POINT aspire to an inclusive community and society without compromise, where all children and young people with additional needs and/or disabilities are treated equally and fairly.
This case study will outline how one of our services supported and signposted a family with a child leaving early years and moving into foundation stage at a local primary school to the right services who could support the family to meet the needs of their child for support.
The service offers peer to peer support, signposting, outreach, drop in’s, virtual events and when the opportunity arises, funding to support a number of other initiatives that will meet the needs of those families that access our service and the wider community.
The family contacted the service as their child had moved into reception class at the primary school where they had been attending their pre-school (nursery).
The parents had been working with the school to ensure the right support was being offered for their child who at this stage did not have a diagnosis of any additional needs and/or disabilities.
The parents contacted the service as soon as the new school year commenced. They were very concerned that the school had advised them that they could only accommodate a place part time and on an afternoon session. Family was distraught as there was another family in the same position who was being offered a morning session.
The school had indicated that they did not have the financial arrangements to support their child’s needs, which is why they had offered a part time timetable, and this further impacted with the parent’s working arrangements.
We reassured the family that we were here to listen, support and signpost and advised them of what the responsibilities of the service were, what we do and how they could engage with us and our overall offer.
We then discussed what Oldham SEND Information and Advice Support Service (SENDIASS) was and how this is a statutory and independent service and gained consent to refer the family for advice.
We invited the family to attend our virtual coffee and chat catch up’s which they have done without fail, attending every session and asking questions and receiving support from the services that attend our sessions.
They have remained in contact with the service throughout their journey so far updating us along the way.
The family attended our Christmas face to face catch up and were able to speak with the Local Authority lead for SEND to ask for further information about their application for an EHC Needs Assessment.
Prior to Christmas the service was successful in a grant application that has been used to buy in SEN Law training for parents. You will see from a previous case study how beneficial this was when we offered this training during lockdown. We ensured the family involved in this case study as well as our full membership were made fully aware of these sessions, and when they were taking place.
The family have really engaged with our service, and are active members, they have advised us that the peer-to-peer support has been invaluable and have contacted the service to say that a needs assessment request has been accepted. They now feel positive that they are on the right path to enable the support that their child desperately needs in school is put in place. Their child is now in school full time.
They have praised our service so much that they wanted to nominate us for a Passion for Parents award, however we did advise that we were unable to receive nominations for our own services.
They have attended our first SEN Law training and advised that everything is making more sense and are pleased that they contacted us at the start of the academic year.
The family are making connections with other families on their SEND Journey and are registered to attend our forthcoming SEN Law Workshops and attended our annual Conference.