Weekly Update Saturday 30th September 2023

Investing in SEND in Wiltshire – a message from Wiltshire Council

We have received the following letter from Wiltshire Council. We have been asked to promote it as the Council wants us to help them reach as many parent carers as possible.

We are writing to let you know that Wiltshire Council is joining a programme with the Department for Education called Safety Valve.

Like all councils in England, Wiltshire Council has had sharp increases in SEND spending over recent years. Two-thirds of councils, including Wiltshire, have found they are spending more on SEND than the government sends them. Young people in Wiltshire are our number one priority, but changes are needed to have the money to invest and improve.

Safety Valve is a Department for Education supported programme that works with councils who overspend on SEND funding.

Wilshire Council has decided to join the programme because it offers the opportunity for much needed investment and we believe it will help us make the system better for pupils with SEN while also addressing the overspend. The aim for this term is the development of a transformation plan which we will co-design with parents and carers, schools, health and care professionals, and with children and young people themselves.

To help begin this process, we would like to invite you to complete this short survey which will begin to shape our approach to our sustainability plan. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete and will make sure your voice is heard at the start of this process. This is the first of three surveys we will be running at key points during the process, as well as some workshops.

For more information, please go to https://rightchoice.wiltshire.gov.uk/SEND-Sustainability which we will be keeping up to date throughout this process. It also has a helpful FAQs section but if your question is not answered there, then please email: SEND_Sustainability@wiltshire.gov.uk and we’ll get back to you.

Please note that the survey that is referred to in this letter, is the same as the paper survey that was first made available to attendees at the ‘Let’s Talk Wiltshire SEND’ event on Monday 18^th September 2023.

WPCC’s Next Information Event – Early Years and Primary

The WPCC has been busily working on its next Information Event during the summer. Taking place on Tuesday 7^th November 2023, our latest event will focus on Early Years and Primary. We are still finalising the details but so far we have approximately 30 information stands booked to attend, including accessible Soft Play, Children’s Hospice providers, Early Years District Specialist Centres and Portage, Library Services, Support for Foster and Adoptive Parent Carers, Parenting Support Programmes, SEND Services and much more.

As usual, we intend for the event to run from 9.30am to 2.00pm. It will be FREE to ATTEND and parent carers will be able to claim car parking, travel and child care expenses incurred by attending. On top of this, there will be a free workshop, facilitated by a local early years provider, and free refreshments throughout the day. The event will be held at the Civic Centre, Trowbridge.

We are not taking bookings yet but we will advise as soon as we are, as well as promoting more information in due course.

Please: -

hold this date in your diary
tell anyone you know about this event – we would love as many people as possible to join us in November.

We still have a few spaces for information stands so if you are a local service and would like to have a stand at our event or you know of a service that would be great to invite, please email: office@wiltspcc.co.uk.

New Annual Review Guidance and Paperwork in Wiltshire

SEND and Inclusion Services at Wiltshire Council have been working in partnership with people to produce a range of new forms and a new digital guidance booklet for schools/settings and professionals, regarding the EHC Plan annual review process.

To support this partnership work, the WPCC formed a parent carer working group, to design a new form for parent carers to record their views and contributions to the annual review process. The group shared their experiences of the annual review process and advised on content for the SEND Local Offer webpages. The new Annual Review section and associated forms can be found HERE.

Do You Have Lived Experience of Autism – You Could be Paid to Help Deliver Training

The B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) is looking for people with a lived experience of Autism to co-deliver The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training to BSW Health and Social care colleagues.

This training is called the Oliver McGowan Training in Learning Disability and Autism. The training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose tragic death in 2016, told us that better training, skills and knowledge are needed for staff in caring for people with learning disabilities and autism.

The training was co-designed and co-produced by people with lived experience and is now the standard training across health and social care.

The training will be delivered from June 2023 to March 2024 for B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire staff.

The training is co-delivered by people who use Autism and Learning Disability services.

Interested?

The BSW ICB would like to hear from you if you have lived experience of Autism and you are interested in being trained as a trainer. Your time and travel will be paid for being involved in this project (time is paid at £18 per hour)

If you would like to hear more about this please contact awp.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net.

Attached, is a step by step guide about what you can expect and a form to apply for this opportunity (Step by Step what to expect document 24.04.23 and Easy read word doc – Trainer interest form for the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training – December 2022).

If you need any help completing the form, please email: awp.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net and they can arrange to call you and they can complete it with you.

Have Your Say

Whole-School Approach to Neurodiversity Parent Carer Focus Group In their role as strategic reform partner to the Department for Education, the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) is holding a parent carer focus group to explore the potential of deploying specialists into mainstream primary settings to inform the whole-school approach to neurodiversity. The aim of this session would be to understand what parent carers think a whole-school approach to neurodiversity should look like and how best to build a school environment and community that is supportive of the needs of neurodiverse children. The parent carer focus group session will take place on Friday 6^th October from 10:00am to 11:30am. The CDC would like to hear the views of parent carers of children and young people with neurodiverse needs, to gain an understanding of the school-based interventions that would be most beneficial. Your valuable contributions will support improvements towards mainstream primary school provision, which is key to both children and young people’s outcomes and experiences. If you (or a key contact that you are aware of) are interested, please email: Thamara Moncada at: tmoncada@ncb.org.uk as soon as possible, to confirm your space at the upcoming focus group session.

What does your Autistic Young Person think about Annual Health Checks?

The Council for Disabled Children (CDC) is working with NHS England to find out if autistic young people would benefit from receiving annual health checks. The CDC is seeking to hold focus groups with autistic young people, aged between 14 to 17, to understand their views on whether annual health checks would be beneficial, and how they feel about these. The focus groups will be no more than 1 hour and all participants will receive remuneration in the form of a £10 voucher. The focus groups can take place either online or in person and would be facilitated by a trained member of CDC staff. The focus groups will be running in September and October and will sign up groups on a first come, first served basis. If your young person would be interested in taking part, please contact the WPCC by emailing: reception@wiltspcc.co.uk or telephoning 01225 764647 and we will add them to a list. If we receive a group of young people interested in taking part, we will the CDC to put them forward (the CDC is not looking for individual expressions of interest at this moment).

National Children's Bureau: YNCB Advisory Group Recruitment

Do you know a young person aged 11-24 who wants to have their say about the things that are important to them and shape the work the Young National Children’s Bureau (YNCB) does to improve the lives of children and young people?

The YNCB is an advisory group of children and young people. It gives young people the opportunity to speak out about the things that are important to them and contribute to the work the YNCB does do to improve the lives of children and young people. YNCB members are involved in YNCB governance, research, and policy work, and they ask for their advice on their projects and programmes.

There is no experience required, just a desire to have your voice heard on issues affecting children and young people. Members attend 6 meetings a year online and in-person at the YNCB offices in London. There is no cost! All travel and expenses are covered, and members get vouchers for taking part.

To find out more and apply to join Young NCB's advisory group, click HERE.

What do you think about the Wiltshire Draft Carers’ Strategy?

Please see the Wiltshire Council draft final Carers’ Strategy attached. Wiltshire Council is inviting parent carers to comment, with the closing date of 1^st December.

If you have any comments to feed back on the draft strategy, please email: georgia.tanner@wiltshire.gov.uk.

What is Important for Wiltshire’s New SEND, Inclusion and Alternative Provision Strategy?

As part Wiltshire’s ‘Let’s Talk SEND’ event in Devizes on Monday 18^th September, attendees were invited to participate in a short interactive online survey. This was to gain initial views and ideas about what should be in the new SEND, Inclusion and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy and how people may want to be involved in developing and shaping the strategy, as well as staying informed about progress following implementation of the strategy.

A platform called Mentimeter was used at the event to gather this feedback, which is a simple and interactive tool. The interactive survey is still live and we are encouraging as many parent carers as possible to add their contributions. Responses are anonymous and can be completed on a phone, tablet or computer, by logging onto the Menti website. Once you have logged on to the Menti website, you will need to enter a code to be able to complete the survey; we have asked for an updated code. Please see WPCC website for details of the new code or call the office on 01225 764647.

Young People Help Change and Design New Autism Assessment Tool

As part of the Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service, (WAAS) & the Waiting List Initiative diagnostic process, young people are asked to complete a questionnaire to capture their views and experiences. The service is are aware that this is not always the most effective way for some young people to share their feedback and input about themselves.

HCRG Care want young people to be at the core of service design and change, so they have asked Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living (WCIL) Young People’s team (Young Pioneers) to create a focus group of Young People who have recently been through this process, to share their views and design a new way of giving feedback to support the diagnostic process.

WCIL is looking for young people aged between 12 and 18 years, who are able to meet as part of a small group over four sessions.

More information is on the attached flyer (Initiative and Wilts CIL poster 2023). You can contact: Sharon Selkridge-Parham, or Rachael Hanwell at WCIL on 0300 1233 442, or email: getinvolved@wiltshirecil.org.uk if you have any questions or to express an interest in participating.

Have Your Say on the Proposed Reforms To The Work Capability Assessment

The UK government has announced a number of proposed reforms to the Work Capability Assessment.

What is the assessment and what changes does the government propose?

The Work Capability Assessment is a Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) medical assessment. The DWP currently uses it to decide:

Whether a person with health problems is expected to look for work as part of a claim for Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
Whether that person will receive higher payments as a disabled person part of their Universal Credit or ESA.

The government argues that reform of the Work Capability Assessment is justified on the basis that flexible and homeworking opportunities have changed the world of work significantly in recent years.

Share your views

The government is running a consultation on its proposals.

If you’d like to respond, visit Open Consultation: Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors.

The deadline for responses to the consultation is 30 October 2023.

Helping Families to Understand the Duty on Health Bodies Regarding Children Aged Under 5

The WPCC has been working in partnership with our neighbouring parent carer forums in B&NES and Swindon, as well as our local authorities and health representatives regarding legislation in the Children and Families Act 2014.

Section 23 of the Children and Families Act requires health bodies to identify and notify the Local Authority about children they think may need some additional arrangements or support. We want to try to demystify this legislation and explain briefly what it is and what it means to families of young children with SEND.

We have produced some simple slides that we hope gives a little information on the legislation and what it means to families. The slides then ask some questions to help us understand if a leaflet explaining the requirements would be helpful to families and if so, what information would be helpful.

To interact with the questions in the slides, you will need to respond on a device, e.g. smart phone, tablet, PC or laptop.

There are two options to participate: -

A set of slides and interactive questions to read and work through at your own pace: HERE
A short recorded presentation that talks through the slides and the information presented on them, still with interactive questions built in: PRESENTATION

Thank you for making time to help us with this piece of work. The slides and questions will be available for two weeks.

General Feedback (see attached form)

If you have any general feedback you would like to share, please telephone us on: 01225 764647 or send an email to: admin@wiltspcc.co.uk. Please be assured that when we share feedback with services, we never identify the person who gave the feedback, unless we have their consent to do so.

When sharing your feedback, it is often helpful to know:-

Which part of Wiltshire you live in? (North, South etc.)
How old your child/young person is?
Consent to share your contact details? (optional) This is so we can work with service providers to address issues with you individually.

You may prefer to complete the attached feedback form, send us an email or call us to give your feedback.

Events and Information

What’s On Parent Carer Calendar September 2023

For a full list of training/events/support groups for May for parent carers, please see our What’s On Calendar for more details: What's On Calendar

Carer Support Wiltshire Parent Carer Group

Join Carer Support Wiltshire’s virtual parent carer group for a warm welcome, a chance to chat with other parent carers and a support worker from Carer Support Wiltshire.

Wednesday 4^th October 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Drop in online - please email joannahc@carersupportwiltshire.co.uk or call 0800 181 4118 for the link to join.

Treats and Experiences for Seriously Ill or Disabled 16 to 40-year-olds and their Loved Ones

Willow supports young adults, aged 16 to 40, who are living with a life-threatening illness or life-limiting condition.

Willow is open to all 16-40 year olds in the UK being treated for a life-threatening illness or life-limiting condition. They offer a range of experiences to suit eligible people, including: special days out, special breaks, special days at home, and special treats. They have a team of medical advisors who work with your health professional to ensure that everything they plan together is completely safe.

To be eligible for support from Willow, applicants must be: -

Aged between 16 and 40 years old (inclusive)
Receiving active treatment for a life threatening illness, or within 6 weeks of final treatment
Receiving treatment/care for a degenerative or palliative illness
A resident in the UK
Have not received support from Willow previously (includes Special Days and Special Treats)

People with irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability leading to susceptibility to health, e.g. Severe cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities such as following brain or spinal cord injury are eligible for support from Willow.

All applications must be submitted by a medical referrer on behalf of their patient. Willow welcomes referrals from doctors, nurses and other key workers/lead professionals who have an on-going relationship with the applicant and can access their medical records to complete the information on the application form.

For more information about Willow, click HERE to visit their website.

Down’s Syndrome SEN Resources for Early Years and Key Stage 1

Teach Me Too provides resources for early years and KS1 children. It covers Literacy, Maths, the Wider Curriculum, Exploring Language, and Language through play.

The resources are created with specialist speech and language therapists for children with Down’s syndrome/SEN, to be used at home, in school, or at support groups.

Teach Me Too is dedicated to utilising innovation and technology to break down barriers to education and learning for every person with Down's syndrome, regardless of wealth, background, or postcode.

As a result, all the resources can be access completely FREE. Find out more and see other resources on the Learn and Thrive website.

Relationships and Sexual Education Resources for the Down Syndrome Community

Learning for Life covers late primary, secondary, and beyond school, focusing on the Relationships and Sexual Education curriculum.

The resources are created in line with what the Down’s syndrome community needs; teaching about personal health, emotions, relationships, and appropriate behaviour.

Current resources explore Growing Up and Keeping Safe, Emotions, Puberty and Caring Friendships.

These resources are created with specialist teachers and speech and language therapists, for young people with Down’s syndrome and other SEN.

To break down barriers in SEN education, all Learning for Life resources are completely FREE. To find out more, visit the Learn and Thrive website.

Free Adult Mental Health Aware Half-Day Course in Salisbury

Well-City Salisbury is a partnership project supporting people with low to medium mental health needs in the Salisbury area on their well-being journey through creative courses and opportunities.

They would like to offer local groups, volunteers, businesses and organisations the opportunity to take part in an Adult Mental Health First Aid Aware Half-Day course on Friday 13th October free of charge. For more information, email: wellcity.salisbury@wessexarch.co.uk or telephone: 07707296883, or visit the Wiltshire Together website.

Support for People who Grow Up with/have Grown Up with a Disabled Brother or Sister

Sibs exists to support people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister. It is the only UK charity representing the needs of over half a million young siblings and over one and a half million adult siblings.

Children and young people growing up with a disabled brother or sister often get less attention from parents and have more worries and responsibilities than their peers.

Sibs runs an online information service for children and young people aged 7-17, who have a brother or sister who is disabled, has special educational needs or a serious long-term condition.

Visit the Sibs website for more information, including: -

Getting information about disability and conditions, and tips for enjoying life and dealing with feelings.
Getting help from the Sibs team with sibling issues at home and at school.
Email support for adult siblings.
Workshops and events for adult siblings

Accessing Public Services Toolkit Webinar

You are invited to a “Accessing Public Services Toolkit” webinar on 5^th October 2023, 10an to 12pm via Zoom.

Cerebra will be holding an online workshop on using their Accessing Public Services Toolkit.

To book your place and for further information, please email beverleyh@cerebra.org.uk

Time to Talk Next Steps – Contact Online Sessions

Time to Talk Next Steps and Contact have 4 FREE online sessions between September and December 2023 on

Adult Health and Social Care - Friday 10th November 10am-11:30am
Community Inclusion and Independent Living - Wednesday 6th December 7-8.30pm

They will be:

packed with information on different issues we face in transition into adulthood and/or adult services.

pre-recorded and sent after each session, so you can watch at a time that suits you.

a chance to meet with other parents and carers and share ideas and support.

For more information and to book please click HERE

Cerebra Facebook Q&A session

Join Cerebra’s sleep team as they answer questions relating to anxiety, how it affects your child’s sleep and what you can do to improve the quality of their sleep. Questions can be submitted in advance.

Wednesday 4^th October, drop in between 11am and 12pm.

For more information click see their event page

Please note that you must be a member of their Facebook parent group to take part.

Reframing Autism Free Online Course

Autism Essentials is a free, self-paced course that provides an overview of Autism in a neuro-affirming way. Whether you are Autistic, a family member or loved one, a teacher, professional or an ally, we encourage you to enrol and learn about Autism from Autistic people.

The course has been designed for a wide variety of learners with different levels of pre-existing knowledge about Autism – from those that are totally new to the topic to those that have formal education in Autism.”

In this course, you will learn about:

Language
What Is Autism?
Brain Differences
Communication and Socialising
Thinking and Processing

Please note this course is provided by an Australian Charity, there may be references that are not applicable in this country. However parent carers have found the course helpful. To access the course, you can click Here.

Baloo’s Soft Play In Trowbridge SEN Sessions

SEN sessions are available at Baloo’s, please see dates below. Please note your child with SEN will need a SEN Session card for free entry. Adults and siblings are full price. For more information and to check accessibility please contact them directly on 01225 764753

Monday 30^th October – 3pm-6pm

Monday 27^th November – 3pm-6pm

Monday 11^th December – 3pm-6pm

Free Online Webinar ‘Same Food As Self Care’

Thursday 5^th October 7pm – 9pm

A free and by donation Webinar to explore the Neurodivergent food trait of ‘same food’. Same foods are foods that we have a great attachment to, our personal favourites. We may eat these foods every day in order to bring ourselves routine or comfort. The webinar will explore emotional and sensory responses to the food and the impact it can have on mental wellbeing and self-care.

Please have creative tools (Ie. colouring pencils, paper, wrappers) on hand! As

there will be an opportunity for participants to draw their food and write emotions, shapes, colours or anything else they feel appropriate to express themselves.

For more information and to book please click HERE

Interactive Art Exhibition in Trowbridge

Social Scaffolding are an art group that are bringing an exhibition of immersive, interactive and participatory art to Trowbridge. The exhibition will be open to the public from 22nd September - 14th October, 12-5pm, Wednesdays/Fridays/Saturdays, 2-3 Silver Street, Trowbridge, BA14 8AE

Free group sessions are available and can be booked during public open hours or on Thursdays.

The aim is to promote wellbeing through creativity, connection and conversation in a friendly, relaxed and welcoming environment. The exhibition is suitable for both crafters and non-crafters alike and is inclusive.

If you would like to get in touch to discuss any accessibility needs you can call Aly on 07581418158

You can also follow them on Instagram @social.scaffolding.artists for more information and regular updates or view their new website www.socialscaffolding.art

Family and Community Learning Autumn Courses

Autumn courses available with Family and Community Learning Shop for less and Saving Energy to help families struggling with costs that continue rising and will help families make changes as the days grow shorter into the change of season. Balance Your Budget is full of helpful advice about how and why to plan expenditure. Learners can join one or all of these courses.

Shop For Less, – Thursday 26^th October – 10am-12pm

Saving Energy – Thursday 2^nd November 10am – 12pm

Balance Your Budget – Thursday 9^th November – 10am – 12pm

Also available is an online Customer Services course – Tuesday 17^th October. On this course you will learn how about the importance of good customer service, how to handle complaints effectively, and how to communicate well.

For more information, please see flyers in attachments

Parent Carer Support Group in Melksham

A face to face group for anyone who cares for a child or teen with SEN (diagnosis not required). They can offer support and signposting if you are struggling at home or at school.

Mondays (term time only) 10am – 12pm

Queensway Family Centre, Pembroke Road, Melksham

For more information, please see flyer (psp poster.png)

Barnardo’s Wiltshire Short Breaks Autumn Newsletter

Please find in attachments (2023 Sept newsletter (1).docx), Barnardo’s Short Breaks Autumn Newsletter

Free Information, Advice and Support for Parent Carers of Children with Rare Conditions

Contact is inviting parent carers to their first ever online get together for families and support groups caring for children with a rare condition.

Come along to Contact’s free online event on Wednesday 4^th October 2023 to find out more about Contact’s Rare Conditions Network and what it’s achieved so far, as well as Contact’s information, advice and resources for parent carers and rare conditions support groups. You’ll also be able to meet, hear from and share experiences with other parent carers.

Find out more and book your free place today HERE.

FREE Dyslexia Awareness Event - 5 October 2023 at County Hall, Trowbridge

Thursday 5th October 2023

11 am – 6 pm

County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge BA14 8JN

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.

This year, Wiltshire Council, along with the Wiltshire and Marlborough Dyslexia Associations, will be holding a free dyslexia awareness event for anyone who would like to find out more about dyslexia and the support available in Wiltshire.

The drop-in event will provide an opportunity to ask questions and look at a range of resources available.

It will also include a free two-hour Assistive Technology Workshop for parents and carers from 11am until 1pm. Please bring along a laptop if you would like to join in. Spaces are limited, so booking is essential. Please request a place via the Wiltshire Dyslexia Association by emailing Caroline at: caroline.fowke@btinternet.com

The accompanying flyer (Dyslexia Awareness Event 5 October 2023 (2).pdf) provides full details, which are also available online at SSENS resource page | Right Choice (wiltshire.gov.uk)

Support for Parent Carers of Children with Restricted Diets

Silverwood School is running a workshop to support parent carers of children who have restricted diets. The workshop plans to share tips and tricks to support children to widen restricted diets.

In response to a request from the WPCC, Silverwood School is kindly extending invitations to their workshop to any parent carer, regardless of whether their child attends Silverwood School or not.

The workshop is free and takes place on Thursday 12^th October 2023 from 10am to 11am at the Silverwood Trowbridge Campus. Places must be booked in advance and will be limited to 20 places on a first-come-first-served basis if your child does not attend Silverwood. To book your place, please email: pupilservices@silverwood.wilts.sch.uk or telephone: 01380 850309.

Rising Stars

Rising Stars sports clubs return week commencing 11^th September. Clubs are designed to engage children and young people with special educational needs/disabilities into sport and physical activity. The emphasis is on having fun and taking part rather than being competitive. Various activities are delivered throughout the term including ball games, relay races and sport specific activities such as dodgeball, football, athletics, boccia and kurling.

Pre-booking is essential. For further information please see attached poster (RS_Poster.pdf) or contact Rob Paget on Robert.paget@wiltshire.gov.uk or call 01722 434770.

Cuppa & Chat – Online

An online through Teams get together with other SEND parents, carers and professionals who understand.

Every other Wednesday at 8.30pm

For more information, please click HERE

Vocational Support Grant

Wiltshire Community Foundation is an independent charity offering grants across the county. The Vocational Support Grant is aimed at young people aged under age of 25 who have either started, or are about to start a vocational course, training, qualification or apprenticeship. The grants can support the costs of:

resources or equipment needed for the course, training or qualification
IT equipment
course-related study/field trips
travel costs – in some circumstances

You can find out more about the fund and eligibility here or apply using this link: Vocational Grant Application Form

Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service (WAAS) Monthly Email Newsletters

If you have a child on the diagnostic pathway with the Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service, you can now sign up for the WAAS monthly email newsletters which contain signposting, advice, new resources and service updates.

To sign up, please email the Single Point of Access (SPA): vcl.wiltshirespa@nhs.net with your details and preferred email address.

Have you Seen Wiltshire Council’s SEND Newsletter?

Wiltshire Council has launched its own SEND newsletter, with the aim of providing information on SEND matters in Wiltshire.

You can find the latest Wiltshire Council SEND newsletter on the Local Offer website or you can receive copies by email as they are published, if you sign up HERE.

Contact's Brighter Beginnings Workshops - FREE

Contact is offering a number of free online/virtual workshops for parent carers of children and young people aged 0-16 with additional needs. The workshops are available thanks to funding from a range of funding sources. The workshops are free virtual one-off sessions and it is hoped that Contact may be able to offer in-person workshops again in the future, once it is appropriate to do so.

‘Regional workshops’ are for families who live in those areas only, due to funding arrangements.

Click on the workshop links on the website to book onto your chosen workshop/s.Not all workshops have dates yet, but new dates are continually being added, so if there is not a workshop available suitable for you, please revisit the website.

The workshops are very popular so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Contact’s Free Parent Carer Listening Ear Service

You might be struggling emotionally and looking for strategies to help you cope. Maybe you just need to talk to someone who understands the extra challenges you face and who can point you in the right direction to get the support you need for your family.

To help, Contact offer 1-1 telephone appointments with a family support adviser for parent carers looking for a listening ear, reassurance and practical and emotional support (see attached flyer).

Contact have released a video and podcast that explains the listening Ear Service in more detail.

You can watch the video on YouTube HERE or listen to the podcast HERE.

Making an appointment for the listening ear service is simple: choose the day (morning, afternoon or evening), and when you register choose the time slot you want. Appointments are regularly updated and are subject to availability.

The service aims to provide approximately 3 calls to Parent Carers before they are able to signpost you elsewhere for further support. If you are dealing with a specific issue that requires continuity and consistency, Contact will take this into consideration. Please get in touch for more information.

Book a Listening Ear Call

South Wilts Mencap Newsletter

South Wilts Mencap supports people with learning disabilities in South Wiltshire; inspring them to achieve their full potential and enabling them and their families to lead fuller lives. They support families in the South and Salisbury region of Wiltshire. They support with clubs, activities, fun days, short breaks and more.

CLICK HERE to have a look at their recent newsletter.

Contacting the WPCC

WPCC Phone Line 2023.

Our phone lines continue to be open as normal (10.00am – 5.00pm) and the number to access the WPCC SENDIS team remains as: 01225 764647.

When you call, it is likely that your call will be answered by one of our telephone triage workers who will take basic details of your enquiry and pass it on to a member of the team. If you cannot get through, please leave a message with your name and contact number, or email and we will call you back as soon as possible; please be mindful there are times when our phone lines can be extremely busy.

If you cannot get through on the phone, you can email us: admin@wiltspcc.co.uk

You can find previous WPCC newsletters here: Previous Newsletters

Keep safe and well,

The WPCC Team

Title Colour Key For Newsletter Black - New article added this week or staying in the newsletter Purple - Article retained from last week (reminder) Red - Article will be not be in the newsletter next week (final reminder)
In This Week's Issue...
BREAKING NEWS	Investing in SEND in Wiltshire – a message from Wiltshire Council WPCC’s Next Information Event – Early Years and Primary New Annual Review Guidance and Paperwork in Wiltshire Do You Have Lived Experience of Autism – You Could be Paid to Help Deliver Training
HAVE YOUR SAY	Whole-School Approach to Neurodiversity Parent Carer Focus Group What does your Autistic Young Person think about Annual Health Checks? National Children's Bureau: YNCB Advisory Group Recruitment What do you think about the Wiltshire Draft Carers’ Strategy? What is Important for Wiltshire’s New SEND, Inclusion and Alternative Provision Strategy? Young People Help Change and Design New Autism Assessment Tool Have Your Say on the Proposed Reforms To The Work Capability Assessment Helping Families to Understand the Duty on Health Bodies Regarding Children Aged Under 5 Feedback Form (see attached form)
CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION	Carers Eligible for Autumn COVID-19 Booster
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE	What’s On Children/Young People's Calendar Carers Support Wiltshire Young Carers Activities SEN Creepy Crawlies
EVENTS AND INFORMATION	What’s On Parent Carer Calendar Carer Support Wiltshire Parent Carer Group Treats and Experiences for Seriously Ill or Disabled 16 to 40-year-olds and their Loved Ones Down’s Syndrome SEN Resources for Early Years and Key Stage 1 Relationships and Sexual Education Resources for the Down Syndrome Community Free Adult Mental Health Aware Half-Day Course in Salisbury Support for People who Grow Up with/have Grown Up with a Disabled Brother or Sister Accessing Public Services Toolkit Webinar Time to Talk Next Steps – Contact Online Sessions Cerebra Facebook Q&A session Reframing Autism Free Online Course Baloo’s Soft Play In Trowbridge SEN Sessions Free Online Webinar ‘Same Food As Self Care’ Interactive Art Exhibition in Trowbridge Family and Community Learning Autumn Courses Parent Carer Support Group in Melksham Barnardo’s Wiltshire Short Breaks Autumn Newsletter Calling all Parent Carers who have a Child with a Rare Condition FREE Dyslexia Awareness Event In Trowbridge Support for Parent Carers of Children with Restricted Diets Rising Stars Cuppa & Chat – Online Vocational Support Grant Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service (WAAS) Monthly Email Newsletters Have you Seen Wiltshire Council’s SEND Newsletter? Contact's FREE Brighter Beginnings Workshops . Contact’s FREE Parent Carer Listening Ear Service (flyer attached) South Wilts Mencap Bulletin