GENERAL INFORMATION
SENDIASS
Parent Partnership Service
County Durham Parent Partnership Service offers support to parents of children with special educational needs (SEN).
Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service is a statutory service supporting parents/carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and children and young people with SEND.
Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service provides confidential information advice and support through a range of services. This includes home visits, attending meetings in educational settings and liaison with all services working with children and young people. Training and guidance to parents/carers, young people and professionals on SEND issues are also provided.
Durham SEND Information Advice and Support Service operates at ‘arm’s length’ from the Local Authority and the services provided are confidential and impartial.
Financial Support Advice
Click on the images to download PDF copies.
Educational Psychology drop-in sessions for parents and carers
Educational psychologists help children and young people with a wide range of different needs, such as, learning, communication and language, social and emotional-wellbeing, practical skills or being independent.
They can help if, for example:
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You are worried your child isn't talking enough.
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You struggle to know what is best to do when your child has a 'tantrum'.
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You've noticed your child doesn't play with other children much.
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Your child is always on the go and doesn't sit still for any activity.
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Your child really struggles to be apart from you.
If you're concerned about your child, pop in to one of their drop in sessions, where one of their friendly team can offer advice, talk through your concerns and help you plan what to do next.
More details and drop-in times can be found at:
Fun With French
Try the sites below, have a little fun with French:
* Dash and Blink – Forgotten French
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty
* Duolingo
* The French Experiment: Petit Poulet – Familiar stories in French
https://www.thefrenchexperiment.com/stories
* Monde des Titounis – Songs, Vocabulary, music, games and more
Camp JoJo
Camp JoJo is a registered charity set up by people with first-hand experience of the joys and challenges faced when parenting a child with complex needs. We have the vision to support families of children with complex needs and disabilities to enjoy a totally accessible camping holiday and make new friends who understand their situation. We want to provide all the physical, emotional and practical support needed to make camping not just an experience but a relaxing break for the whole family.
Our camps are held at Ivy farm, Ivy Lane, East Mersea, Colchester, CO5 8US.
If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please email [email protected]
Stacey's Barbers Consett
Hi, my name is Stacey. I am a fully qualified barber and hairdresser with over 16 years’ experience, fully DBS checked, level 1 in sign language and qualifications in understanding autism and people with additional needs as well as a whole heap of experience with families across the spectrum.
Here’s a few things you need to know which help to adapt the appointment to each individual, appointments are necessary for these sessions.
Appointments are adapted to each person. Nobody is made to sit in a chair or sit still and no force is used, as this can just make an individual worse. The session is about building trust and cutting when I can and when they are comfortable to let me. Usually, I let them just play and I work around them. I wouldn’t leave anyone with half a haircut although sometimes I do advise a break if I feel like they are really distressed and need to come back later.
The first session is usually to see how they feel in the room and around me although I will try and cut their hair if I feel like they will let me. It does take time to build trust and work through their issues, this is the same as anything else, so don’t give up and try to stick to keeping appointments regular as this keeps them in a routine. It is 45 minutes for a first appointment and then we can go from there. Some children will drop time straight away and some over the first few sessions.
We take a deposit for every appointment. Appointments will only be confirmed once payment has been made by bank transfer or PayPal. I cannot keep appointments as we are extremely busy. Deposits are non-refundable with anything less than 48 hours’ notice.
The deposit is the full amount of the actual appointment. If a future appointment is booked payment will be required upfront before the next booking is made. First appointments are £20 for a 45-minute session.
Please send a confirmation message once payment has been sent, (I don’t always see payments come through so need a confirmation message). Appointments are not booked in until I have the message. Once your appointment is booked you will be sent some questions which will need to be completed with as much detail as possible and returned as quickly as you can.
Every parent will be sent an update after the child’s appointment and explain any progression or if there’s anything that can be worked on at home to make it easier for their next appointment. It will state the amount of time needed for the next session and advice on how long to leave it between sessions. This will be recorded on individual record cards which will be sent home with each child.
We imagine these slots will fill up quick so please message for any more information or to book a slot during school time. We will have limited appointments after school if parents wish to participate in the sessions, but these are extremely limited.
We have a dedicated sensory room for children/adults on the ASD spectrum and for any other individuals who struggle with getting their haircut. This is based at Stacey’s Barbers which is located in Consett, Co. Durham.
This room is for anyone who struggles with waiting in a busy shop to someone who is genuinely scared of having their hair cut. This is why individual appointments are so necessary.
The room is padded out for safety and has different areas to suit everyone. Sensory boards, bubble lamps and tons of toys are just some of the features we have. There is a separate entrance for this room to avoid a busy shop. This option is available if you would like to book on any other day/time out of school hours.
For any more information please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. All appointments must be booked directly through myself and not the school.
Contact information:
Facebook & Instagram - Stacey’s barbers
Email - [email protected]
Telephone - 01207 775769
PayPal: [email protected]
Bank details for bank transfer are available on request
Please feel free to read our reviews via Facebook and Google to see the progress we make with our amazing clients.
Parenting When Separated
Our new EPEC co-ordinator Laura-Jayne needs some referrals for her Parenting When Separated Programme. Please find on Durham County website. It doesn’t have to be parents who have a case open with us or high level of conflict present-it is just to help them through the separation process so they can co-parent in a more positive way-ultimately for the benefit of their children. It is for parents who are preparing for, going through, or have gone through, a separation or divorce. The programme is for 6 weeks at around 2/2.5 hours a week.
Clarks in Durham Offer Fitting Appointment Service
Cheesy Waffles Project SEN Youth Club
Family Fund Website Offers Laptops
The family fund website are offering laptops and tablets for disabled children. Click here for more information.
Barnardo’s ‘See, Hear, Respond’ service
See, Hear, Respond is a service provided across England by Barnardo’s and other national and local community-based organisations in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
See, Hear, Respond, provides support to children, young people and their families who aren’t currently seeing a social worker or other agency, and who are struggling to cope with the emotional impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19). See, Hear, Respond will support from pre-birth up to 18 years of age and those with special educational needs under the age of 25.
See, Hear, Respond will contact every referral made, so no child is missed. Help is available in one or more of four ways:
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an online hub of support and information
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online counselling and therapy
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face-to-face support for those most affected and at risk of some of today’s most pertinent issues, such as criminal exploitation, and
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helping children and young people reintegrate back into school
You can access via the ‘See, Hear, Respond’ service self-referral webpage or Freephone 0800 151 7015.