The Guide Services Available to Children and Young People Who Have Special Educational Needs And/Or Disabilities from Birth to 2
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Services available to children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities The Guide from birth to 25. Early Years Health Education Social Care Info, Advice & Support Things to Do Getting Around Adulthood What is the Local Offer? The Local Offer is a new way of giving children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers information about what activities and support is available in the area where you live. Bradford’s Local Offer has been developed by children, young people, parents and carers living in the Bradford district. It is more than a directory of services. It brings everything together in one place. Introduction 1 HOW DOES IT HELP YOU? It will make it easier to find out The information in this booklet You can visit the website at: what you need to know and is also available on our Local localoffer.bradford.gov.uk when you need to know it. It tells Offer website. The website You can also visit the website to you where the nearest and most contains information and links to give feedback, raise concerns or suitable services are. organisations which may help you. make a comment or complaint. INTRODUCTION Early Years Social Care - Children This booklet is divided into the following sections to help you get to the information you need: Health Airedale Info, Advice and Support • Introduction Health Bradford Things to Do • Diagnosis • Education, Health Education Getting Around and Care Plans • Transition Social Care - Adults Preparing for Adulthood 2 Introduction For further information contact Bradford Families Information Service. Telephone: 01274 437503 (8.30am - 5pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am - 4.30pm Friday) Urdu/Punjabi Helpline: 01274 431252 (8.30am - 5pm Monday Web: www.bradford.gov.uk/fis are aware of any changes to to Wednesday) Text: 07781 472076 the information contained in this Email: [email protected] booklet, contact Bradford Families Eastern European Helpline: Information Service. For the latest Every effort has been made to up-to-date information visit 01274 434905 ensure the information in this localoffer.bradford.gov.uk (9am - 3pm Wednesday to Friday) booklet is accurate at the time of going to print, April 2015. If you Introduction 3 DIAGNOSIS which is harder to identify. There Early support is support available at this difficult Offers a range of information If you or a health worker has time through the national charity, booklets and materials to support concerns following the birth of your Contact a Family. parents and carers of children child, and your baby needs to stay with additional needs. in hospital afterwards or have Contact a Family can provide further tests to find a diagnosis, it information and support both can be a very difficult time. over the phone and through their Siblings website, which has a large range There is a national charity for A health visitor, a doctor or midwife of useful guides, including: siblings who may be finding it hard may speak to you about a referral to cope with a brother or sister to a child development team who • When your child has who has a disability. The UK have a range of specialist health additional needs charity Sibs can give information professionals including paediatri- • Living without a diagnosis and advice both over the phone cians, physiotherapists and speech and online. Call 01535 645453 and language therapists who can • Living with a rare condition or visit www.sibs.org.uk do a full assessment of your baby • Understanding your to try and identify the cause. child’s behaviour. In some cases it can take a long For further information ring time to get a diagnosis, especially the Contact a Family helpline on if your child has a rare condition 0808 808 3555 or visit www.cafamily.org.uk 4 Introduction EDUCATION, HEALTH Special Educational Needs or a reviewed more frequently. For AND CARE PLANS Learning Difficulty Assessment, these reviews schools and social As part of the changes brought will be able to have an EHC workers will work together. Plan up to the age of 25, as in by the Children and Families EHC plans are: Act, education, health and care long as they are in education • person centred, meaning (EHC) plans have replaced existing (except if at university). families, children and young statements of Special Educational Many children will have needs people will have greater Needs and post 16 Learning which will be sufficiently met involvement in the plans Difficulty Assessments. For young through early years settings, people with an existing statement schools or college. However, • co-ordinated, meaning that of Special Educational Needs sometimes a child or young there will be joined up working there is a process currently person will need a more intensive between education, health and underway for converting all level of specialist help. Some care services statements to EHC plans. children and young people will • focused on life outcomes for An EHC plan is a legal document have needs that require an EHC children and young people and which brings a child’s education plan. Every child or young person’s how these can be achieved EHC plan should be reviewed and related health and social care • run from birth to the age of 25 needs together in one place. All every 12 months and must include professionals working directly with as long as the young person is children and young people who in education. currently have a Statement of a family. If a child has social care support this may need to be Introduction 5 You can ask your local authority Personal budgets For impartial advice about for an EHC needs assessment if If your child has an EHC plan EHC plans contact Barnardo’s you think your child needs one. or has been assessed as needing Independent Support Service Anyone at your child’s school, a plan you are entitled to request a on 01274 481183. for example your child’s teacher personal budget. This is an amount Read more about the or a health professional, such as of money your local authority has Independent Support Service a doctor or nurse, can ask for an identified to meet the needs in on page 68 in Information, assessment to be carried out. your child’s EHC plan. There is the Advice and Support. option as a parent or carer to be The local authority will then involved in choosing and arranging To discuss a potential request for decide if your child needs an part of the provision to meet your an EHC plan assessment contact assessment. In making their child’s needs. the Council’s Special Educational decision the local authority will Needs and Disability (SEND) involve you and other people, service on 01274 435750. such as your child’s school or a professional working with your child. The local authority has set guidance for the levels at which an EHC is needed. 6 Introduction TRANSITION In Bradford, parents, young people and services including As a parent you’ll need to make health, social care services and important decisions at key points education, have developed an in your child’s life, and if your agreed way of working together child has complex needs then a to support young people with number of services all need to additional needs through transition. work together to support decisions, and plan your son Person-centred planning is an or daughter’s progress through approach to supporting young school, college and beyond. people which involves listening to what a young person wants from Transition is used to describe the life and helping them to achieve period of time between the ages it. It means putting the young of 13 and 25 when a young person’s wants and needs at person goes from childhood into the centre, supported by people adulthood. The term transition is who can help that young person mainly used by professionals to achieve their goals. This is the describe a young person’s journey approach Bradford Council and to becoming an adult. its partners including health and education are using to ensure a Introduction 7 young person’s needs, abilities What will happen in Year 9? as independently as possible, and wants are at the centre of their (aged 14) joining in with activities in their future plans. local community and staying in Your son or daughter will meet good health. Transition planning begins in their personal adviser at school, school, with pupils from the age and you will be invited to a What will happen in Year 11? of 14 being encouraged to think transition review meeting with all (aged 16) about what they want from their the people involved in helping You will have another review future. This will be followed by them, for example, health services meeting during the year, and annual school reviews supported and social care. The meeting will your son or daughter will need to by everyone involved in a young begin to develop a transition plan. decide if they are staying in school person’s future plan, including What will happen in Year 10? beyond 16. If a young person is education, and, if appropriate (aged 15) leaving school they will need to health and social care services. remain in education (college) or During the year you will be As your son or daughter attend a training course or an invited to a review meeting, to see approaches adulthood, responsi- apprenticeship, or a job with if there have been any changes bility for their health and social training until they are 18 years old.