June 2024- Annual SEND Information Packs
Swindon SEND Families Voice are very excited to announce we were able to put together 224 SEND information and Support Packs for families with a child with SEND that is of the age to transition to primary school in September once again. This will be the 4th year of sending out these packs. We have just delivered all the packs to the settings who requested them.
The packs will be distributed via Preschool and nursery settings, or to the homes of Home Educated families directly, during the summer term, and we will communicate how to order the packs from April. Our volunteers have been very busy this week distributing 232 SEND Information packs to families of children with SEND who are turning four years of age by 31st August 2024 and are moving on to primary school (or being home educated).
We could not put together these packs without the support of local services donating their leaflets, merchandise and books. So we would like to send a massive thank you to National Literacy Trust in Swindon , Swindon Carers Centre, Swindon SIAS and the Local Offer@Swindon Borough Council for taking part in the scheme again this year!!
We do have to apply for external funding for this scheme every year, and we only have a limited amount of capacity within our team – organising and delivering a scheme like this is no mean feat! We do also visit primary and secondary schools, as well as attending other events, where we distribute leaflets, sunflower lanyards and other items to parent carers of older children. We appreciate your understanding.
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April 2024 – Change Programme Partnership
Swindon SEND Families Voice (SSFV) attended a Department of Education (DfE) conference in London on the 19th Sept 2023 alongside the Local Authority (LA) and STEP (Swindon Ten to Eighteen Project) for the launch of the National Change Programme Partnership (CPP) which will test out proposed SEND reforms following the green paper consultation.
The Swindon Local Area has been chosen by the DfE to co-lead the Partnership in the South West with our partners Gloucestershire County Council, this is an honour and is in recognition of the work that the Local Area including y SSFV have undertaken to date and further recognition that we recognise there is more to do but we want to be sector leaders.
Since November 2023, SSFV have been working alongside the DfE and LA to work on various parts of the CPP, which includes the testing of the proposed national EHCP Template.
This information is then taken back to the DfE team as part of their feedback loop.
With the new EHCP assessments templates, many parents are already involved in this process via the Statutory SEND Team. We are always working to ensure the parents/carers voice is at the centre of all processes.
Today it gives me great pleasure to launch the communications from the DfE around this programme to everyone. This is a great opportunity to test the systems and relay our feedback to the Department of Education (DfE).
I have attached the link to the Change Programme. Please do have a read of the information provided and let us know of any questions that you may have.
SSFV is really proud to be part of this programme and we will continue to update you with more information when we receive it.
November 2023 – Partnerships for Inclusions of Neurodiversity in schools (PINS)
Swindon SEND Families Voice are proud to announce that they will be involved in the PINS Project in Swindon. This project represents an innovative formal partnership between the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, and NHS England to enable Integrated Care Board (ICBs) to access funding
directly to develop innovative ways to support the needs of neurodiverse children and families within schools. Testing a unique approach, this project will draw on specialist knowledge and skills from across their local areas to deliver whole school approaches that support the needs of neurodiverse children. There is a national project delivery team who will support Integrated Care Boards to deliver the requirements
of this project. The project is time-limited until March 2025 and will be evaluated to help inform future policy and any resourcing recommendations for early intervention programmes.
Slides for this project are shared below;
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TIspoqgrjq2qN3oRp8e5pqBY90snEykw/view?usp=sharing
SENDi & AP Strategy 2023-2028
Swindon SEND Families Voice would like to share the following comms about the SEND Inclusion & Alternative Provision Strategy 2023-2028 – (SENDi & AP Strategy).
In Swindon, we believe that Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is everyone’s business, which means everybody has a key role to play in making sure that children, young people and families with SEND receive the support they need. Our vision is that everyone in Swindon lives a healthy, safe, fulfilling and independent life, and, where required, are supported by professionals and the wider community.
Please use the link below to read further about how this strategy was co produced with a number of Strategic Partners; https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20209/document_library/1470/swindon_sendi_and_ap_strategy_2023-2028
October 2023 –
Great Western Hospital Communication Boards
Staff at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Speech and Language Therapy at Swindon Borough Council and Swindon SEND Families Voice have been working together to improve the experience of children who have special educational needs and/or a disability who access services at Great Western Hospital. We have produced visual communication boards to help children communicate their needs, and to help them understand what is happening to them. Hard copies of these resources will be in Children’s Ward, Outpatients, A and E, Fracture Clinic, Oral Surgery, and the Urgent Treatment Centre. They are also available to download below. We encourage parents to ask hospital staff if you can borrow these if they will be helpful for your child or young person.
Please download The Communication Boards here:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:66c0c567-68f0-4516-b704-1bbc456f1981
Great Western Hospital Communication Passports
Staff at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Swindon SEND Families Voice have worked together to produce a Hospital Passport that any family who has a child with SEND can use to help hospital staff provide the appropriate reasonable adjustments and best care they can for appointments and admissions.
Please download the Hospital Passport here:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:85f11a67-a2ab-4a8a-af4c-c1a9b3e44506
And complete the relevant sections ahead of an appointment or admission, and hand it to hospital staff who will flag it on the system.
20th June 2023
Amina and Hannah pick up a SEND Award for ‘The Best Support Service’ for running our SEND Stay and Play sessions! Jacqui also picked up a SEND Award ‘Above and Beyond’ for all the work she has done over the years!
“Hannah and I are so grateful for the recognition we love our stay and play it’s a much-needed service. The families that come along love it and really appreciate all the support and signposting we do.”
Nausheen Ali, Chair of Swindon SEND Families Voice said, “Being presented with these awards was a very proud moment for us all as it shows all the hard work we put in as a team.”
30th November 2022
Please see below link to the Short Breaks Aiming High Consultation report:
22nd July 2022
The Government’s SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper Consultation has now ended. Swindon SEND Families Voice are part of the NNPCF (National Network of Parent Carer Forums) and their response to the consultation can be read here:
21st April 2022
Swindon Borough Council have created this document detailing summer holidays activities and clubs: https://swindonsendfamiliesvoice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Swindon-SEND-Summer-Activities-Programme-2021-Final.pdf
April 2022- The Pride of Swindon Awards 2022
We felt really proud and honoured to receive a Pride of Swindon Team award. We were invited to an amazing awards ceremony where there was a fantastic community spirit. We are so proud of our team, past and present, for all their hard work and commitment over the years.
7th January 2022
We received a copy of a letter from Secretary of State for Children and Families, Will Quince, where he praised the forum on what he calls our strength in the area.