Croydon `Parent in Partnership`

news
For parents of children and young adults
Inside this issue:
What have we been up
to?
2 -3
Croydon PIP Parent
Forum feedback
4
Looking ahead
5
Upcoming
consultations and
events
6 -7
General
Information
8
Early Years
9
Over 16’s
10
Parent Training &
workshops
11
Did you know?
12
In partnership with:
Winter 2015
Issue 10
Hello to all...
A warm welcome to everyone in the midst of winter. We hope you had a wonderful and
relaxing time over the Christmas period.
As always, we tried to cram the Newsletter with updates on: what we have been up to over
the last 6 months (see pages 2-3); the PIP Parent Forum involvement - to show you how your
voice and your experiences are used by our Forum and Parent Reps at the strategic meetings
and in consultations with the LA and Croydon Health services (page 4).
We also want to give you heads up for what’s happening in Croydon in the near future and
how the services are changing (see pages 5-7). We are hoping that this news will make you
feel heard and indeed truly valuable! Please note we have set up an exclusive & confidential
PF email: [email protected] ! You can also reach us via our secret PF
Facebook group, just email us with a request to be added!
Additionally we put in information about local support groups, leisure activities, events,
training and workshops that are available to you and your families.
Although we only recently, increased the number of pages of the PIP newsletter we must
admit that the struggle to share all the exciting info in the limited format. continues. And so,
we would like to encourage you all to regularly check our website, Facebook and E-Bulletins
as well as the Croydon Local Offer for updates on events, training and local news.
The autumn period is known for our AGMs - a yearly meeting that allows us to pause and
reflect on PIP’s achievements and challenges in the last year as well as think about the part
that we are honoured to have in families’ lives. One of our parents was kind enough to share
her experience with us. We are passing her thoughts on & hoping that you will enjoy reading
this issue.
“Where do I start?... I first met the Family Link Worker from PIP when
I was going through a rough time with my son, who was having loads
of trouble at primary school. She was so supportive and helpful and
really got my point across to the school. Unfortunately we took him
out of primary and moved him to Victoria House.
She came to every meeting with me and supported me with my other
children at the current primary school.
She was so helpful and full of loads of information to do with benefits
and workshops to help support my family in a time of need.
She's always here at the end of phone if I need her.
She was friendly and professional at the same time”.
Distributed by Register Services on behalf of the Croydon 'I Count' Register for Children and Young People with Disabilities,
and Parents in Partnership, Croydon, Reg. Charity No. 1092969
www.pipcroydon.com Tel: 020 8663 5626 Email: [email protected]
1
What have we been up to?
September - FAMILY FUN DAY
“Would just like to say the Fun Day
this Sat was superb!
My two year old loved it with lots to
see and do.
Well done to all the volunteers,
they did a fab job.
Was a good turn out and better still
the sun was shining.
Thank you xx”
PIP and Young Carers teamed up to organise a free Family
Fun Day at Royal Russell School in September.
The sun shone and families from far and wide enjoyed a day
filled with laughter, bouncy castles, face painting, games and
fun, fun, fun!
Kids and parents alike had time to relax and enjoy
themselves uninterrupted and there were NO tears!!!
We all left energised and invigorated, with massive grins, already planning for another
family event next year!
Those, who attended and would like a photo of their child or indeed themselves having
fun, please email the PIP office and we will send you a link to website of our lovely
photographer on the day—Jo Bartlett!!
The Croydon Community
Civic Awards
honours the achievements of
outstanding local people
and voluntary groups
and celebrates the boroughs
unsung heroes who go
that extra mile to help others.
This year PIP’s parent volunteers
who were involved as parent
reps were nominated for
‘Voluntary Group of the Year’
awards.
They were one of three finalist in the “Voluntary group of the year” category with over 150 candidates from
other voluntary organisations. Although we did not win, it has been a truly fantastic recognition for all the
parent carers who were involved and attended numerous meetings during the SEN reform planning period.
It is very positive that parent participation and PIP Parent Forum are now seen as regular partners
to represent views of families in Croydon who have children and young people with special needs or disabilities.
November - PIP’s AGM
We were delighted to be joined by a variety of kind supporters and friends of PIP
on the 23rd Annual General Meeting on 17th November.
After summarising accounts and last years’ achievements, Agnieszka shared PIP’s
plans & hopes for the near future year.
We also hosted engaging speakers: Clare Brutton from CCG talked about PF
involvement with the review of CAMHs and new ASD diagnostic pathways, Trisha
Holmes spoke about parents co-creating the Local Offer and our engagement
with the new 0-65 Croydon Disability Service.
It wouldn’t have been a true AGM and celebration of PIP’s accomplishments
without a parent perspective… Charlene Grant gave a heart moving and thought
provoking overview of her personal journey as a parent-carer. We were humbled
by Charlene’s experience as it is always reassuring and encouraging to hear that
we are able to make a real difference in families' lives. Again, a huge thank you
to all speakers and attendees for making this year’s AGM so special.
If you would like an electronic or hard copy of our Annual Report, please contact
us on 020 8663 5626 or email [email protected].
2
November - SEND Conference
The second Croydon Conference:
SEND Reforms - one year on
the journey towards aspirations
was held on 26th November.
The conference brought together parent carers, young people with SEN,
local SEN Practitioners, guest speakers and voluntary organisations. The
aim was to inform local families about the development of SEN reforms in Croydon, to share expertise and to
answer questions. If you would like copies of any of the presentations emailed to you, please contact the PIP
office on 020 8663 5626 or email [email protected]
For more information on SEND support in Croydon, please visit the Croydon Local Offer:
www.croydon.gov.uk/education/special-educational-needs
For general information on SEN and helpful organisations nationally see: www.sendirect.org.uk
With effect from 1 September 2015 the maximum timescales for transferring individual Statements will be
increased from 16 to 20 weeks, matching the timescale for new assessments. Edward Timpson MP, Minister of
State for Children and Families has provided more details
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/edward-timpson-writes-to-directors-of-childrens-services
As the Croydon SEND support services went
through changes a few months ago and we
have heard that working out who is who has
been somewhat confusing, we thought that
you may find this graph explaining the
differences of support helpful:
PIP PARENT FORUM CONFERENCE
SEND – MAKING SENSE OF TRANSITIONS
at CVA, London Rd, Croydon, Surrey CR0 2TB
on Thursday 4th February 2016 9:30am – 2.30pm
Following on from the success of last year’s conference and your feedback from the event in November,
we have invited Steve Broach back to Croydon to throw light on the area of ‘transitions’.
Steve is a leading SEN advisor and the leading legal advisor for CDC and CAF and has particular interest and
expertise in the rights of children (especially disabled children) as well as being a long-time supporter of
parents and Parent Forums!
This is an event for parents only, to allow a confidential and respectful yet informal space
for questions and discussions.
To book a place, please contact the PIP team on 020 8663 5626 or by e mail at [email protected].
3
The Croydon Parent Forum Feedback...
There is no doubt that it has been a very busy autumn for PIP’s Parent Forum.
We now have 75 Parent Forum members who receive regular updates and share
their experiences and perspectives. We’ve held 7 Parent Forum Steering Group
meetings this year and have been joined by:





Claire Brutton from Croydon CCG to talk about CAMHS services and plans
on improving waiting lists,
Trisha Holmes, SEN project manager, who came on more than one occasion to talk about Croydon’s Local
Offer, the Wikis and the new All Age Disability Group,
George Riley, CWD’s manager, has also visited the forum more than once to talk about the Children with
Disabilities social care service, Short Breaks and Personal Budgets,
Nick Clinch from Croydon’s Children's’ Health Services came to talk about the review of Occupational
Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Special Nursing Team,
Finally—Healthwatch joined us to hear about our burning issues.
We've been able to offer two free training sessions on Parent Representation
which skilled 16 parent carers in participation and group representation. We
are hoping to provide further training next year for those parent carers, who
would like to represent voices of Croydon families on strategic meetings and
various advisory boards that influence Croydon’s services.
Thanks to us having such a wonderful pool of dedicated, experienced,
knowledgeable and skilled parent reps we were able to make your voices
heard and present!!! (Have you noted that our parent volunteers were finalists
of this years Croydon Community Civic Awards? If you missed it, see the
highlight on page 2.)
A summary of some of our recent work lists:

Two of our Parent Forum Reps being involved in strategic meetings discussing Croydon’s Local Offer and
continuing to work closely with Trisha Holmes to develop and improve it.

One representative attending the 0-65 All Age Disability reference group to discuss the new ideas about
joint: children and adult services for people with SEN and disabilities.

Parents attending both the Autism and the Learning Disability Partnership Boards!

a group of 5 parents co-designing a new commissioning framework for Children’s Therapies Service;

Several meetings with CAHMs and Paediatrics Commissioner discussing ways on creating an efficient and
effective CAMHs service.

4 members of the Parent Forum Steering group attending 3 Short Breaks consultations helping to develop
a Short Breaks Questionnaire (the feedback from the questionnaires is still being collated—we had a
whooping 250 responses! Once the data is analysed, we are hoping to hold further meetings with George
Riley and his team to shape local short breaks offer).

Furthermore, Agnieszka and I have been present at meetings that discuss: SEND Implementation in
Croydon, Personal Budgets offer in Croydon, executive meeting about merging children and adult services
for people with disabilities, Transitions meeting.
We always try our best to pass on your experiences, problems as well as your
hopes and the positive feedback.
We are really glad to hear about cases where SENCo’s, SEND caseworkers and
parents are working well together and are engaged in the new ethos of the
reforms where the process is proving to be a positive one for both the child and
the parent.
We really want to hear about these good experiences as well as the difficulties.
Your feedback is collated by us and used regularly to inform the managers of
Croydon SEN, Social Care and Health Services. We can’t stress how grateful we are for your input. The positive
experiences are used as examples of good practice in areas where improvement is needed urgently and the challenges are raised with the LA and Health to improve the service delivery!!!
You will be pleased to know that next year will be very much targeted on reducing the waiting lists for diagnosis
of autism and making access to CAMHs and support for children and young people easier and uncomplicated.
4
Now, if you think you think this is all that we have done, here is some more, this time, on a national scale!
As it’s now been over a year since the new legislation The Children and Families Act 2014 came into force and it’s
been a year that has presented some challenges for a lot of the families we speak to.
We, as your Croydon Parent Forum, collated your feedback and concerns and presented them in a report to the
Local Authority, we also met regularly with the SEND service looking at ways to work together on resolving these
issues.
Additionally, we fed back parental views directly to the Department for Education (DfE) via their half-yearly SEND
questionnaire.
We were also privileged to host a South London parent Forum “cluster” meeting where we were joined by two
advisors from the DfE. Myself and Agnieszka were able to express these issues along with other South London
Parent Forums.
Finally, we attended the NNPCF’s AGM (http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/who-we-are/ ) in London alongside 40 other
Parent Forums & DfE representatives. It proved to be a truly informative event. Through discussions and networking it became clear that parents across the country were facing similar challenges and the DfE were keen to
hear from them.
Looking ahead…
The new exciting development of Croydon Wikis’ will be taking off
in the New Year, we currently have 4 parents who are keen to develop
a Wiki for their young person.
Wiki is a secure and easy to build personal website that can be used
to create person-centred plans using words, photos, video and sound.
This helps to show the individual as a person – with their skills and aspirations as well as their needs.
Croydon will be rolling out a project for children and young people with SEND over the next 2 years with the aim
of using Wikis to enable parents to share their child’s development with teachers and professionals.
Wikis can support the EHC Planning process and will move with the individual as they grow older, recording their
changing skills and support needs through different stages of life. We will be piloting the Wikis in the new year
with a few families who have agreed to be ‘guinea-pigs’. This will give us the opportunity to test how well a Wiki
can work and also where it is not so helpful. Once we have completed the pilot stage we will share our findings
with families and professionals and will open up the opportunity to families who want to get involved.
If you enter the link http://rixmedia.org/what-is-a-wiki/ into your browser, you can see an example of a Wiki
and more information; if you want to see how a Wiki can work – look on YouTube for ‘Shane’s Wiki’.
The PF and managers from Croydon LA will be attending a workshop led by
Contact a Family on Co-production this January.
Co-production is at the heart of the recent SEND reforms and means having
parent carers and young people in the centre of decision-making. It goes far
beyond the plans and SEN support into strategic planning and commissioning
(funding local services). Co –producing brings parents and service managers
together to form shared vision, and bring
about real change.
Parent Forum
meeting dates:
Such a partnership working approach should result in:



Providing parent carers with clear, comprehensive and timely
information which enable them to make informed decisions & choices
Having meaningful consultations that ensure parents voices are heard
and listened to when services are being developed or reviewed.
Parent carers participating in strategic work groups or task groups to
put forward the views of the wider parent carer group that could lead
to parent carers being involved in the commissioning process or in
interviewing the workforce.
Thursday 14th January
Wednesday 24th February
Tuesday 12th April
Monday 23rd May
Friday 1st July
Thursday 8th September
Wednesday 19th October
Wednesday 30th November
10am—1pm
5
Upcoming consultations and events
Crystal Centre re-location - Friday 22nd Jan, 10am-12pm
Malling Close Children’s Centre, Croydon CR0 7YD
Crystal Centre with all its services is moving to a new location, most likely to the site of the Malling
Close Children’s Centre. If you would like to find out more and have your say on the look of the
new service, do come along to this chill and chat meeting (with a crèche available for your lil one!).
We will be joined by NHS Commissioners heading the move and look of the service.
Contact us on [email protected].
Mini Review of Exclusions - Friday 29th Jan, 10am-11am
The Local Authority is having a Local Action Mini Review looking at the extent of school/college/education
exclusion among pupils/students in Croydon and its short and long term impact on the education offer in the
borough. The aim of the review is:

To review, track and do a comparative analysis of already available
and up-to-date information on
education exclusion in Croydon.

To involve experts – practising and other expert witnesses

To hear from parents, relevant pupils/students and interested
individuals or groups

To hear from centres offering services and support for excluded young persons

To see what is happening in neighbouring boroughs including where there is good practice

Conclusions, recommendations and the way forward.
The Parent Forum will be meeting with Councillor Matthew Kyeremeh, who is heading the Mini Review, to talk
about the experience of parents of children with SEN. PIP Family Link Workers will also join the meeting to
further highlight the burning issues. It would be great if you would like to join us on the morning of Friday 29 th
January. If you would like to come along please contact us at [email protected].
Making sense of Transitions - SEND conference for parents
Thursday 4th Feb, 9:30am – 2.30pm
CVA, London Rd, Croydon, Surrey CR0 2TB
If you have been scratching your head wondering what is suppose to happen around the transition period or if
you have found that the new law and guidance is proving to be tricky to apply to your circumstances, we are
hoping to shed some light - as parent forum, we have invited Steve Broach back to Croydon to talk about the
SEND law in simple and transparent way.
Steve is a leading independent SEN advisor and legal advisor for CDC and CAF and has particular interest and
expertise in the rights of children (especially disabled children) as well as being a long-time supporter of parents
and Parent Forums!
This is an event for parents only, to allow a confidential and respectful yet informal space
for questions and discussions.
To book a place, please contact the PIP team on 020 8663 5626 or by email at [email protected].
Croydon New 0-65 Disability Service - Jan & Feb 2016
Do you or a family member have a Special Educational Need or disability?
Croydon Council is developing a new 0-65 disability service.
Among the ambitious aims are: streamlining the children and adult services, making the transition period
smoother and providing more efficient and effective service for local people.
And so, as always, we are keen to receive feedback from individuals and families on what is important and what
can be improved.
Please use the following link to find the online questionnaire. There is also an easy –read version that can be
downloaded; https://www.croydon.gov.uk/healthsocial/adult-care/carers/the-0-to-65-disabilityframework
Trisha Holmes, who is project managing the new service, is currently consulting with various groups of people
that the service will be providing for. She is hoping to gather parental feedback on the 4th February, after our
PF conference with Steve Broach.
Finally—the new service needs a name!!! If you have any ideas, please email [email protected]
6
SEN Transport Home to School Service Thursday 11th Feb, 10am-12pm, Carers Centre
The Parent Forum met with Jackie Wright and Becky Saunders from the local authority Transport Dept. in
December to discus the SEN Transport Service.
We were informed that:

around 1000 children are being transported to school each day with demand for the service growing;

contracts with 29 providers had been recently reviewed and awarded, a parent forum Rep was on the
tender review panel;

transport service offer is being reviewed with positive changes, i.e. independent travel training for 14+ will
see more trainers for young people (numbers going up from 4 to 28 in January) with bus days available for
young people to prepare for independent travel;

Personal Transport Budgets are available to parents;

personalised travel plans for all children/young people and the possibility of transport to health visits being
discussed.
The Parent Forum expressed a number of concerns and made a number of suggestions to improve the service
including:
 Level of training to Escorts and Drivers and checks made on these staff
(DBS/References)
 When contacting transport department to report concerns parents felt
that they were not listened to and that staff were unhelpful.
 It would be helpful for parents and their YP to meet the
Escort and Driver before starting.


How to report difficulties should be better communicated to parents
Independent travel training: parents would like to see more male trainers
Further to this meeting it was agreed that a more in-depth consultation &
workshop would be really helpful.. if you are interested in being involved
and/or hear more, please contact [email protected] or office @pipcroydon.com.
Croydon CAMHs &Community Paediatric Services Review
What we heard: (children & young people)
its always more of the same no one wants to know what I want I
don’t want to wait too much hassle to see someone
they're not like me it’s all talk nothing changes
What we heard: (adults)
Waiting lists are too long for ASD assessments thresholds are
too high really good once you are in the service not sure where
to refer to waiting lists its inflexible between the tiers had to buy
in counselling services LOTS of complex needs that we don’t
understand (Primary Head)!
What is planned:

Redesign of ASD pathway

Single point of access to CAMHs

Shortening pre-diagnosis waiting list

Better coordination of complex cases between
CAMHs, social care and primary care (GPs)

Behaviour support

Increasing staffing levels and skills
Healthwatch Croydon – The Official ‘Patient Voice’
What does Healthwatch Croydon Do?
Listen & gather the views and experiences of local people on the way health and social care services are delivered
and then research on topics identified by you.
Are you a carer?
Act. They collate information received to form a wider picture of local services
Then join us in February
and use this evidence to influence how services are designed and delivered,.
They work closely with providers, planners and regulators to ensure your voice
to tell about your
is heard. They also have an Enter and View programme, staffed by volunteers,
experiences of services or
observing how services are being delivered.
email us.
Help. Provide people with info & advice about any health or social care related
Healthwatch will be holding
topic, such as how to access a service, or how to make a complaint.
Carer's information session
Include you. Local residents are at the centre of Healthwatch. Volunteers help
on
Friday 5 Feb, 9.30 -11.30am
Healthwatch Croydon in all aspects of their work, there are various volunteering
at the Carer's Centre .
opportunities and specific training.
The
event
will be co-hosted by
Getting in touch. You can contact the office about volunteering, to give your
Ruth
from
the Carer's Centre
views and experiences or to get advice and information. Call 020 8663 5648 or
and
Healthwatch
Chief Exec.
email [email protected]; website
www.healthwatchcroydon.co.uk.
7
General information
A few words on ‘Work Experience’ placements
Last year we heard from several parents whose children were hoping to do work experience
placements. To help you prepare, we came up with a few pointers:
Schools often tell students that they expect them to find their own placements in order for them to
get experience of writing CVs and talking to employers.
If your child has to find somewhere, remember, popular places fill up early - sometimes 6 months
ahead (!) and bigger companies want plenty of time to set things up.
Employers are more likely to take students if they are recommended by someone, who works there,
so have a chat with family and friends.
If your child knows what they want to do, encourage them to make a list of local places they could
apply to, aim for about 10. If this is difficult, make sure you speak to the work experience co-ordinator
at school as early as you can, they probably have some ideas and will try to arrange something for
your child.
Most employers are happy for parents to come to interviews and they often give a schedule you can
go over beforehand to help your child prepare. Our parents have said it was worth the effort and their
child enjoyed it and gained in confidence!
As we all know, sometimes children and young people with SEN can be target for bullying at school,
which can be very distressing for both, the child and the parent.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance have launched their new free online Anti-Bullying Information Tool for
parents and carers.
The tool is interactive and designed to give parents and carers information about bullying.
The tool will help parents if they:
 are concerned that their child may be vulnerable to bullying at
school.
 are worried that their child might be being bullied.
 are aware that their child is being bullied.
 think or know that their child is bullying others.
 just want to browse.
You can access this free resource at:
http://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/advice/parents-carers/anti-bullying-tool-for-parents/
SUTTON EAGLES
SPECIAL NEEDS FOOTBALL
TRAINING FOR BOYS & GIRLS
at Pulse Health &Fitness,
Nightingale Rd,
Carshalton, SM5 2EJ
Every Saturday (term time only)
12:30-1:30pm 12-16 Year Olds
1:30-2:30pm 5-11 Year Olds

Make friends

Learn football & co-ordination skills

Improve team skills

Gain confidence

Take part in football tournaments
No need to book in advance, just come along and
have fun when you can. For more details contact
Louise on [email protected] or 020 8669 6797
www.suttoneaglesfc.co.uk
Football in Croydon
For people with learning disabilities (aged 16 and above)
Led by coaches from the Crystal Palace Football Club
Foundation
Develop your football skills • Make new friends • Get
healthy • Have fun…
Three different sessions at two venues for people with
different football abilities:
Beginners
Tuesday 11.30am - 12.30pm
Waddon Leisure Centre
Thursday 11.30am - 12.30pm
Waddon Leisure Centre
Advanced
Thursday 5 - 6pm Selhurst Sports Arena
£2 per person charge for each session at the Waddon
Leisure Centre to be paid, in cash only, at the beginning of
each session
No charge for the ‘Advanced’ group session at Selhurst.
Contact Andrew Slegg on [email protected]
or 020 8239 4393 to book a place or ask questions.
8
Early Years
Chill ‘n’ Chat…
We are never tired of these wonderful, weekly group sessions for parents & carers of children with special needs with
plenty of information, support and ‘me-time’ treats to keep you going and your child most welcome!
Tuesdays 9.30am - 11.30am
Woodlands Children’s Centre
Farnborough Avenue, Selsdon, CR2 8HD
Wednesdays 1pm - 2.30pm
Kensington Avenue Children’s Centre,
Kensington Avenue, Thornton Heath CR7 8BT
For more information please
call 07704 061916 or contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
For more information on PRISM calendar and support groups for families please go to our website
www.pipcroydon.com & click Calendar & Events
CROYDON OPPORTUNITY PRE-SCHOOL GROUP
FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Tue’s & Fri’s 10am - 12 pm (term time only)
Developmental
Playgroup
COPG’s Chill and Chat groups are run by experienced Opportunity
Group Staff offering you a chance to make new friends and share
experiences; for your child to play and have fun and to relax and
chat with other parents and carers.
Learning and play group for children 0-5
with additional needs and their families.
During term time
There are a wide range of activities,
refreshments provided, access to a sensory room and a chance to
seek advice and
support.
THE CHILDRENS CENTRE,
MALLING CLOSE, CR0 7YD
t: 020 8655 5684 www.croydonopportunitygroup.org
Mondays: 10am -12 noon at Woodlands
Children’s Centre 020 8916 0543
1- 3pm at Selhurst
Children’s Centre 020 8684 3777
Please note that this group will run at the Malling Close premises
until March 2016.
Wednesdays: 10 -11.30am Kensington Avenue
Children’s Centre 020 8765 8128
10am—12.30pm
No need to book, just pop along!
In the US a nationwide initiative has been created aimed at
communities with children ages 2 to 5. This initiative named
‘Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children’
has been developed with input from parents, people who serve
the autism community, and people with autism.
“See Amazing in All Children” offers families ways to
overcome common challenges and simplify everyday activities.
At the same time, the project fosters an affirming narrative
around autism for all families and kids. For more videos,
activities and topics to help you celebrate the uniqueness of
each and every child visit http://autism.sesamestreet.org/
NAS Croydon Branch
Parent Support Group
The NAS Croydon Branch Parent Group aims to reduce some
of the isolation felt by those who have received a diagnosis
or are waiting to receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum
disorder for a family member.
We aim to provide: monthly coffee morning, advice & information, the opportunity to meet other parents
and carers in similar circumstances, a friendly and supportive environment.
Come and drop in to one of our sessions at the Carers Support Centre between 10am – 12 noon
On Tuesdays 26 Jan,, 23 Feb, 22 March, 26 April, 24 May, 28 June & 19 July 2016
For more information contact us:
Tel.: 07833 293 263 E-mail: [email protected]
9
Over16’s
A message from PIP Family Link Worker (Transition 14-25)
I have been very busy working with parents over the last few months.
Most of the issues have been around education which is to be expected as there have been several changes in
Croydon with the advent of the new EHCP transfer reviews! It has been a shaky start but I am hopeful that matters
will improve for parents as the new system becomes established.
In order to widen the post 16’ offer, Croydon have introduced a pilot scheme - personalised study programme for
Post 16 young people with SEN. The aims is to give young people, 16 years and over, a more independent life by
giving them the skills and experience to live the life they want. The individualised pathway of study includes
maths and English, developing vocational and employability skills including work experience and focuses on “real
skills” such as handling money, healthy eating and travelling safely. For more information on the pilot you can
contact Sarah Block – [email protected]
PiP Plus, our monthly meetings for parents with children aged 14+ continues to be well-attended and we have
been very lucky to cover a range of subjects this year including: sexuality and relationships, the summery of the
Mental Capacity Act as well as session on Crime and Vulnerability Awareness delivered by one of our Croydon
parents who practices as a solicitor. We have already planned more sessions: on Benefits (March 16 th) and Wills &
Trusts (March 1st) so please put these dates in your diary. We are looking into finding speakers for sessions on
transition from year 11 to college and for a session on mental health issues that affect our children.
We would very much like to plan training around the issues that you identify with as being relevant., so, again,
please let us know what you would most like us to cover. Wishing you all a peaceful New Year -Tansy Muller
MONDAY EVENING SOCIAL CLUB
Addington Community Centre, CR0 OJB
Mondays from 7 - 9pm
£3.50 per session
A popular social club, with around 120
members, for adults of all ages with
a learning disability.
This club provides leisure activities that
include snooker, darts, music and special
events.
To find out more visit
www.croydonmencap.org.uk or
contact [email protected]
“SPECIAL BLEND”
Sir Phillip Game Centre,
38 Morland Avenue, Croydon, CR0 6EA
Croydon Young Peoples Service
Runs activities for young people with LDD
aged 18-25 which include: Thai Fit,
football, skills for work, Zumba, cooking
and visits to the pub or the fantastic
Club Soda nightclub.
For more information visit
www.croydonyps.org.uk or contact
Paul Funnell on 07990790183
or email [email protected]
Croydon People First
"run by and for people
with learning difficulties
Making It Happen for Adults
with Learning Disabilities
in Croydon & the Future-4-Us
Community Hub are up and running!
Are you the parent, family or carer of an adult or teenager
with Autism?
Would you like to meet up with people like you and talk
about the issues that matter to you?
The Autism Parent Family and Carer Group meet on the last
Monday of each month from 6.30pm-8.00pm at :
Chatsworth Hall Autism Service
Chatsworth Hall, 1 Chatsworth Road
Croydon CR0 1HE
Refreshments are provided
For more details contact
Paul Wallingford on 0208 255 5473
[email protected]
Hannah Bowley on 0203 302 8686
[email protected]
Football in Sutton
For adults with learning
difficulties
Run by Crystal Palace
Football Club
Foundation.
£2 cash per person per
session.
Indoor sports hall sports attire required.
For more information
contact
Michael Harrington
on 020 8768 6047
For more information call 020 8253 7096
or email [email protected]
www.croydonpeoplefirst.org.uk
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Training and Workshops
MAKATON 1 (2 day course)
WEDNESDAYS
14th & 21st Jan 2016 6pm-8.30pm
PIP offers free training workshops for parent/carers of children with
Anne Chapman
special needs or disabilities.
Makaton uses signs, symbols and
Places are limited, so please book by contacting the PIP office on
speech to help people communicate.
020 8663 5626 or email [email protected]
WILLS & TRUSTS SEMINAR
all meetings are at Carer’s Support Centre,
st
1 March 2016 10am-1pm
24 – 26 George Street, Croydon CR0 1PB
Philip Warford
For families of a disabled or vulnerable
child it’s important to consider how to provide for that child if you are no longer there to care for them. Philip
will explain how Wills and Trusts can be used to protect the vulnerable and ensure benefits are not lost.
BENEFITS – CHANGES THAT AFFECT ME
16 March 2016 10am-1pm
Carole Webster— with so many changes in the benefits system and the new Care Act, this workshop will
come very handy! Make sure you book early as Carole is known for her experience & knowledge!
SLEEP WORKSHOP—DATE TBC
Feel free to contact us and suggest a topic regarding useful training for parents!
Events/Activities at the Carers Centre
Need to be booked events:
Call Ruth on 020 8649 6280 or email: [email protected]
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IT Buddy appointments (fully booked until end of February);
Massage sessions (all booked for January, for February’s sessions contact Ruth);
The impact of caring on relationships 22 March 10am - 3pm;
Employability skills 19 January, 15 March. (For individual employability skills sessions contact Ruth.)
If only I’d known...6 week course for those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s/Dementia.
7 March 2-4pm
No need to book the sessions below - just drop in!
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Knit & Natter 29 Jan, 26 Feb 11am – 12.30pm;
Alzheimer’s Society in the Carers Café 21 Jan, 18 Feb, 17 March. 10.30am – 12.30pm;
Carers singing group 27 Jan, 10 & 24 Feb, 9 & 23 March 11am – 12.15pm
Dance sessions 12 & 26 Feb, 4 & 10 March 11am – 12.30pm
Family Fund in the Carers Café 25 Feb 10.30 -12.30pm
Croydon SEND Information, Advice, Support and Mediation service
Contact 020 8663 5630, [email protected]
Workshops are FREE for parents, carers and young people, however a fee of £10 applies to professionals.
All professionals have to fill in an application form.
To book your place in advance, email: [email protected]
All workshops are taking place from 10am – 12 noon at :
Small Hall at East Croydon United Reformed Church
(Addiscombe Grove, Croydon CR0 5LP)
Supporting Behaviours
20th January Mark Brown (Special Help 4 Special Need)
Transferring Statement of SEN to EHCP
24th February Astrid Macabee (Family Lives)
Exclusion from School
23rd March Paulette Douglas
Changing the landscape of disability
(Communities Empowerment Network)
A free e-learning tool for the UK workforce
Personal Budgets
20th April George Riley (Croydon LA)
and carers
Transport from Home to School
www.disabilitymatters.org.uk
18th May Becky Saunders (Croydon LA)
What is available for your child at the school
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Did you know?
We are very fortunate to have been given some FREE TICKETS for the new
circus-panto, Pinocchio Joins the Circus at the Arnhem Gallery (in the Fairfield
Halls).
The show stars Peanuts, one of the nation's favourite clowns, as Pinocchio whose
ambition is to become a real circus performer.
Booing and hissing is encouraged as Pinocchio meets the cat and the fox who try
to lure him away from his circus home.
The performances are at 4.45pm and 7pm on Monday 11th January 2016.
We have limited tickets so contact the office on 020 8663 5626
or email [email protected] if you are interested.
(Children aged 3 and under don't need a ticket).
Autism Friendly Cinema Screenings
‘Dimensions’ offer Autism Friendly Screenings to people with autism or
sensory sensitivity to enjoy a trip to cinema. They teamed up with over 250
cinemas nationwide - Cineworld, ODEON, Showcase and Vue cinemas.
On Sunday mornings films suitable to all audiences are screened in a sensor
friendly and inclusive environment. Adjustments at the cinema reduce
over-stimulation and create a welcoming place for people with autism to
enjoy with their family, friends or carers.
You can find the nearest cinema to you via ‘Dimensions’ website. The current list of films on offer
and ticket booking availability is also available!
Relaxed performance in the West End
Tuesday, 19th Jan, 2016 at 6pm
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
‘Mousetrap theatre projects’
Relaxed performances are for families with one or more children with
special needs. They are designed to provide an opportunity for people
with autism, learning difficulties or other sensory and communication
needs who require a more relaxed environment ensuring:
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Adjustments to sound and lighting.
Free support resources to help your family prepare for the visit
Trained volunteers and staff to help at the event.
A relaxed and supportive atmosphere that allows young people
to access West End shoes without the usual restrains of ‘theatre rules’.
For details and ticket info visit:
http://www.mousetrap.org.uk/index.php/special-educational-needs/relaxed-performances/charlie-and-thechocolate-factory-jan-2016-relaxed.html
Registered Office
Carers Support Centre, 24-26 George Street, Croydon, CR0 1PB
Tel: 020 8663 5626
Email: [email protected]
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Together we can make a
difference