised services specifications: NHS England. Closing date 21 May 2014

 

Practice

Ambitious About Autism are running the ‘Ruled Out’ campaign and have created a guide to the law for parents of children with autism and other special educational needs. 

National Network of Parent Carer Forums have a new website!

SENDirect is inviting interested parties to become a part of the Expert Advisory Network.

Young NCB wants to find out whether children and young people think school is preparing them for life.

Ambitious about Autism’s ‘Ruled Out’ campaign to ensure every child or young person with autism can access the quality education they need to learn, thrive and achieve.

The Pre-School Learning Alliance has launched a survey on early years policy.

KIDS and Irwin Mitchell invite children and adults to share their positive experiences of disability in a writing competition open to all abilities.

Resources and Reports

Free resources from the Anti-bullying Alliance aimed at schools, the wider children’s workforce and parents/carers.

No Young Person with Cancer Left Out is a report from CLIC Sargent which looks at the impact of cancer on young people’s education, employment and training.

NCB have written a blog for Children & Young People magazine on why we need an action plan for children’s mental health services.

A survey by Scope and MumsNet found that disabled children still ‘miss out on social activities’ largely due to attitudinal barriers.

The Alliance for Inclusive Education ‘How Was School’ resources are now available online.

In Control and SQW have published ‘Support and Aspiration, Introducing Personal Budgets’.

Events

CDC is hosting three conferences following Royal Assent for the Children and Families Act 2014 and the development of the new SEN Code of Practice. London 24th April, Birmingham 1st May and Manchester 8th May

The Children’s Trust, Count me in! London, 19th and 20th May

The Children’s Trust Open Days for Professionals. Tadworth, Surrey. 15th May and 13th November

Hemihelp Independent Living Workshop for young adults. Bristol. 3rd May

Hemihelp Parents Conference. Burgess Hill, West Sussex. 14th June

Ambitious about Autism training: supporting young people with autism to prepare for adulthood. London. 16 May

 

The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) is hosted by National Children’s Bureau (NCB)

CDC is the umbrella body for the disabled children’s sector in England, with links to the other UK nations. CDC hosts the following networks: The National Parent Partnership Network, The Special Educational Consortium, The Transition Information Network and Making Ourselves Heard.

NCB is committed to protecting your information. Please read the NCB Privacy Policy to find out more. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list this email was sent to, please forward this email to cdc@ncb.org.uk and state whether you wish to be removed from just this mailing list or all our mailing lists..

Registered Charity No. 258825. Registered in England and Wales No 952717. Registered office: National Children’s Bureau, 8 Wakley Street, London, EC1V 7QE.

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Dates for your diary

Please note, the meetings highlighted in RED are closed meetings and must be booked in advance. Parents/Carers can attend the meetings in Blue without booking first.