News: DURHAM SENDIASS LATEST NEWSLETTER UPDATE

Download below or read with direct links in this article-

  1. Despite lock down there are still plenty of fun activities for our families to take part in and also some lovely snacks and food being distributed. Click here

2. SENDIASS & MCT Virtual Zoom Coffee Mornings – Info on our news or events section.

3. The New Local Offer is designed to help you find the very best support for your child or young person (from birth to 25 years) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is here to help you find information, advice and guidance about the types of services and support available to you. can be found at Local Offer

4. Durham County Council have also produce A Parent’s Guide to SEND also available via the Local Offer

5. The INNERWORLD website HERE have some fantastic resources online to support and understand Emotional Wellbeing including children that have suffered trauma however the website is worth looking at for all children at this uncertain time.

6. Another lovely website supporting anxiety is Coping Skills for Kids found HERE

7. Family Lives is a charity with over three decades of experience helping parents to deal with the changes that are a constant part of family life. We know that many people play active roles in raising children, from dads and mums, grandparents, stepparents and non-resident parents. Our role is to support all of you to achieve the best relationship possible with the children that you care about, as well as supporting parenting professionals. We believe that happy children come from happy families and currently support families to improve the outcomes for over 1 million children each year. The Family Lives website is HERE or the free confidential help line for support is 0808 800 2222.

8. Changes to Children’s NHS Service During COVID 19: Laura Coulthard (Designated Clinical Officer – Named SEND contact for health) has provided a summary of changes to the children’s NHS services during Covid 19.

·     Children’s Speech and Language Therapy service stood down except for:

·         Urgent communication and voice disordered patients will be offered by telephone.

·         Urgent swallow assessments will be completed via a video or face to face appointment if required.

·         Swallow reviews will be done by telephone if possible or a video / face to face appointment if required.

·         All families will be contacted by the service about the clients ongoing management.

  If families highlight any concerns during contact please provide them with the generic Single Point of Access (SPA) phone number 01429 522 471. If you have any queries regarding Health professional involvement in supporting our children and young people with SEND then please contact Laura: E-mail: laura.coulthard1@nhs.net

9. Books of the Week:

·         My brother Sammy; Is a book written from the perspective of the brother of a boy with autism. He talks through the things that Sammy cannot do and what he does instead. He then says he wishes his brother could do the same things as him. He talks about riding the bus, playing with his friends, and digging and building in the sand.

‘It’s a lovely book, it talks about Sammy having to go to a different school. Lovely for siblings figuring things out.’

·         The abilities and me; Set of books by Gemma Keir including: Autism, Congenital Heart Defects, 22q deletions, Type 1 diabetes and to be released this year Hydrocephalus, Tube feeding, Tracheostomy, Speech Delay ,Down Syndrome & ADHD. The link for the books can be HERE

10. The PARENT VOICE: Parent voice questionnaire – As schools, childcare settings and colleges start to prepare to slowly open their doors for more children, Education Durham want to make the return as stress free as possible. Parents and carers can complete a short survey to help them plan and identify how they can best support families. Find the survey HERE

11. The Council for Disabled Children have produced some updated easy to read advice regarding the new rules on staying alert and safe during the Corona Virus Outbreak. Find the booklet  HERE

Have a safe and happy Bank Holiday weekend and half term.

If you haven’t already had the chance to complete the new SENDIASS online HERE As a team we value feedback to enable us to review and develop the service for families in County Durham.

Best wishes,

The SENDIASS Team

0191 5873541

 sendiass @durham.gov.uk

Posted on: 22nd May 2020