Hertfordshire Local Offer
Please find below the recently created video for the Local Offer website. It’s very short (less than a minute) and it’s aimed at parents and carers of children and young people with SEND to help them understand what the Local Offer website is, and what kind of information and resources they can find on there. You can see the video on Youtube here:
Bringing up Confident Children (ADHD/ASD) Course
Family Lives are delivering online parenting groups, funded by Herts County Council, in the Autumn term for parents/carers.
Bringing Up Confident Children for Parents of Children with ADHD/ASD – Online (6 weeks)
- Thursday 15th September to 20th Oct, 9.30 – 11.30
- Tuesday 4th October to 15th November, 9.30-11.30
- Tues 8th November to 13th December 7.30pm – 9.30pm
- Wednesday 9th November to 14th December, 9.30 – 11.30
This programme provides support, information and resources to parents/carers and adult family members so they can help their child reach their full potential.
Sessions will cover :
* ADHD – a whole-family issue
* Understanding your child’s behaviour
* Helping your child manage their feelings and outbursts
* Balancing support of siblings
* Learning new parenting strategies to address challenging behaviour and to make a difference in your family life
We accept referrals from professionals as well as self-referrals. Please click here for the online referral form . If you would like me to make the referral for you, please email me at: senco@wransom.herts.sch.uk
The completed referral form should be returned to services@familylives.org.uk
Parents can also email services@familylives.org.uk or call 0204 522 8700 or 0204 522 8701 for more information.
Hertfordshire Local Offer for SEN
The ‘Local Offer’ is available to all parents of children with SEND, with useful information on a variety of topics. Please see below for a few links to specific pages which you may find useful:
Services for parents, carers and families (hertfordshire.gov.uk) From this page you can find all the different types of support that parents and carers of children and young people with SEND might be able to access, including information on support groups, mental health, parenting courses and how to access services such as SENDIASS.
Getting help at school from your SENCO (hertfordshire.gov.uk) This page explains what the role of a SENCO is, and how parents and SENCOs can work together to achieve the best results for a pupil.
If your child is too anxious to go to school (hertfordshire.gov.uk) This page is designed to help parents whose children’s attendance is low due to anxiety, and has advice on how to support them and where to go for help.
Contact a SEND service (hertfordshire.gov.uk) This page has contact details of the different SEND services, including details of Advice Line for EPs, the SLCA team, the SpLD team and others.
New to SEND (hertfordshire.gov.uk) This page has information and advice for those whose children have just been diagnosed with SEND, or have suspected SEND.
There are many other pages which you may find helpful, covering topics including EHCPs, learning resources and transitions.
Responding to Anger – Course for Parents
Supporting Links are offering an online course for parents/carers of children with diagnosed or suspected ASD or ADHD on Wednesday 13th July, 9.30-11.30am.
Run by highly experienced facilitators, counsellors and parenting practitioners, this online workshop will help parents to understand:
- The difference between healthy & unhealthy anger.
- The pattern that anger often takes and how to spot the non-verbal signs early.
- Their own and their children’s triggers.
- Techniques that reduce escalation of angry and aggressive behaviour and when to use them.
- How to respond safely to a child in meltdown, keeping themselves, their child and siblings safe.
- Where to access further help and support.
If you would like to book a place on this course, you can do so below:
Anxiety and Stress in children
Supporting Links are offering a course on Tuesday 28th June, 19.30-21.30 for parents/carers of children with ASD or ADHD who are suffering with anxiety and stress.
Run by highly experienced facilitators, counsellors and parenting practitioners, this online workshop will help parents to understand:
- The difference between stress and anxiety.
- Understanding anxiety related conditions amongst young people with ASD and/or ADHD.
- How to spot the non-verbal signs of stress.
- Common triggers amongst neurodiverse children.
- What an anxious child needs to feel safe and how to provide this.
- Strategies to engage with an anxious or stressed child.
- The early warning signs of mental health problems
Places can be booked below.
‘Space’
SPACE Hertfordshire runs many free online workshops for parents and carers covering many aspects of supporting children and young people who are autistic, have ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions.
Some upcoming ones include:
Understanding Specific Math Difficulties (Dyscalculia) Tickets, Fri 17 Jun 2022 at 10:00 | Eventbrite
Understanding Autism and ADHD Workshop Tickets, Mon 20 Jun 2022 at 19:00 | Eventbrite
You can book on here: https://spaceherts.org.uk/events/
They also run lots of support groups for parents and carers and accessible and bespoke events and activities for neurodiverse children and young people all across Hertfordshire. You can find out about all of their upcoming workshops and events and book here:
School Avoidance/Anxiety Webinar
The Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners have recorded a webinar focused on school based anxiety which includes: anxiety psychoeducation and strategies and tips to support children who are currently struggling with attending school due to anxiety.
The webinar is split into Part 1 (Theory and Psychoeducation) and Part 2 (Strategies and Tips). There are handouts which can be used alongside this webinar. You would also be advised tp have some paper to hand whilst working through the webinar.
Please click here to access Part 1 and here to access Part 2.
Please make use of the following handouts:
- Body scan worksheet
- Parents step-by-step plan progress tracker
- Problem solving worksheet
- Step-by-step plan progress tracker
- Step-by-step plan template
- Step-by-step plan worksheet for parents
- Strategies for managing difficult emotions
- Things I can do if I’m struggling
- Thought challenging exercise
- Thoughts, feelings and behaviours cycle
- Vicious cycle handout
Family Lives Helpline and Courses
‘Family Lives’ offer both a ‘Helpline’ (0808 800 2222) and an online chat option to offer support to families who are finding things difficult. Their website is: https://www.familylives.org.uk/
Two courses are currently being offered:
Bringing up confident children for parents of children with ADHD/ASD 7 June to 12 July 7pm to 9pm OR 8 June to 13 July 9:30am to 11:39am
Bringing up confident children for parents of children with SEN 6 June to 11 July 7pm to 9pm
To book a place on either of these, please contact them at: services@familylives.org.uk or by calling 0204 522 8700 / 8701
‘Bounce Forward’ Resilience Course
Please find below details of a 6-week, online course, free to Hertfordshire parents, about raising resilience in children. It seems that the course would be most suited to parents of children aged 9+.
All information and booking details can be found here:
SEND Advice lines for Parents and Carers
Please see below for a flyer with details of SEND Advice lines currently being offered for parents to access telephone advice for their children from external professionals.
Specific times are available to speak to Educational Psychologists, teachers for Specific Learning Difficulties and members of the Speech, Language, Communication and Autism Team.