Your Summer 2024 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities newsletter

Welcome to your Summer 2024 SEND newsletter
Dorset Council news about services for children & young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
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Back to school newsletter
Welcome to your newsletter, co-produced by Dorset Council, NHS Dorset and Dorset Parent Carer Council (DPCC).
In this edition you'll find information about:
* Getting back to school (#returning to school)
* Barnardo's resources (#barnardo's)
* BBC's Back To School webpage (#BBC)
* Reflections on a SEN Panel - Lesley from DPCC (#DPCC)
* Let's Talk (#Let's Talk)
Online (#Let's Talk)
* Let's Talk - in person events, hold the date! (#Let's Talk in Person)
* The Online Family Hub is now live (#OFH)
* SIPCo (Support for Inter-Parental Conflict) project (#SIPCo)
* Results Day 2024 (#Results day 2024)
We hope you find the articles and news contained useful in supporting you along your journey. Please share with anybody who you think might benefit and they can sign-up HERE
Dorset SEND Partnership
(Dorset Council, NHS Dorset & Dorset Parent Carer Council)
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Change can be difficult for some children and young people, so here are some guides and information that might be help.
These short guides contain useful tips to help you and your school support your child to start positively in their new school or setting.
Guidance for parents and carers
Guidance for school staff
Dorset Mental Health Support Teams have put together a brilliant transition resource pack which you can read at: Dorset MHST How to Prepare for School Transition or Change (camhsdorset.org)
. Since writing the resource pack, our children and young people have asked us to think of a different term for “transitions” and so we often talk about transfer points. Even still, the information in these guides is still relevant and we hope you find them useful.
If you have concerns, here's where you can get help or advice:
(more details at the bottom of this newsletter)
Educational psychologists - You can book a telephone consultation online HERE
You can also contact your school SENCO
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Barnardo's has a useful webpage dedicated to supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities to settle into school. The webpage has ideas for questions you can ask SENCO's as well as advice on using social stories.
Barnardo's Webpage
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The BBC's Back To School webpage has lots of handy information and advice for going back to school in September. From videos to quizzes, you and your child can explore the webpage for lots of guidance you may find useful.
BBC's Back To School webpage
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Many families have their stories (I prefer that term to “cases”)
brought to senior-level panels for decisions on various requests, often involving financial considerations. One common worry from parents is whether their family’s situation is fairly explained, especially if the request gets turned down.
Having the chance to observe these panels, I was struck by the sheer depth and detail in how each child or young person’s story was reviewed. The panels were long and covered a wide range of requests, always mindful of the child’s voice and the potential impact on their education and their future outcomes.
It was also encouraging to see panel members challenge each other, especially when decisions required agreement between health services and the local authority. Key workers who knew the families well were often called in for clarity – this is something parents often worry about so this was great to see.
While budgets were discussed, they were not the biggest focus. Over the two days I attended, the panels showed a huge commitment to doing what’s best for Dorset’s SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) children and young people.
I was given the opportunity to feedback some reflections to senior leaders about what I saw, and am looking forward to seeing the outcome of those in the coming months.
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Our ‘Let’s Talk SEND’ online events give people in Dorset with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) a chance to come together and hear from the SEND team at Dorset Council. The sessions always include plenty of time for questions and answers (Q and A).
Our next online "Let's Talk SEND" session is scheduled for 12:30pm on 25 September.
In this section we will be covering EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans), Annual Reviews and answering your questions on this topic.
You can find a write up of all our previous Q&A sessions and sign up for the next session at:
Let's Talk SEND - Dorset Council
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Save the date for our first ever in-person Let’s Talk Week!
Dorset Council, in partnership with the Dorset Parent Carer Council, will be holding an information event at Kingston Maurward on Monday 21 October from 10am to 1pm.
There will be a range of information on offer and the chance to meet other parents in a welcoming environment. There will also be a chance to speak to key members of the team, and to get your questions answered.
During the day, there will be a Q&A session with senior members of the SEND team, including Amanda Davis, Corporate Director for
Education and Learning.
Let's Talk Week will be from Monday 21 October to Sunday 27 October.
Across the week there will also be smaller, local events happening around Dorset.
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The Online Family Hub has now launched, giving your family a new way to access information, advice and guidance. This is your 24/7 online companion, providing you with help and support with childcare, activities, improving parental relationships and much more.
Your Online Family Hub can give you the information you need, whenever you need it. Just like our physical Family Hubs, the Online Family Hub is a space where you can get help and support for all your family.
Any feedback on the Online Family Hub can be given by clicking on the button on each page that says, 'Is there anything wrong with this page?'
Explore the Online Family Hub here
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Are you and your partner or co-parent experiencing relationship problems?
The SIPCo (Support for Inter-Parental Conflict) project is offering FREE relationship therapy to selected parents in Dorset with children aged between 8 and 14. Funded through the Youth Endowment Fund and delivered by Tavistock Therapy, the project uses therapeutic approaches to help parents reduce their conflict.
The project aims to help you learn strategies to reduce conflict between you and your partner, or between you and your co-parent if you are no longer together.
You’ll either receive online therapy sessions, using Mentalised Based Therapy, that will help you understand your emotions as well as understanding the thoughts and feelings of others in a safe environment, or specialised online resources and support for reducing parental conflict provided by Dorset Council. You can use the online resources at your own pace and will receive support of a local authority staff member.
To find out more about the SIPCo project you can visit: Support for Inter‑Parental Conflict (SIPCo) project - Dorset Council
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Well done to everyone across Dorset who received their GCSE, A-level, T Level and Level 3 VTQ results this month. You and all your loved ones should be proud of your achievements and all your hard work. 😊
We understand some students’ results will not be what they planned or hoped for. We have resources that can help find alternative routes to further education and employment on our website. We’d also encourage speaking to the student's school or visiting the National Careers Service website for advice.
Find out more here
** Need help? Here's who you can contact:
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If any of the articles in this month’s edition have made you think about help you might need, and you’re a bit unsure as to where to go first then we have put together information about some of the key places for resources and helpful people to speak to:
Phone the Dorset Council team
Contact us if you're struggling and need help and guidance. Phone 01305 228866.
SEND Local Offer website
Our Local Offer provides information, advice and support for children and young people aged from 0 to 25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
Visit SEND Local Offer HERE
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)
SENDIASS is a free, impartial and confidential service which offers information, advice and support for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This service also directly helps young people. SENDIASS.
Visit SENDIASS webpage HERE
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Your Education and Early Help SEND locality teams
These are the area-specific Dorset Council staff who can offer local support and advice.
You can find your locality contact details HERE
Educational psychologists
We offer parents and carers of children age 3 to 18 years (25 if the young person has Special Educational Needs & Disability) the opportunity to speak with a Dorset Educational Psychologist (EP). For younger children talk to your Health Visitor or early years provider first.
This is for people that:
- live in Dorset
- have a query or concern about learning or behaviour
- have worries about wellbeing and emotions
You can book a telephone consultation online HERE
Useful information and resources
Visit your SEND local offer website
Visit SENDIASS
** SENDIASS: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service
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All age Neurodevelopmental review
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