Additional Needs, Disability and Special Educational Needs
Aiming High for Disabled Children (
AHDC
) is a central
government programme to help disabled children, young people and
their families to get the support and chances they need to live
ordinary lives.
The launch of the consultation on the Special Educational Needs
and Disability Policy is now live. This sets out the policy
framework within which the local authority and its partners will
maintain and develop provision for children and young people with
special educational needs and disability from birth to 25 years of
age. The consultation will run to 22 December 2011. A full draft
copy of the SEND Policy can be found on the
Cheshire East Website. Feedback on the consultation can be
completed via the online
questionnaire
Local Events
- Cygnets Family Fun Swim sessions at Alsager Leisure Centre -
find out more: download the
Cygnets Family Fun Swim leaflet (PDF, 381KB)
- Are you a parent or carer of a child or young person with
disabilities, special education needs or who is differently
abled? If you are stressed, overwhelmed or just fancy meeting
some new friends who probably share similar experiences and can
offer support; Come along and meet for coffee and a
chat at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre coffee shop.
Please call on 07958021980 or 01625 576345 if you need any
other information, or maybe need a lift. The group will meet
on the first Wednesday of every month in the Lyceum coffee shop so
if you cannot make it this month make a note for the future.
- Club Activ8 are running Multi Sport and Play sessions for
children aged 0 - 13 with disabilities and their families -
siblings welcome too! The sessions run in Shavington,
every wednesday evening. For more information, contact Nasar
on 01270 685789/07809 665228.
- Poynton Children's
Centre drop in sensory session (PDF, 201KB) is for
parents/carers and children with additional needs aged between 0—5
years of age, Thursdays 1.30pm—2.30pm.
Other Useful Information
Local Information
Friends for
Leisure - Everyday leisure opportunities for youngsters with
disabilities. Children and Young People with physical,
sensory and learning disabilities aged between five and twenty-one
years living within Cheshire East can be registered.
Cheshire East Parents and Carers
Voice is a group of parents and professionals who aim to enable
parent’s views and experiences to improve services and outcomes for
our children and young people.
Cheshire Aspergers Parents
Support aims to support parents and carers of dependants with
Aspergers Syndrome or High Functioning Autism whether diagnosed or
not. They produce a quarterly Cheshire Aspergers Parents
Support newsletter (PDF, 238KB) and hold Cheshire Aspergers Parents
Support monthly meetings (PDF, 273KB) throughout
Cheshire .
SPACE - Cheshire East
Autism Parents Support
Cheshire Carers
Centre are a registered charity who provide information, advice
and support to those who care for someone with an illness,
disability or frailty across Cheshire. The centre is part of
the Princess Royal Trust network for carers. One of the
services provided by Cheshire Carers Centre is the Disabled Children's Database (PDF,
719KB). Families and carers can register with the project to
receive information, advice and support with regard to children
with disabilities. Registration is via the simple Cheshire’s Disabled Children’s Database
registration form (PDF, 131KB). The data collected can be
used to help local organisations plan, improve and deliver services
- however the data is never shared and is totally
confidential. Once registered families will receive database news newsletters (PDF,
230MB), updates on local and national information, and invites
to any activity / events that Cheshire Carers Centre are able to
provide for example Family Fun Day, Parent Carer Leisure Day.
The project has a dedicated co-ordinator who is able to sign post
families to services in the area. The Database can be
contacted on 01270 215440 or you can ring Cheshire Carers Centre
freephone helpline 0800 085 0307 (Mon-Fri 10am -4pm)
or email the Disabled
Children's Database for further information.
The Macclesfield and
District Disability Information Bureau staffed by volunteers
with first hand experience of disability and provides a free and
confidential service on all aspects of disability to disabled
people, carers, friends and professionals.
The Parent Partnership Service helps parents
and carers whose children have special educational needs, from
pre-school age until they leave school.
Social Care and Health - These pages contain
information for people in Cheshire who require support in some way.
This might be because they have a disability, wish to live more
independently, require protection because they are vulnerable, or
require health related advice.
Sir William Stanier Community y School, in association with
Autism Networks, run an Autism Parent Support Group
(PDF, 143KB) once a month for local parents - all are
welcome.
National Information
The Family Fund are the UK’s
largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled
and seriously ill children and young people.
Parasport has been designed to
inspire, educate, inform and signpost disabled people, and those
interested in disability sport, to high quality
opportunities.
The Council for Disabled
Children (
CDC
) is the umbrella body
for the disabled children’s sector in England, with links to the
other UK nations. The
CDC
works to influence
national policy that impacts upon disabled children and children
with special educational needs (
SEN)
and their families.
Special Educational
Needs (SEN) -
A Guide for parents and carers (PDF, 1.2MB) is a booklet
aimed to help parents understand what
SEN
means; what to do if you are
worried, how you can help your child and you and your child's
rights. It also has a section on definitions to help explain what
different things mean and what different bodies do. It then
finishes with a useful contacts section with organisations that can
offer advice and assist you through the whole process.
Contact a
Family is a UK-wide charity providing advice, information
and support to the parents of all disabled children. Contact
them on 0808 808 3555 (Textphone: 0808 808 3556) or e-mail
helpline@cafamily.org.uk
Below are some examples of the leaflets they produce, all
of which can be found on their website:
Ican
– information for parents relating to children's speech, language
and communication needs.
Direct Payments - what they are and who can
access them.
The Daycare Trust has produced a useful document
called 'A Guide to
Childcare for disabled children' (PDF, 1.5MB).
A booklet has been developed by the Department of
Education to assist families with caring for a child
with a neurological disorder (PDF, 2.35MB) and is based on
useful experience of such families.
Move 627 is a website for parents,
teachers and health practitioners that can help support young
people with ADHD and related specific learning difficulties.
The Carers Emergency Card and Emergency Response service aims to
provide peace of mind should a carer have an emergency such as
being admitted into hospital, have a accident or be unavoidably
delayed. Once a carer is registered with the scheme,
emergency support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. For more information, contact emergencycard@cheshirecarerscentre.org.uk
or 0800 085 0307.
