Summer Break 2014 The summer holidays are nearly here and at Parent Carer Council Cornwall (PCCC) we wanted to get as much information out to you as possible about activities running during the school break by various organisations and details can be found in this newsletter. We realise the holidays can be a time of fun but changes in routines can also be a time of stress for many families. Don’t feel isolated come along to a family fun day and meet likeminded parent/carers. I know from last summer’s events many parent/carers and siblings have stayed in contact with each other to build friendships and offer support to each other. The first half of this year has been very busy for PCCC with meetings regarding the new reforms coming into effect from September taking up a lot of our time; however there are parent/carers who sit on a number of meetings with health, education and social care to ensure us as an organisation feedback views and concerns of parents. We have held a number of information and training events in the first half of this year and we intend these to continue following the summer break, details can often be found on our facebook page or website. The SEND Implementation Board team which consists of professionals from health, education, social care and parent/carers continues to provide feedback to the Department for Education to inform legislation regarding the SEND reforms which become effective from September 2014. (PCCC) wants to ensure that all parents/carers are kept informed of the changes and we have published a booklet explaining the changes and possible impact on you and your family. If you wish to receive a copy please contact [email protected] or 079 737 63332 PCCC continue to represent the views and concerns of parents/carers throughout the SEND Implementation, both at county and national level. We feel the new system is positive in many ways for our children/young people but there is still a lot of work to do! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those parent/carers who have been involved in meetings in the last few months without you PCCC could not continue to ensure the voice of parents/carers is heard at all levels. On behalf of everyone from PCCC we wish you a safe and enjoyable summer break and we look forward to meeting members new and old at activity days. Kay Henry On behalf of the directors of PCCC Join Us! The Forum is constantly striving to develop a robust and diverse membership to represent a range of needs across the County. Free Membership gives you access to information and services together with opportunities to meet other parents/carers of children with additional needs and disabilities. We encourage members to become more actively involved in our work with support through our parent participation training. If you are interested in becoming a Parent Representative for Parent Carer Council Forum please contact Kay Henry [email protected] or 07973763332 for more information. Special Educational Needs and Disability Reforms What is this update? This is the first of a series of updates that will inform families about: • the Children and Families Act • the implementation of the SEND reforms • where to find more information and • training opportunities What is the Children and Families Act? The Children and Families Act is about reforming and improving services for vulnerable children. It will reform the systems for adoption, looked-after children, family justice and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This series of updates will be focusing on the SEND reforms. What are the SEND reforms? The SEND reforms aim to ensure aspiration, achievement and positive outcomes for all children and young people with additional needs by: • replacing special educational needs statements and learning disability assessments with a new birth-to-25 Education, Health and Care plan – setting out in one place all the support families will receive • better co-operation between councils and health services to make sure services for children and young people with SEND are jointly planned and commissioned, giving parents and young people with Education, Health and Care plans the offer of a personal budget • requiring councils to publish a ‘local offer’ showing the support available to all disabled children and young people with SEND and their families in the area. Change is both exciting and challenging but here in Cornwall we have the advantage of having taken part in the national SEND Pathfinder Project. What was the SEND Pathfinder Project 2012-2014? The purpose of the Pathfinder Project was to explore and pilot the aspirational changes outlined in the 2011 green paper ‘Support and Aspiration – a new approach to SEN’. Throughout the project families have been involved in coproducing the Local Offer and the Education, Health and Care Plan process (including personal budgets). All that we have learnt from the project is now informing the implementation of the 2014 SEND reforms here in Cornwall. We would like to say a big thank you to all families that have worked in partnership with the local authority during the SEND Pathfinder Project. Your contributions have been invaluable! The success of the Cornwall SEND Pathfinder project has been recognised by the DfE and they have asked us to be a ‘champion’ authority which involves supporting other authorities in the south west. Will there be guidance re the SEND reforms? The SEND Code of Practice will give clear guidance regarding the implementation of the reforms and will be published this summer. Cornwall Council will continue to provide support and training over the coming months. What will the SEND Code of Practice include? The ‘final’ draft code highlights the following good practice: • the participation of children, their parents and young people in decision making • the early identification of children and young people’s needs and early intervention to support them • greater choice and control for young people and parents over support • collaboration between education, health and social care services to provide support • high quality provision to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs including those without an EHCP • a focus on inclusive practice and removing barriers to learning • successful preparation for adulthood, including independent living and employment Will all the changes have to be made by September 2014? Although the Children and Families Act will come into force from September the changeover from the current system to the new system will be phased with structured transitional arrangements. For example, the transfer of statements of special educational need to Education, Health and Care Plans has to be completed by 2017 and Learning Needs Assessments will cease in 2016. The next update will give more detail of the transitional arrangements. What will drive the implementation of the SEND reforms? In light of the Children and Families Act, Cornwall’s SEN strategy and the SEND pathfinder project, a SEND reform implementation action plan has been written. The action plan consists of seven work-streams: • Working together • Education, Health and Care statutory assessment and planning process • Preparing for adulthood • Funding and personal budgets • Information, communication and the local offer • Data and systems • Quality assurance How can I find out more? Update no. 2 will be published later this summer and will give more detail regarding the implementation of the reforms. If you have any questions before then please contact Sandra Page on [email protected] Date for your diaries: Aiming Higher Conference, 6th October 2014, Wadebridge Showground are holding a free family fun day 2nd August, 10.30am - 2.30pm at Carclaze Community Junior School St Piran's Close, St Austell Cornwall, PL25 3TF An event for all the family with Dancing and music, Come and learn circus skills with Swamp Circus, Bouncy Castle, face painting, children's entertainer For booking please email [email protected] or 0797376333 Autism Spectrum Team I was really pleased when Kay asked me to write this piece as I regularly meet parents at parent support groups who are members of the Parent Carer Council and they are always giving me fantastic, useful information that I can then pass on to other parents. The Autism Spectrum Team supports children with a diagnosis of Autism aged from Reception to Year 11. Although we work primarily by building the capacity of school staff through case work and training, we also work with families. The Autism Spectrum Team is organised into East, Mid and West Cornwall. There are Advisors and Workers in each area. We arrange workshops for parents in each geographical area split into 3 age groups as follows: parents of a child in Reception to Year 3; Year 4 to Year 7 and Year 8 to Year 11. The workshops are offered as a series of 4 consecutive half-day sessions and are open to any parent/carer of a child with a diagnosis. Two people can attend, for instance, parents bring partners, family members, friends and even supportive neighbours. We also give parents the opportunity to invite a member of school staff to one of the sessions. There will shortly be a booking form on our website for the workshops, but in the meantime, please contact each office directly: East: 01579 341132 Mid:01872 323052 West: 01736 336891 We are also able to offer families case work in certain circumstances, for example, if a child is at risk of offending, if they won’t leave the house or if there has been a significant one-off life event. The way to access this service is for a professional currently involved with the family to submit a request for involvement form to Katy Neve, Senior Educational Psychologist for Mid Cornwall, as she manages the Autism Spectrum Team.