In our October newsletter we spoke about how we were starting the process of recruitment for a new Helpline Advisor and I’m excited to announce that following shortlisting and interviews we have successfully recruited to the role. Keep an eye out for our January newsletter where we’ll be introducing you to our new member of staff!
Just a reminder as we are approaching ever closer, but we will be closed over Christmas from 12pm on the 24th December and will reopen at 9am on the 2nd January.
We are currently very busy on our helpline so if you no longer need your appointment, please cancel with at least 24 hours’ notice so that the appointment can be booked by other parent/carers that need to speak with us.
Whilst we are so busy on our helpline, please look at other ways you can get information, advice and support from us. We have a vast range of resources, booklets and bitesize training videos on our website: Resources and Information booklets | Norfolk SENDIASS
Equally our Engagement and Advice Workers are out and about across Norfolk doing drop ins, in Libraries and booked appointments at Family Hubs. Have a look on our Facebook page for information on the drop ins or book your appointment to see them via our website: Face to face appointment
SENDIASS Resources
SENDIASS resources
We are continuing to add further online resources to our website. Please access this information prior to booking an appointment. You can find video's, information, links, frequently asked questions and booklets on a range of subjects.
SEN Support resources
EHCP resources
Appealing to the SEND Tribunal resources
Exclusion and suspension resources
Transport resources
Health resources
Complaints relating to education, health and social care resources
Do you need help completing a SEND35 form to lodge an appeal appeal with the SEND Tribunal?
Staff spotlight
STAFF SPOTLIGHT Liz Service, SENDIASS Advisor
My name is Liz Service. I’ve worked for the Norfolk SENDIASS as an Advisor for about a year and a half. I have two children, now grown up (just).
Before this role I worked as a community mediator, helping people resolve their conflicts with their neighbours. I have also spent several years as a school governor at both mainstream and specialist schools. My conflict resolution skills come in handy all the time, at home and at work.
In this role, I support families, in person and over the phone, make sure they have the right information to navigate the SEND system. We help them to get the right support in place so that children and young people can learn what they need to learn to be successful. I love getting to meet families and I learn from them, and the from the rest of my team every day.
Phase transfer with an EHCP
We are edging closer and closer to the phase transfer deadline for those children and young people with an EHCP that are moving from one phase of education to another.
A new phase of education is defined in regulation 2 of the SEN and Disability Regulations 2014 (the “SEN Regs”) as a transfer from:
(a) early years education to school (b) infant school to junior school (c) primary school to middle school (d) primary school to secondary school (e) middle school to secondary school (f) secondary school to a post-16 institution.
The process should start no later than the Autumn term of the year before the child or young person is due to move from one phase of education to another.
The process starts with the Local Authority (LA) reviewing the EHCP.
Following the review LA sends proposed amendments and a copy of the plan (with section I left blank) to the parent or young person.
The parent/carer or young person has 15 calendar days to have their say about the content of the plan and to request that a particular place of learning is named.
The local authority then issues a final amended plan with a letter giving parents or the young person the right of appeal by the statutory deadlines which are:
31st March if the transfer is from secondary school to a post 16 placement
or 15th February in all other cases
For more information please have a look at our website or book a helpline call/face to face appointment with us.
Norfolk SEND Youth Forum Update
It has been a very busy month for the Norfolk SEND Youth Forum.
In our monthly on-line meeting, we had a team of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire consult with the group; they are researching young peoples views and feedback on school meals within Special schools. Our members were able to share their experiences of school meals, in terms of options available regarding food choices, as well as the environment in which learners eat.
This month the Forum also presented a one hour presentation, as part of the NCC Childrens Services Practice week, on the Flourish theme of Opportunity. We used a direct quote from one of our members as the title for this; “Why is it so hard to make progress in the real world and we still get judged before people know us.”
We are hugely proud of the three young people who volunteered to speak about the barriers to opportunities, on three themes which were education, social opportunities and employment.
Feedback comments included:
"Thank you for sharing your stories and working with the forum for the benefit of all young people in Norfolk. Inspirational and I love the energy of this talk and definitely my favourite one of the whole week!!
!All the young people were so inspiring and very brave speaking in public. I really appreciate them all sharing their stories that will really help me in my work with young people with SEND".
"Big well done. You were so brave sharing your stories and you did a fantastic job!"
"You are all an inspiration! Well done. We always REALLY appreciate your passion, and your bravery in sharing your views with all of us here today!"
"Best practice session this week!!! thank you"
Our members were amazing and we will be sharing the recording of this on the SENDIASS website very soon, where you will be able hear about their experiences, and why they volunteer to be a part of this group.
Bridget Robinson, Engagement and Advice Worker
Engagement and Advice update
The weather has been very wintery lately, but we have still been out and about talking to as many parent carers and young people as possible enabling them to access our service in lots of different ways. Here is just some of the outreach we have done this month!
Library Drop ins
Library drop-ins are picking up, with many parent carers popping along for a chat. We have visited lots of libraries across Norfolk and have had the pleasure of joining in with several Bounce and Rhyme sessions – it’s always great to start the day singing nursery rhymes! We have often been joined by the Family Hubs teams in the different areas, who are able to talk to the parents about their service too. Don’t forget to follow our Facebook page (just search for Norfolk SENDIASS) so that you can keep up to date with where we will be. These sessions are informal and friendly, our Engagement and Advice Workers can give you next steps advice about your child’s education, SEN Support, EHCP and other SEND processes. We will be in the main areas of the library, just look out for our banner!
Parent Carer Coffee Mornings
We love visiting parent carer coffee morning sessions and chatting to lots of different families. This month we have attended The Vault, Gorleston for their Minds of All Kinds Group and the SENSational Families support group in Gorleston. These were particularly busy session, with lots of parent carers who had questions about their child’s education. We always try to speak to as many people as possible and give them their next step. Both these groups are friendly and welcoming and give parent carers the opportunity to meet other families in similar situations…..and the added bonus is there is usually a cuppa and a sweet treat! Follow our Facebook page for information about when we will next be at a parent carer coffee morning near you.
Child and Young Person Voice
One of the key parts of our role is to work with young people with SEND and give them the opportunity to have their voice heard. Our team already runs the brilliant Norfolk SEND Youth Forum which is an online group who meet once a month to consult on different subjects relating to SEND (find out more information about this on our website). We have also started to attend various youth groups and schools, where we are able to train children and young people on their rights as someone with SEND and the laws that relate to this and give them to space to talk about their experiences of education and beyond.
One session we did was with the Breckland Youth Advisory Board who held their first Watton Youth Conference this month. Young people were able to go along and hear from some fantastic speakers and see what sort of services there are around to support them. The event was brilliantly run by the YAB team and had a focus on keeping young people safe. Jo had some great conversations with the young people about their education and heard about what they are worried about. They fed back things like;
‘There's not enough support for me’, ‘I don’t know how to get more help at school’ ‘I’m worried about college’
Jo was able to give them some ideas on what they can do and reassured them how important their voice is AND to keep speaking up!
If you are part of a group for young people who you feel would benefit from working with us, you can contact us at nsendiassengagement@norfolk.gov.uk. We are always looking for new groups of young people to engage with.
Wednesday 18th December, Long Stratton Family Fun Day, Long Stratton ECFA, Manor Road (2-6pm)
Helpline trends
Here are some commonly asked questions that parent/carers have asked over the past month on our telephone helpline:
I am considering elective home education. What support can I get if I decide to home education my child?
If you choose to home educate the Local Authority are under no obligation to provide any special education provision, it is your responsibility to make sure that your child is receiving the appropriate education and support for their needs. If your child has an EHCP, it will also be your responsibility to make sure that all provision listed in section F of the EHCP is provided and that at each yearly review you can show if the outcomes listed in section E are being met or not and why.
For support for home schooling, you may want to look at home education charities, local library, local groups, online forums or your local community notice board.
It might be worth contacting the Home Education Team at Norfolk County Council to see if they can signpost to home education charities/support groups for children with Special Educational Needs. Home education contacts and forms - Norfolk County Council, 01603307733, ehe@norfolk.gov.uk What can I do if the school are not providing the provision detailed in the EHCP?
Firstly, it is best to check your child's EHCP is specific and quantified. Does it say how often your child will have this provision? How many days a week? How many hours a day? If the EHCP is unclear you could ask for a review of the plan (although the Local Authority don’t have to agree to early reviews).
If the plan is clear and specific but the school are still not providing the provision in section F, we would advise contacting your EHCP co-ordinator as soon as possible. Under S.42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 it is the Local Authority’s responsibility to ensure the provision detailed in an EHCP is provided, it is their duty to ensure that the place of learning is following the plan and must provide them with the support or additional funding needed to put the provision in place.
If you have spoken to your EHCP Co-ordinator and the issue is still unresolved, you can put a complaint into both the Local Authority and the School.
To complain to the educational setting you need to follow their complaints procedure as detailed on their website.
My EHCP Co-ordinator is not responding to me, what can I do?
Firstly, contact the EHCP SEN Ops Team on 01603 679183 and ask for the details of your EHCP Co-ordinator's manager. If you have contacted their manager and the issue has not been resolved, you can put a formal complaint into the Local Authority via their compliments and complaints page. Here is the link to the LA complaints page: : Compliments and complaints - Norfolk County Council
Feedback
Its always great to receive feedback to help us improve the way we work. If you receive any support from us you will receive a link to complete a short online feedback form. You can also access this directly from ourwebsite.
Local Authority Phone line and Norfolk SENDIASS Helpline
On Monday 23rd September the Local Authority launched their new SEND and Inclusion Support line. This phone line is intended for parent/carers and professionals to support with discussions around those considering an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment application, preventing exclusions and if you can’t find what you need on the Local Offer. The new phone line is available on weekdays from 9am until 5pm and can be contacted on 0333 313 7165.
We here at SENDIASS just want to make clear that the SEND and Inclusion Support line and SENDIASS Helpline are two separate lines.
We are still here to help in providing impartial, confidential, arms-length, legally based information, advice and support to parent/carers and professionals on a wide range of things related to SEND in education and health and social care where it impacts on education.
