Sunderland's Family Hubs

SEND Local Offer

Sunderland

About the Parent/Carer Panel Are you interested in being part of our Family Hubs Parent and Carer Panel? We need the help of local residents who use our services currently or may do in the future to make sure that Family Hubs are designed to meet the needs of our local community.The purpose of the parent/carer panels is to: <ul><li>Ensure local parents/carers play a key role in designing and continuously improving family services</li><li>Enable the voice of local parents/carers including those whose voices are seldom heard</li><li>Ensure Family Hubs are designed for inclusion and meet the needs of the diverse communities that live in Sunderland</li><li>Ensure that the panel is representative of Sunderland residents who have a wide range of lived experience</li></ul>What’s involved?As a member of the Parent Carer Panel you will help shape how services for families are delivered and be a valued part of Family Hubs development. You will meet new people in your community and have the opportunity together to build Family Hubs that meet families’ needs. You may want to join for your own personal development, or to share your experiences of accessing services for families in Sunderland and how they could be developed.Panel meetings will be agreed at a time and place that works best for the members of the panel. The meetings are likely to be at least every six weeks for up to two hours and can be either face to face, online or a hybrid to enable participation. What support will I get to be involved?We want to enable accessibility as much as possible so we will discuss with you what you need to participate. A few examples of what we can offer includes creche/childcare for meetings where necessary, travel expenses to meetings, refreshments in meetings, interpreting services, rewards and recognitions. We will support with any other accessibility requirement to enable you to fully participate in meetings/training. What happens after I apply?If you are keen to join the panel we will send you an expression of interest form for you to complete. Once we receive your completed expression of interest form, you will be contacted by a member of the team to arrange an initial telephone call where we’ll tell you more about the panel and what we are looking for and discuss if being on the panel would work for you. During the call we will tell you about the work done by the panel and how the Family Hubs support the panel members. We will also talk about the experiences you can bring to the panel, and address any accessibility needs you may have.Please be aware that submitting an expression of interest form does not guarantee you will be selected to be on the panel.Participants will be selected to ensure that the panel is representative of Sunderland’s diverse communities and circumstances.

Parent carer panel

Two children playing with torches in a neon room

Together for Children Sunderland, on behalf of Sunderland City Council maintain a directory detailing all schools within Sunderland.The details in the directory include school name, DfE number, address, contact details and Headteacher details. For further details about each individual school, either find the record for the particular school within this website or visit the school's own website.

Sunderland schools' directory

Together for Children has developed a practical tool for SENCO's and all those who teach and support children in Early Years settings in Sunderland. We hope it will be useful for parents and carers too.  The aim is to help make sure that children and their parents/carers are put at the heart of a graduated approach to SEN support in Sunderland. The SEND Code of Practice explains the graduated approach in four stages:<ul><li>Assess</li><li>Plan</li><li>Do</li><li>Review </li></ul>The toolkit looks at each stage providing practical tips on how to gather person centred information and develop plans; how to include the child and their parents in effective meetings; and links to other useful tools and resources. The guide is a practical resource that provides information about how person centred approaches can be used within a graduated approach to deliver SEN support.  If you view the toolkit on a computer there are links that you can click to direct you to additional information and services.  Find our useful guide below!

Person Centred SEN Support in Early Years

The toolkit has  been developed to  support Special  Educational Needs  Coordinators  (SENCos) and other  Early Years staff.

Young Person in a wheelchair sat at a table with his family

There are several important things to consider when selecting a childcare provider to look after your little charges.   First of all you need to consider the type of childcare provider who can meet your needs: <ul><li>School Nursery - usually care for children from 2 but some only take from 3 up to school age.  They might be privately run or be attached to a school.  They are usually term time only and have shorter hours to match the school day.  </li><li>Day Nursery - cater for children from babies up to school age.  They are usually open all year and have longer opening hours than preschools.  They can be privately run or attached to a school. </li><li>Childminder - care for children at their own homes, usually alongside a small group of other children.  They look after children from babies up to school age and often beyond as they start school. They can usually be flexible with the care they offer to match your needs. </li><li>Nanny - care for children in your home and are employed by you. </li></ul>Once you have decided on your preferred providers, it is advisable to visit them and ask questions about the care provided.   THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR<ul><li>Is the setting welcoming and friendly?</li><li>Is there enough space for your child to move around and be active?</li><li>Do children have plenty of opportunities to access outdoors?</li><li>How is the setting arranged?  Is there a quiet area and room for messy play etc?</li><li>Is it clean, safe and secure?</li><li>Do staff listen, talk and interact appropriately with the children and with each other?</li><li>Do children look engaged and happy?</li><li>How interested are the children in the activities and resources on offer?</li><li>Do the staff welcome your questions?</li><li>Do they appear to value your knowledge of your child? </li></ul>QUESTIONS YOU COULD THINK ABOUT ASKINGGeneral<ul><li>Do you offer / plan to offer funded childcare from 9 months old / two / three and four year olds? </li><li>Do you offer funded childcare all year round or term time only?</li><li>What are your opening times and holiday dates?</li><li>What happens if my child is absent due to sickness / holiday etc. do I still pay?</li><li>What happens if the setting is closed due to sickness / bank holidays etc. do I still pay? </li><li>What happens if my child arrives late?</li><li>Do you accept same day bookings? If so is there a cut off time / additional charges?</li><li>How many children do you look after at any one time? </li><li>What is the adult to child ratio? (2 year old ratios in nurseries can be flexible so some settings may have 1:4 whilst others 1:5)</li><li>How are activities chosen?</li><li>Can children choose their own activities?</li><li>How will you keep me informed about my child's progress?</li><li>How will my child's individual needs be met? </li><li>How will you respond to my child's interests?</li><li>How does the key person system work in the setting?</li><li>What can I do to support my child's learning and development?</li><li>What qualifications and experience do staff have? </li></ul>Children with additional needs<ul><li>Who is the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo)?</li><li>Is it possible to meet the SENCo today? </li><li>How will I be able to meet with / talk to the SENCo?</li><li>Could I have a copy of the SEN policy?</li><li>Does the SENCo have any additional qualifications?</li><li>Will staff be trained to meet my child's needs?</li><li>Is the building accessible, with wheelchair access, wide doors, ramps and toilets?</li><li>How will my child's diet be catered for?</li><li>How will my child be helped to settle in?</li></ul>Costs<ul><li>Do you require a deposit? </li><li>Is it refunded from the first month's fee?</li><li>What are the hourly / sessional / daily rates?</li><li>How do I pay?</li><li>Do you accept Tax Free Childcare / Childcare Vouchers / student finance?</li><li>Do you take payment in advance or in arrears?  Is this weekly / monthly / half termly?</li><li>What happens if my child is absent due to sickness / holiday etc. do I still pay? </li><li>What happens if the setting is closed due to sickness / bank holidays etc. do I still pay? </li></ul>Welfare<ul><li>How will you keep my child safe? </li><li>What happens if my child is ill or can't attend?</li><li>What meals / menus are offered?  Is there a choice? </li><li>How are allergies / dietary requirements catered for?</li><li>Is water readily available? </li><li>Do you provide snacks? </li><li>Is there an area my child can sleep / rest if needed? </li><li>What is your policy on:<ul><li>Sleep</li><li>Health and Safety</li><li>Safeguarding and child protection</li><li>Complaints</li><li>Behaviour management</li><li>Equality</li><li>Administering medication</li><li>Accidents and injuries</li><li>Risk assessment</li></ul></li><li>What is your settling in process for new children? </li></ul>

Choosing a childcare provider

Parenting and relationships team

We know parenting isn't always easy and family life has lots of challenges along the way. If you're finding things at home tough we are here to help through our Achieving Better Connections (ABC) sessions for parents / carers. ABC: These are weekly sessions for 2 hours for 6 weeks and will cover the following topics, Good Enough Parenting, Healthy Child Development, Emotional Resilience, Family Values and Healthy Boundaries and Safer Communities. If you would like a snap shot of the ABC sessions please access the links in the service section. Following completion of the ABC sessions we have additional sessions, called Bolt Ons, that can be accessed following a discussion with the facilitator.  Bolt on's to these sessions are: ·       ASD·       ADHD·       Violent and Aggressive Behaviour (VAB) The bolt on's have been created to support parents/carers with children who have additional needs or requiring further support.  The ADHD and ASD bolt on's focus upon understanding the diagnosis with tailored support and advice.  The VAB bolt on focuses upon understanding challenging behaviour, what increases the risk and how to de-escalate situations. ABC Snapshots: The Snapshots provide an overview of the information from the Achieving Better Connections (ABC) sessions which are available, for free, within your local Family Hub.The Snapshots contain a short presentation that can be read or listened to from the comfort of your own home.  The Snapshots provide information around building relationships, child development and emotional resilience and how we as parents can support our children in their journey to adulthood.

Parenting and Relationships

Support around your relationship and online learning