Sunderland's Family Hubs

SEND Local Offer

Sunderland

All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should have the right support and opportunities, at the right time, so that they can become resilient, happy and independent adults and lead fulfilling lives.

SEND offer and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

Breathing Space is an innovative whole family project that provides valuable space, time and support for young people with additional needs and their parents and carers.

Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities age 0-25.

Lumi Nova - Fun digital therapy for childhood anxiety

Rainbow guide - Sunderland's guide to SEND support by Parents Carers for parents Carers

The Disabled Children Register (DCR) is a list of children and young people in Sunderland who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Creating opportunities to inspire disabled children and young people

underland Talking Therapies (formally Sunderland Psychological Wellbeing Service) provide a range of treatments for people with common mental health problems.

Attending your local family hub and engaging in groups and activities can support your child's speech and language development, through play, songs, rhymes, and everyday opportunities. BBC Tiny happy people have great tools to support you talking to your child ages 0-5 years but also offers further understanding around speech and sound development, factors affecting speech and language and speech delay frequently asked questions. Better health start for life also has lots of good tips and advice to help your child learn to talk. Download the Growing Healthy Sunderland 0-19 app today for more tips and support. South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Childrens Speech and Language Therapy Service offer specialist support for children and young people with communication difficulties but also support children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. Please follow the link below for further information.

Speech and language support

Tiny Happy People - Childrens Speech and Language

Tips and activities for children and young people

Disability Access Fund (DAF) is a one off payment that is given to any registered early years provider who is providing an early education place for any two, three or four year old who successfully claims Disability Living Allowance. The Disability Access Fund (DAF) will help providers to make reasonable adjustments in their settings, either to support the individual child, or for the benefit of all children attending the setting. Eligibility for Disability Access Fund (DAF)2, 3 and 4 year olds will be eligible for the DAF if they meet the following criteria:<ul><li>the child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and;</li><li>the child attends an early years provider for the funded entitlement</li></ul>Please note: Four year olds in primary and infant school reception classes are NOT eligible for DAF funding.  Children become eligible for funded early education at different points in the year depending on when they turn 2.   EntitlementEarly years providers offering funded places to children who are eligible for DAF funding will be entitled to receive a one-off payment for each child.  The DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional payment.A provider can apply for the funding at any point in the academic year, however DAF funding is allocated only once in a 12 month period.  Applications for further payments can only be made after the yearly anniversary of any previous payment. If the child attends more than one setting only the main setting will receive the payment.  The child's parents will choose which setting will receive the funding and this will be recorded on the parental declaration form.If a child moves settings within the year the new setting will not be eligible to receive a payment until 12 months after the first payment was made. Identifying eligible childrenEarly Years providers are responsible for identifying eligible children.  Parents of children qualifying for Disability Living Allowance are required to provide documental evidence of this entitlement.  This is usually a benefits award letter from the DWP, sent to parents, naming the child for whom the benefit is paid.  Providers need to make an electronic copy of this evidence and submit it with the DAF application on the Provider Portal. Claiming DAFClaims for Disability Access Funding are to be made through the Provider Portal.  A completed application form and copy of evidence of DLA will need to be submitted via the portal. A link to the portal is below. Further InformationA Frequently Asked Question document is linked below

Disability access fund (DAF)

PDF document with Frequently Asked Questions

Families Information Service

The Max Card is designed to make days out more financially accessible for families of children with additional needs.The card offers free or discounted entry to great attractions. So what is the Max Card?Max Card is a national scheme and its aim is to provide a sense of community through stimulating learning experiences and enjoyable days out for everyone.It is the UK’s leading discount card for foster families and families of children with additional needs.  Families simply show their Max Card upon entry to a participating venue in order to obtain free or discounted admission.The scheme is designed to help these families save money on great days out at castles, zoos, bowling alleys and more.To find out which venues are included in the Max Card scheme, visit the Max Card website. How can I obtain a Max Card?If you are a parent/carer of a child with additional needs, and live in Sunderland you simply need to sign your child up to the Disabled Children's Register using the Max Card/Sunderland Disabled Register form (Link below) Max Cards are issued when a parent registers their child or children on the Sunderland Disabled Children Register.  For further assistance please contact Families Information Service either by telephone or email. How can I renew a Max Card?If a family require a card to be renewed, this can be done by using the Max Card renewal form (Link below)

Max Card - Sunderland disabled children's register

Please use this link if you wish to register your child/children on Sunderland Disabled Children's Register for the first time.

If you wish to renew your Max Card, please use this link.

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

Children’s Occupational Therapy Department

Childrens Occupational Therapy are a specialist service, who work with children and young people aged from birth to 18 years, who are unable to complete the daily occupations they need to, want to or are required to do. Daily life is made up of many occupations such as: · Self-care tasks such as feeding, dressing, bathing and brushing teeth.· Productivity tasks such as handwriting, using scissors and using a ruler.· Leisure activities such as riding a bike and enabling children and young people to be able to play with toys. We work with the child or young person and their family to identify meaningful goals. We complete a range of assessments to identify any barriers to a child’s occupational performance and use graded meaningful activities to maintain, develop and maximise their independence in their daily occupations. Children can be referred to Children’s Occupational Therapy via their Sunderland Royal Hospital Paediatric Consultant. Referrals are accepted for children living in Sunderland with a Sunderland GP.

A guide from occupational therapy service to support dressing skills with your child

A guide from occupational therapy service to support your child using cutlery

A guide from occupational therapy service to support your child's teeth brushing

Childrens Occupational Therapy

Child holding toys with a therapist smiling

Childrens Occupational Therapy - South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

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

BBC Tiny Happy People can help you develop your child’s language and communication skills, so they get the best start in life.They’ll show you why and how you can bond with your child, before they’re born and throughout their early lives – it’s never too early to start.Ideas and activities are easy to build into your daily routine. They’re quick and inspiring, but they’re also based on expert advice and evidence, and are proven to help your child’s development.

BBC Tiny Happy People

Tips and advice on a whole range of parenting topics.

Activity inspiration for all ages, discover and try everyday activities to support your child's language.

Relatable parenting stories, fun videos and quizzes to try if you have five minutes to yourself!

Find out about your child's brain development and how they come to understand the world.

You may want to teach your child to use a potty or a toilet. It takes patience and time as they are learning this new skill the NHS offers tips and advice on how to start potty training, potty training problems and bedwetting. ERIC is the national charity dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health. they also offer advice around potty training and potty training children with additional needs.

Institute of Health Visiting Parent Tips - Toilet training leaflet

Potty training / Toilet training

NHS advice on when to potty train, how to prepare and how to start potty training.

Potty training advice for children with additional needs ERIC

Child on a potty holding a doll on a potty