ALN Update P5 Easter Events and Activities P8 & 9 Rubicon Dance
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Issue 25 March 2018 The newsletter for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs in Cardiff and ALN Update p5 the Vale of Glamorgan Easter Events and Activities p8 & 9 Rubicon Dance p13 Spring has sprung! Welcome back to all of our lovely If you know of any events that you think readers, and welcome to the 25th issue your local Family Information Service should of The Index! attend or promote, please get in touch. This issue is packed full of information about As always if you know of any families who services and activities taking place in Cardiff would benefit from signing up to The Index, and the Vale. they can do so via our online registration form or through contacting us directly. Since the last edition of The Index, we have been planning and delivering events for Happy Reading! families of children and young people with disabilities and additional needs. Julia Sky Inclusive February Family Fun Day Index Officer Success Over 100 people attended our event at Ysgol Y Deri in February. Those who attended were able to access: • Activities and information on services and support from Vale Play Development Team; Disability Sport; Pedal Emporium; Vale Libraries; Learn Welsh; Families First Your Local Family Advice Line; FACT; Oshi’s World; Parents’ Information Service Federation Your Local Family Information Service is • Music and movement workshops from a one-stop shop for families who need KeyCreate and Motion Control Dance information on childcare, activities for • Touch therapy sensory sessions from children and young people and family Touch Trust support services. You can contact us directly, visit our website where you can • Consultation Café search our online directory, and visit our with Children social media pages: in Wales and Contact Vale Family Information Services 01446 704704 www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/fis @ValeFIS Cardiff Family Information Services 029 2035 1700 www.cardiff-fis.info @CardiffFIS The Index is funded by Welsh Government’s Families First Grant 2 the index / y mynegai - issue 25 What’s On: Mondays Saturdays Early Years Play Session at Let’s Play Coffee Morning with Lakeside Primary Oshi’s World (see page 10) Mondays in term time, 1.15pm – 2.30pm Every Saturday, 10.00am – 1.00pm For more information please contact Early Cwtch Together (see page 10) Years Inclusion Team: 029 2067 1466 Every Saturday, 10am – 4pm Tuesdays Sundays Autism Friendly Cinema Screenings Free Family Playgroup with KeyCreate at Cineworld, Showcase, Odeon and (see page 15) Vue Cinemas (see page 6) Tuesdays, 10.00am – 12.00pm Early Years Play Session at Ely and Easter Caerau Children’s Centre Oshi's World Easter Session Tuesdays in term time, 9.30am – 10.30am Saturday 31 March, 10.00am – 1.00pm For more information please contact Early Almost Always Muddy at Years Inclusion Team: 029 2067 1466 Wales Millenium Centre (see page 7) Sunday 1 – Sunday 8 April Wednesdays Easter Fundraiser for Vale Youth Early Years Play Session at Grangetown Speak Up (see page 11) Nursery School Tuesday 3 April, 10.00am – 2.00pm Wednesdays in term time, 1.15pm – 2.30pm For more information please contact Early Free Creative School Holiday Club by Years Inclusion Team: 029 2067 1466 Vision 21 (see page 9) Weekdays Tuesday 3 – Friday 13 April 2018, Rubicon Dance Sessions (see page 13) 9.30am – 3.00pm Wednesdays, 4.30pm – 5.15pm Families First Holiday Club Thursdays Playscheme (see page 9) Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 4 - 13 April Early Years Play Session at Ysgol Melin 10.05am – 12.00pm Gruffydd Thursdays in term time, 9.30am – 10.30am Easter under the Eastern Shelter For more information please contact Early (see page 8) Years Inclusion Team: 029 2067 1466 Friday 6 April 2018, 11.00am – 3.00pm Girl with Incredibly Long Hair at Wales Breaking Through at Whitchurch Rugby Millenium Centre (see page 7) Club (see page 13) Tuesday 10 – Sunday 15 April Thursdays, 5.00pm – 6.30pm Family Dance Weekend at Wales Transition Event at Ysgol Y Deri Millenium Centre (see page 7) (see page 11) Wednesday 11 – Saturday 14 April Thursday 26 April, 1.30pm – 3.30pm Teenscheme Meet and Fridays Greet Drop In (see page 11) Thursday 12 April, 11.00am - 3.00pm Early Years Play Session at Tremorfa Nursery Fridays in term time, 10.00am – 11.00am For more information please contact Early Years Inclusion Team: 029 2067 1466 the index / y mynegai - issue 25 3 Cardiff Families First Services are Changing We have developed a new contact point We are also working with Education, Health to provide information, advice and and Children’s Services to develop a new assistance. relationship so that we can try to make sure You can contact Support4Families on that children and their families receive the right 0808 800 0038 and they will be able to tell you kind of support as early as possible. We have about the services that can support you and joined with the Disability Futures programme to your family – Families First services and other develop the ‘Better Than a Booklet’ service at services. If you would like to talk to someone in Paediatric Clinics so that families can be better more detail, someone will be able to visit you at informed as soon as they have a diagnosis. home. Families First are also committed to working All Families First services are available to with Education and schools as Cardiff begins all families who need them in Cardiff. We to prepare for the introduction of the new also have services that have been designed Additional Learning Needs and Education specifically to help families with disabled Tribunal Act. We want to help to make sure that children, who do not need a care and support we can provide support for the wider family package from the Child Health and Disability where this is needed, and reduce duplication in Team. Families First are working with the making sure that young people have a person Disability Futures programme to review services centred plan that will meet their needs. to make sure that they are services that families Our challenge is to consider how best to have identified as being most helpful to them. use the limited allocated Welsh Government Families First now funds The Index and this funding, and changes in guidance mean that newsletter because we have listened to families we will need to use the funding available and heard how important it is to be better slightly differently. This means that we won’t informed. We think The Index has really helped be funding as many different organisations to keep families up to date with what is going and multiple services. Instead we will aim on. We are working with colleagues in the Vale to focus resources on services identified as of Glamorgan to do this, working together to most beneficial. We will also be trying to make share good practice and ideas and providing sure that the services that remain continue to information across Cardiff and the Vale. provide the support needed. What next? We know that change brings exciting These changes mean that we will be able to opportunities to work together in ensuring the put new funding into things that parents have right services are in place for those in need told us are important to them. One of the and lead to improvements in the way we main priorities identified to us by parents is the deliver services. need for out of school activities, and options/ This next year will be a time when things choices for activities during the school holiday begin to change and we know that some of periods. the changes might make people worry about Therefore, Cardiff Families First will be working what this means for them. with the Disability Futures programme to We have been listening to what families ensure that we continue to engage families have been telling us in the changes we have in the design of new services. This may made so far, but there are more discussions include developing pilot services over the next needed to help us continue to shape future financial year, which help to understand what services. If you would like to be involved in future service provision needs to be. this process, please contact us on [email protected] 4 the index / y mynegai - issue 25 Cardiff Families First Services are Changing Families First Programme from 1st April 2018 ALN Update The system for The current supporting children Special and young people with Educational additional learning Needs system needs (ALN) in Wales will be entirely is changing. On 12 phased out by December 2017 the Additional Learning Summer 2023. Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill was unanimously passed by the National To help Assembly for Wales and went on to practitioners become an Act after gaining Royal Assent implement the new system we are currently on 24 January 2018. developing a detailed implementation guide to be published in Spring 2018. This guide will The Act will be supported by regulations and a explain the timescales for roll-out of individual new ALN Code, both of which will be revised development plans to each cohort of learners and then consulted on in Autumn 2018. It is in the phased approach. anticipated that both will be in place by the end of 2019 following Assembly scrutiny. For more information please visit www.gov.wales/ALN There will be a three year implementation [email protected] period from September 2020, using a #AdditionalLearningNeeds mandatory phased approach. Learners with #AnghenionDysguYchwanegol existing statements will transfer to the new system within two years, and all other learners with non-statutory plans within three years.