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Read the latest news about support, services and events for children and young people with SEND and their families. We will also share updates on how we are improving SEND services and working with families to shape future support.

  • Experts at Hand

    Published:

    Experts at Hand (EaH) is a new approach to making SEND support, advice and expertise easier to access across Torbay.

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    Experts at Hand (EaH) is a new approach to making SEND support, advice and expertise easier to access across Torbay.

    Experts at Hand is part of our wider SEND improvement work.

    It is designed to help education settings get the right advice and specialist support earlier, building the skills of staff.

    It should also help more children and young people with SEND to have their needs met in their local mainstream setting.

    The offer will bring together support from across education, health and care, providing a clearer route to the help that is available.

    This includes training, workshops, advice, practical support and opportunities to work directly with specialist professionals.

    There are three tiers of support:

    Tier 1

    Training, workshops, advice, parent and carer programmes and useful resources for all Torbay schools and wider educational settings.

    Tier 2

    Focused support for particular groups of individuals or school groups in Torbay. This includes:

    • alternative curriculum pathways provided by the Special Partnership Trust
    • whole-school professional development, using a cycle of training provided by Mayfield School
    • Support for learners aged 14-16 at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET)

    Tier 3

    Educational psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists working together in early years settings and schools in Shiphay and Tormohun, with a focus on children and young people who need more specialist support.

    Experts at Hand is a key part of Torbay’s SEND Reform Plan, which aims to expand early intervention and help more children and young people receive effective support within their local communities.

    More information about the programme, including how to access support and book available sessions, will be shared regularly.

    For further information email SENDreforms@torbay.gov.uk.

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  • Fresh new look for our SEND Pledge

    Published:

    Earlier this year, we worked with young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to develop new visual representations of our SEND Pledge.

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    a colourful circular graphic with six segments, each with an illustration from a young person. Wording reads: Our SEND pledge: Be honest, show you we care, be thoughtful, be fair, be kind, be friendly
    Torbay’s new SEND Pledge, as designed by our young people

    Earlier this year, we worked with young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to develop new visual representations of our SEND Pledge.

    This work took place during a series of co-production workshops with young people from Mayfield School, the SEND Youth Forum, Brunel School, South Devon College and SEND Family Voice Torbay.

    They’d previously told us that the pledge needed to be more engaging, accessible and visible.

    They highlighted the need for brighter colours, more visual elements and clearer ways of sharing information about the pledge with children, young people and families.

    In response, we worked with young people to bring the six values of the pledge to life through a set of creative designs that reflect what matters most to them.

    Following the workshops, six final designs were selected, each one representing each of the six values of the SEND Pledge.

    We can now reveal the designs and share the inspiration behind them.

    Meet the young designers of our SEND pledge and look at their designs

    The SEND Pledge is a shared commitment to improve trust, relationships and experiences across the local SEND system.

    It sets out the behaviours and values that professionals working with children, young people and families should demonstrate every day.

    You’ll be seeing a lot more of the pledge in the coming months.

    We’ll be using these designs to show how your feedback is being used by us to make improvements for young people.

    Find out more about the SEND pledge

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  • What has the SEND Youth Forum been up to?

    Published:

    The SEND Youth Forum meets every half term to help shape council services, try new things and have fun! Participation Officer Sarah Evans explains what they’ve been up to recently.

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    The SEND Youth Forum meets every half term to help shape council services, try new things and have fun! Participation Officer Sarah Evans explains what they’ve been up to recently.

    Learning about participation and children’s rights

    Over recent months, we’ve been talking about what participation really means. It’s not just about being asked for your opinion. It’s also about understanding what happens next. 

    Our young people have been learning about things like “closing the loop” – finding out what happens after they share their views, who makes decisions, what changes can happen as a result and why some things may not be able to change. 

    One of the questions we’ve encouraged young people to ask is: 

    “What happened to my feedback?” 

    It’s an important question. When young people can see how their feedback has been used, they understand that their views matter. They can see that participation is more than just being listened to. It’s about having open and honest conversations and building trust. 

    Taleblazers adventures

    We also had a fantastic time at Taleblazers, where young people took part in outdoor activities and challenges. 

    Some chose to work towards bite-sized educational certificates, learning skills such as tree identification and shelter building along the way. These skills are accredited by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)exam board.

    We’re really proud that young people received 13 certificates for their achievements.

    The certificates are a great but the real success has been seeing young people try new things, build confidence and work together.

    A lesson in trust

    One of my personal highlights was being blindfolded and guided through the woods by one of our young people. 

    I had to rely entirely on their instructions as they helped me navigate branches, leaves, uneven ground and other obstacles. I couldn’t see what was ahead and had to trust them to tell me when to step, stop or change direction. 

    It was a simple activity, but it really made me think. 

    It reminded me how often we ask young people to trust the adults around them. We ask them to share their experiences, tell us when things aren’t working, speak up about what’s important to them and trust that we’ll listen. 

    Trust isn’t something we can expect automatically. It has to be earned. 

    And there’s more to come…

    We’re going to be trialling a new Saturday session for our next meeting.

    This will be on Saturday 28 November, from 10am -11:30am, at Chill’d Out Youth Project, Abbey Park, Belgrave Road, Torquay TQ2 5HP. 

    Contact me to book a place by emailing Sarah.Evans2@torbay.gov.uk or calling
    07500 608 141.

    Find out more about the SEND Youth Forum

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  • Praise for SEND parent carer sessions

    Published:

    More than 120 Torbay parent carers joined free neurodiversity workshops, gaining practical advice and support on autism, ADHD, dyslexia and development.

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    Parents who attended a series of free workshops designed to support families have given positive feedback about them.

    More than 120 parent carers from across Torbay attended the online webinars between April and July.

    The workshops, run by SEND Family Voice and Children and Family Health Devon, included topics on autism, dyslexia, ADHD and emotional development.

    The most well-attended was a session on language development.

    Parents reported feeling more knowledgeable after the workshops and said they were a vital and much-needed resource.

    Other comments included:

    • “This was so informative and interesting. I could apply a lot of it to my own life and now I’ll spend some time figuring out how I can help both my sons. One who is neurodivergent and the other neurotypical. Something for everyone in this session! Thank you!”
    • “I had no idea all these resources and apps were available. How amazing.”
    • “This has made me feel supported.”
    • “My kids will definitely benefit from me having attended this course.”

    All who attended said they would return for future sessions.

    There are more sessions running throughout October.

    Book a session

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Date- 10/8/2023

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