Local Services for children & young people with SEND

The information below provides more information about what Carers Support Workers do and the contact list for Carers Support Workers and other support for Carers in Torbay.

Bay Benefits is a sevice offered by Carers Aid Torbay to unpaid carers and their families. Their entitlements advisor will work through the benefits process with unpaid carers.

The service aims to support unpaid carers to fill in benefits  forms such as:

• Carers Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Universal Credit
• childrens Disability Living Allowance

If applications for benefits are turned down, they can also help guide you through the appeal process.

Benefit line:   07530790354
(9.00am until 3.30pm, on Tuesdays and Thursday’s)

The service gets very busy so please contact them for an appointment in good time, as if you leave it to the last minute they may not be able to support you.

Carers Aid Torbay will support any unpaid Carer in Torbay. We offer them advice, help, information, practical and emotional support to alleviate some of the stress created by the responsibilities of caring.

• We can help you get the services you need.
• We listen to your concerns and aim to help you overcome them.
• We walk alongside you, through your most difficult times, and help with an action plan to support you to move forward, at your own pace.

Visit Home | Mysite (carersaidtorbay.co.uk) for more information including contact details and self-referral form.

Devon in Sight offers a range of holistic services for anyone affected by sight loss across Devon. We can provide support to people who are blind or partially sighted, their families, friends and carers.

Our Sight Loss Services focus on four key areas, Information, Advice and Guidance, Independent Living, Health and Wellbeing, and Influencing Change (Making the world a better place for people with sight loss).

Helpline 01392 876 666 (Mon to Friday 10am – 2pm)

Welcome to Devon in Sight – Devon in Sight

Our Early Help Service is available to children and their families and is made up of two types of services that combine in different ways to form Torbay’s Early Help offer.

Here is the link to the assessment portal where you can register and complete an Early Help Assessment

These are universal services and targeted services.

• Universal services include: Post-16 education, schools, early years settings, housing and finance advice and support, family hubs, children’s centres and youth centres, GP surgeries, libraries, maternity services, specialist public health or community nurses and community connectors
• Targeted services include: Early Help Panel, Family support, health professionals, mental health services, special education needs support services, jobcentre plus, school attendance and exclusion support, domestic abuse services, alternative provision, housing services, police, substance misuse services and targeted youth services.

Our Early Help Universal offer covers an umbrella of services which are available to all children and families. Please click here to open more information and how to contact that service.

• Housing & Cost of living surgeries
• Youth Homeless Prevention Service
• Family Group Conference
• Parenting Drop ins
• Parenting Teens Group
• Reducing Parental Conflict/EPIC partnership for whole family support
• Youth Service

The Family Intervention Team offer focused family support to families with complex needs through targeted support. We work flexibly and creatively with parents and their children in their homes and in groups, to increase the skills, confidence and abilities of all family members to live their daily lives in a positive and safe way.Key areas of work:
• To offer emotional and practical support to parents and their families, in their own homes and in the community.
• To offer a whole family / family centred restorative approach to families with emerging and complex needs within a preventative approach.
• We attend meetings, groups and deliver training as requested.
• Develop and build a trusting relationship with the children, young people and parents to help alleviate or break their social isolation and increase capacity and resilience.
• Provide advice and support to families and professionals linking with community resources.
• Communicate and foster positive relationship with our agency partners to ensure best interests of the child and family.

FIT link worker
One FIT worker is linked to each Family Hub. They are available to have conversations and signpost over current worries and support needs your family might be having at the time.

Parenting Support
Various offers of parenting support through face-to-face groups are being offered in the Hubs- please look at our timetable for up to date information on these.

Email:  earlyhelp@torbay.gov.uk
Phone: 01803 208100

Weekly, Thursday evening, term-time club for young people with Autism Spectrum Conditions opperated by Play Torbay.

Also offers drop-in support for parents/carers of children and young people with Autism Spectrum Conditions by SENDIASS Torbay (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities, Information, Advice and Support Service).

Contact Details

Phone:  07508 396282

Email: admin@playtorbay.org.uk

Using this directory of online tools and resources you can filter information by type of audience and by topic.

SEND Family Voice Torbay is an independent Parent Carer Forum recognised by the Department of Education. 

We are a small, independent, passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to listening and responding positively to the views of parents and carers of SEND children and young people.  Our aim is to make life just that little bit easier by providing mutual support and exchanging information through to influencing policy and practice. We receive an annual grant from the Department for Education, to strengthen and sustain parent carer participation.

SEND Family Voice Torbay work with Torbay Council, the local NHS and other partners to help bring about improvements in SEND services and say hearing from local families vital.

We want to listen to and respond to the needs of parents for our SEND children and young people helping them access services and co-produce a positive change in the planning, commissioning, delivery and review of services. Championing the voice of parents and carers and ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard at every level. This means your voice!

We aim to use our collective voice for change by working co-productively with Torbay Council and other agencies to improve communication and remove barriers for the benefit of SEND families in Torbay. We are welcoming being part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, which brings together over 150 parent carer forums in England. Together, these local forums reach over 80,000 families.

Contact Details

Facebook: SEND Family Voice Torbay | Paignton | Facebook

Email: admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com

Website: Family Voice Torbay

Office: Parkfield House, Paignton.

The Supporting Families Programme is a Government funded initiative that has been running since 2015.

When families experience a lot of challenges all at once these can be the most difficult times for them. The Supporting Families programme is aimed at working with families at these times by providing targeted interventions for families with complex problems. These problems might include the following:-

• Unemployment and financial instability,
• Poor school attendance,
• Mental and physical health problems,
• Involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour,
• Domestic abuse and poor family relationships,
• Children who are at risk of abuse and exploitation,
• Substance misuse and insecure housing.

The four key principles of Supporting Families is helping you at the earliest possible time you experience a problem, working with your whole family, working with other agencies in partnership who can provide different types of support to you, and ensuring we make a real difference to you and your children.

The Supporting Families programme in Torbay is delivered via the Early Help Partnership. For more information click on the link, speak to a Family Hub worker or contact us by clicking here.

The Torbay Comunity Helpline is open to the people of Torbay to request help, volunteer their assistance or refer anyone they believe/know needs help.

Examples of what we provide support with include (but aren’t limited to) financial advice, mental health support, foodbank referrals and befriending, all provided by a number of community groups and statutory services around Torbay.

Helpline: 01803 446022

• Weekdays: 10am-1pm & 3-6pm
• Saturdays: 11:30am-12:30pm
• Sundays: Closed
• Bank holidays: Closed on most bank holidays, hours may vary around Christmas & New Year’s

Activities and support for individuals with learning disabilities and their families.

Explore what financial support you can get through welfare benefits and grants based on your circumstances.

Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially. 

Tackling Financial Insecurity Together | Turn2us

Does someone rely on you? Are you an unpaid carer?

Lots of people care or support their relatives or friends. They may help with shopping or meals, attending appointments with them, or just making sure that they are alright. They may not see themselves as a carer or know about the support available to them.

Being a carer is really important and we want to help them, and the people they care for. Our commitment to this is in our carers policy, and in our action plan which will help us to achieve this.

Torbay Carers Service – Torbay and South Devon NHS FT

Contact us to see how we can support you in your caring role. 

We offer: 

• Free Health and Wellbeing Checks 
• A free flu jab each year 
• Links to Carer Support Workers and Carer Support Groups
• Discounts, finance and benefits advice 
• Free Hospital Parking* *Conditions apply

For more details, ask your Carer Support Worker, call 01803 66 66 20, or email signposts@nhs.net

Ask us about a free Carer’s Passport

Torbay Carers Service

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Paignton Library

Paignton

TQ4 5AG

Provides social support and access to information and guidance for parents and carers of young people who have a recognised disability, additional need or are awaiting diagnosis.

07796470009
https://tissuesandissues.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1998466853749511/
tissuesandissues@outlook.com

We provide impartial information, advice and support to parents/carers & children/young people in relation to special educational needs and/or disability issues for children/young people aged 0-25. 

Working across education, health and social care our officers provide confidential and impartial advice, as well as ensuring that parents and carers’ views are heard and understood and that they understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.

SENDIASS Torbay supports parents through a range of ways including phone or email contact and face to face meetings. We have recently started running coffee mornings for Parents to be able to share thier experience and learning with each other and gain new information from us and other professional invited speakers. (Please see the flyer, attached within the downloads section on the right hand side of this webpage, for more information including dates, times and venues)

We also provide a signposting service to direct parents and carers towards the organisations that is best suited to help them, ensuring that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their child’s future.

SENDIASS Torbay can support parents and carers and children or young people in any of the following areas:

• Preparing for and  attending meetings with schools, local authorities and other professionals
• We have a confidential telephone helpline, with answering service in case we are unable to answer your call first time. We aim to return all messages within 2 working days.
• Helping to write official letters and complete forms
• Explaining the meaning of official documents
• Assisting in the statutory assessment process
• Referral to the correct organisation or contact

We can provide advice on

• The Special Educational Needs (SEN) systems and processes
• SEN provision in schools
• The statutory assessment process
• Education and Health Care Plans
• Annual reviews
• Transitions
• Transport
• Specialist provision/support services
•  Appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
•  Disagreement resolution services
•  Local policies
•  SEN code of practice

Any service provided by SENDIASS ensures complete confidentiality for each individual case, we only take direct referrals from parents/carers & children/young people, or from a professional on thier behalf. We only make contact with a parent/carer or child/young person if it has been agreed that we can do so, and we have a dedicated confidential enquiry line. We can and will liase with other professionals on your behalf, with prior written consent. Contact us to find out more about how you can get involved.

Contact:

Phone: 01803 207884 (inquiry line open 10am – 2pm Mon – Fri and 24 hour answerphone facility)

Email: sendiass@torbay.gov.uk

Sendiass Torbay | Torquay | Facebook

Website: Sendiass Torbay | Torbay

The EYAT for Inclusion supports all Early Years practitioners and setting Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in private, voluntary and independent Early Years settings in Torbay.   

Inclusion support takes the form of training, advice and guidance around individual children’s needs and the early years setting’s inclusive practices.

We are a specialist service that supports both the Local Authority (LA) and schools to understand and increase the educational achievement of all children and young people within Torbay.

We have a team that includes fully qualified Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists and interns, who are psychology undergraduates gaining work experience within the service.

We carry out Statutory and core work as directed and paid for by the LA:

• Provide EP advice as part of an EHC assessment
• Provide assessments and reports for annual reviews
• Attend Annual Reviews
• Undertake assessments of young people over 16 in further education
• Monitor the implementation of EHCPs and providing advice to schools where necessary to ensure the plan is being properly implemented (Advisory Teacher)
• Monitor specialist provisions
• Provide support for schools at times of crisis

We also carry out other tasks as directed and paid for by schools or others as traded services:

• Training
• Assessment of individual children unless expressly directed to do so by the LA
• Observations and advice
• Support for school staff and staff surgeries
• Advice around classroom practice
• Direct intervention with individuals
• Consultation and reviews within SEN support
• Parent drop-in sessions

You may also wish to see Resources produced by Torbay Educational Psychology to support schools.

Working with Schools

The Consultation Approach

We operate through a consultation model of service delivery. A consultation meeting is a problem-solving meeting which values the knowledge and skills of everyone present. These are also the people that know the child well. Through this meeting the child’s strengths are celebrated, concerns are shared and plans to promote the best way forward are devised. Actions are agreed by everyone to create a positive change.

This means that after initial discussions with parents/teachers and possible assessment work with a child any interventions/recommended courses of action are usually undertaken, not by us, but by someone close to the child such as the child’s teacher, a member of the school support staff or the parents.

We provide the advice, support and training to assist:

• Parents of both primary and secondary-age children.
• Schools and parents of pupils with Special Educational Needs when those children are due to transfer to secondary school.
• Looked after children attending school in Torbay.
• Schools regarding pupils who may be at risk of an exclusion as well as those returning after an exclusion.
• Children who are receiving ‘Education other than at school’, for instance those pupils attending a ‘Assessment Centre’
• The in depth assessments and written advice required for children undergoing Statutory Assessment.

We also deliver and support:

• INSET opportunities for teachers, other professional colleagues, governors and parents.
• Other courses, forums, and an annual conference for Special Educational Needs Coordinator’ s (SENCO’s) to promote their continued professional development

For more information please see Traded Services Brochure, also embeded at the bottom of this webpage.

Referal forms for schools & early years settings:

• Service request referral form – Service request form for Educational Psychology
• Access arrangements referral form – Consent for access arrangements (Only)
• Early Years Settings Referral form for Educational Psychology – Service request form for Educational Psychology

Information for Parents

Every school has the support of an Educational Psychologist, who is a specialist on how children and young people develop and learn. Schools have to buy this service to meet their responsibilities. As schools are free to choose how they spend their budgets to best effect we do not necessarily provide the same range of services to all schools as it depends on what they included in their contract with our service.

We work with schools and provide them with support, advice and training.

We also assess the needs of children who may be having difficulty with their learning and development. Advice is offered to the parents, pre-school, school and the Local Authority about a child’s special educational needs and ways in which to help them. Only our statutory and core work is directed by the Local authority rather than bought in by schools.

If parents are concerned that their child may have special educational needs they should speak first to the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) at the pre-school or school setting. They will be able to intervene and monitor progress. If the difficulties persist the SENCo, with parental agreement, will ask for further advice from the Educational Psychology Service.

• Informed Consent
  we only work directly with children and young people with a parent/carer’s permission after agreeing the need to do so with the child’s pre-school/school.
• Parenting Courses
  we assist some pre-schools and schools in running parenting courses
• Statutory assessment process
  A statutory assessment of a child’s Special Educational Needs may be undertaken if there is evidence that the needs may exceed those that can be provided for within the school’s resources or expertise. The SEN department has specific criteria for deciding whether such an assessment should be undertaken. As a result of statutory assessment, the authority may decide to make additional provision in some cases and issue an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. Parents of children with Special Educational Needs have the same rights as other parents, to choose where their child should be educated. However, in deciding where needs are best met the SEN department of the local authority must consider the efficient use of resources. In most cases this means that children are educated in mainstream schools where their parents would normally have sent them, with additional resources or support provided by the local authority. However a very small minority of children will be offered places in specialist schools.

When Children are under 5 years old the pre-school SENCo can also ask advice from the Early Years Inclusion Service. If your child is very young and you are worried about their development, a discussion with your allocated Health Visitor or Doctor would also be advisable.

Careers in Educational Psychology

From September 2006 the training route for those wishing to become an Educational Psychologist changed from a one year masters program to a three year doctoral training course, with a two year in-service placement.

Entrants to the new Educational Psychology PhD training course require a BPS accredited Psychology degree (usually a 1st or 2:1) and 1-2 years experience of working with children and young people.

For more information contact:

• The Association of Educational Psychologists 
• The British Psychological Society 

We are often contacted by and encourage people wishing to gain experience in this field to contact us. However, for practical reasons as well as those of confidentiality we are only able to offer a very small number of work experience placements each year.

Traded Services Brochure

Qualified Habilitation Specialist who works with children and young people (0-18 years) with a visual impairment. They can help your child develop a broad range of skills, including early years development, independent life skills and moving around (orientation & mobility). They assess all of your child’s needs and deliver a holistic program to cater to them. They will often work closely with other professionals, as well as you as the parents, to ensure your child receives the right support across the board. They offer support in the home, nursery, school, college and in the local community and they will often work closely with your child’s QTVI to support their key transitions into and through education.

Referrals for a Habilitation assessment for a child living in Torbay are made via a referral to Torbay’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for the Children with Disability (CWD) Team to make arrangements with Guide Dogs with whom Torbay has a contract for Habilitation assessments and support.

Early Years Inclusion

We support all practitioners and Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinators (SENDCOS) supporting young children with SEND living in Torbay, in early years settings.

Inclusion support takes the form of training, advice and guidance around individual children, inclusive provision and inclusive practice.

Getting Support:

• Graduated Approach Pathway for Early Years Settings – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Torbay Early Years Graduated Approach Toolkit (TEYGAT) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• SEND Resources – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Paperwork to support Early Years Graduated Approach – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Early Years additional funding for children with SEND (Activity Led Funding for Inclusion ALFI and Disability Access Fund DAF) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)

SENDCO Support:

• Practice Guidance for Early Years Setting SENDCOs – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Graduated Approach Pathway for Early Years Settings – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Targeted Interventions for SEND Support (SEN Early Years) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
• Early Years Transition Charter and timeline (currently under production – link will be added soon)
• Early Years SENDCO Forums are held each term, which are accessible both in person and online, bookable through Torbay ilearn. Welcome to iLearn!: Log in to the site (learningpool.com)

Contact:

Tel: 01803 207895

Email: earlyyearssend@torbay.gov.uk

Outreach services have been developed to support the inclusion of pupils with a range of needs in all Torbay schools, including special schools and provisions.

Refferal forms and information for schools:

• Download the Mayfield School outreach referral form
• Download the Mayfield School outreach parental consent form
• Download Protocol for Mayfield School Outreach Service with Schools

Please see Mayfield Services | Mayfield School Torbay (mayfieldtorbay.org) for infomation on training courses and profesional development services also offered.

SEND Family Voice Torbay is an independent Parent Carer Forum recognised by the Department of Education. 

We are a small, independent, passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to listening and responding positively to the views of parents and carers of SEND children and young people.  Our aim is to make life just that little bit easier by providing mutual support and exchanging information through to influencing policy and practice. We receive an annual grant from the Department for Education, to strengthen and sustain parent carer participation.

SEND Family Voice Torbay work with Torbay Council, the local NHS and other partners to help bring about improvements in SEND services and say hearing from local families vital.

We want to listen to and respond to the needs of parents for our SEND children and young people helping them access services and co-produce a positive change in the planning, commissioning, delivery and review of services. Championing the voice of parents and carers and ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard at every level. This means your voice!

We aim to use our collective voice for change by working co-productively with Torbay Council and other agencies to improve communication and remove barriers for the benefit of SEND families in Torbay. We are welcoming being part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, which brings together over 150 parent carer forums in England. Together, these local forums reach over 80,000 families.

Contact Details

Facebook: SEND Family Voice Torbay | Paignton | Facebook

Email: admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com

Website: Family Voice Torbay

Office: Parkfield House, Paignton.

The Hearing Support Service provides specialist support and advice to families, schools and settings to meet the needs of children and young people with hearing impairment.

Pupils with a Hearing Impairment (HI) range from those with a mild hearing loss to those who are profoundly deaf and they cover the whole ability range. For educational purposes a child would be regarded as hearing impaired if they require hearing aids, adaptations to their environment and/or particular teaching strategies in order to access the concepts and language of the curriculum. Some pupils with a HI may also have an additional disability or learning difficulty. A hearing loss may be conductive or sensorineural and is measured on a decibel scale. Four categories are used: mild, moderate, severe or profound. Some pupils may communicate through signing instead of, or as well as, speech.

The following audiometric descriptors are used to describe the severity of a hearing loss. These are the British Society of Audiology Guidelines for Audiological descriptors:

The Service is staffed by 3 part-time advisory teachers. These teachers are experienced teachers with an additional qualification in working with children and young people who have hearing difficulties.  They also have British Sign language skills to level 2 or 3. They have specialist knowledge of the audiological equipment that is used to help with hearing loss and classroom acoustics, as well as an understanding of the affects a hearing loss may have on learning and development.

You may also wish to see our Hearing Impairment Resources

Who does our Service provide for?

The Hearing Support Team provides support for any child who lives in Torbay and has a confirmed diagnosis of a hearing loss that requires use of a hearing aid. They work with these children regardless of whether or not they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

If your family live in Torbay but your child attends an independent school or a school outside of the Local Authority you cannot access regular support from the hearing support team. However, if your child is in an Independent school and has an EHC plan for hearing loss continued support may be made to your child for the specialist support that the school cannot offer.

How can the hearing support service be accessed?

Referrals to the Service come from the audiologists or ENT consultants at Torbay Hospital or occasionally from Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCo’s) within schools or pre-school settings.

We do not have a referral form.

What happens following referral?

At Pre-school level

An advisory teacher will phone or email and arrange a visit to the home.

At School level

Advisory teachers only work directly with children and young people with written permission from a parent/carer.  Once permission has been gained the advisory teacher will arrange a time to see the child or young person in school and meet with the child or young person’s teacher. Parents are welcome to attend this meeting if they would like to.

Following the visit a report will be written in which there will be advice for management of the hearing loss within the school setting and a recommendation for the next visit and the frequency of subsequent visits. Input from the Hearing Support Team will vary depending on the need of the child at the time.  The frequency with which individual pupils are visited is determined by a nationally accepted eligibility criteria.

How advisory teachers work with children.

The advisory teachers work closely with audiologists and ENT consultants at Torbay Hospital, parents, teachers and staff in early years settings.

Advisory teachers offer advice and guidance on a range of issues appropriate to a child or young person’s age and needs.

This information may cover:

• Audiological issues
• Hearing aids
• Ideas for play
• Language development
• Information on pre-school and school provision
• Hearing strategies
• Communication and language development – The impact of language delay as a result of impaired hearing
• Cognition (how they experience the world and learn)
• Support and liaison with other professionals

Work at pre-school level

From the point of diagnosis of a hearing loss, parents/carers are offered a visit from the advisory teachers to the home.  The frequency of these visits will be determined through discussion with the parents.

Visits to the home will cover a wide variety of activities such as:

• Working together to promote language development
• Monitoring language development
• Helping parents make informed choices about communication options
• Helping parents develop basic signing skills where appropriate
• Signposting parents to events/ courses that may be of interest
• Helping with benefits claims such as disability living allowance (DLA)
• Linking families with other families with hearing impaired children
• Helping parents in their choice of pre-school/ school placements
• Supporting families through the process of statutory assessment where applicable

In addition to this advisory teachers may attend audiology appointments with families, provide training for pre-school settings and childminders, and support transition into pre-school/school.

Work at school age

Advisory teachers work closely with SENCOs in schools and provide training for staff on deaf awareness and use of equipment. They also give advice on ways to improve a hearing impaired child’s access to the curriculum.  They may do some direct teaching with individual pupils. This could be for a focussed period of time or on a weekly basis, depending on need.

Audiological Equipment

The Hearing Support Team will loan out devices such as ALDs (assistive listening devices) and soundfield systems, if it is felt, through assessment, that a child would benefit from this equipment.

We provide support for schools/pre-school settings in the use and maintenance of personal hearing aids and Cochlear Implants.

Other educational provision for children and young people with a hearing loss within Torbay

Many of the children and young people with hearing loss within Torbay attend their local school where they are supported by an advisory teacher. The advisory teachers work within geographical areas and cover all Local Authority schools within Torbay.

For some children and young people with severe and profound hearing losses and occasionally children with moderate hearing losses, the levels of support schools are able to provide may not be considered adequate to support a child’s needs. If this is the case the child may be able to access an enhanced provision.

What is an enhanced provision?

An enhanced provision is a mainstream school that employs additional staff with specialist qualifications and skills to work with hearing impaired pupils. This is usually a teacher with a specialist qualification for teaching children with hearing impairments aswell as specialist teaching assistants.  The staff at the enhanced provisions have a sound knowledge of specialist equipment, qualifications in BSL and skills in other communication tools such as Cued Speech.

Within Torbay we have two enhanced provisions:

• St. Margaret’s school in Torquay www.stmargaretstorbay.org.uk, for primary aged children
• The Spires College in Torquay www.thespirescollege.com for secondary school pupils. 

Places at these schools are controlled by the Local Authority.  Priority for places is given first to those pupils who have an EHCP for their hearing impairment.

What is Portage?

Portage is a home teaching service for families with pre-school children who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). The success and popularity of Portage is based on the premise that it promotes parents/carers as the key figures in the development of their child.

The Torbay Portage Service is a 5 Star accredited educational support service, providing home visiting for families with pre-school children who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). 

Portage aims to enable parents/carers to become effective teachers of their own children using evidence based interventions and teaching strategies. All Portage Home Visitors (PHV) are key workers, co-ordinating family-focused services. The Torbay Portage Service is a registered service with the National Portage Association (NPA). All Portage Home Visitors are qualified in special educational needs and have undertaken specific Portage training associated with the NPA.

The Portage aims are:

• to develop a quality of life and experience, for families and their children;
• to create an environment where families can learn and play together
• to support families to minimise the barriers to ensure they can be included in their local communities.

What do Torbay parents/carers think about Portage?

“Portage have provided us with the most valuable guidance and techniques, from support and guidance throughout the EHCP process, to communication strategies, and different ways to deal with challenging behaviour, plus more”

Who is Eligible for Portage Support?

To be able to access Torbay Portage Service you:

• must live in Torbay and
• have a child that is aged 0-3.5 years old who is significantly delayed in two or more areas of development.  One of these areas must be Cognition and Learning Development.    

Cognitive development is how children develop thinking skills, such as attention, concentration, and memory. Children with delays in their cognition and learning development will need their environment adapted to support progress.  Adults may notice that a child with a cognitive and learning delay are often solitary in their play, will use various forms of communication rather than speech and need higher levels of support with self-care activities.  There may also be physical and sensory differences to other children. (please seek advice from a professional that is known to you and your child if you are unsure of this).

How does Portage support families?

The Torbay Portage Home Visiting Service is made up of 3 qualified and experienced professionals who support children and families on their unique journeys of raising children with special educational needs and disabilities. 

Families will be assigned to a reliable and consistent Home Visitor, that will work in partnership with parents and carers to identify their child’s areas of strength and support (baseline), identifying long term goals and break them into small, achievable steps (the ‘small step approach’).

During visits, time will be dedicated to child-led play, structured teaching and family focussed discussion.  Time will be spent getting to know the child, what interests them and how best they learn new skills. The family will be given activities and strategies to practice and enjoy between home visits.

Home visitors will work flexibly and sensitively to ensure that the information you have regarding your child’s SEND, is relevant and presented in a way you can understand.  They will work in partnership with other professionals involved with your child in an holistic, child-led approach to learning and development.  Home Visitors will support the child and family as they move into their chosen Early Years Setting.

Home visitors will liaise with other people involved with the child and prepare a shared plan of support. The plan will be broken down into small steps with an appropriate set of activities. These will include the child’s known interests to ensure the teaching and learning is fun and enjoyable. The staff at the child’s early years provision will be included in practising the activities in the plan. The support plan is reviewed regularly together.

Home visits may include face to face visits, virtual communication such as Zoom or telephone calls.  All interaction will aim to cover the following:

• A holistic assessment of the child’s development using Early Years assessment tools, child observation, parent views and current health assessments
• Identification of parental key priorities in terms of their child’s learning and/or any care-coordination or signposting needs
• Modelling of play activities and strategies with parents to support their key priorities in their child’s learning and development

Depending on your child’s needs, the Home Visitors will facilitate the Educational Health and Care Plan process with you, supporting you to ensure Requests for Statutory Assessment are completed in good time. 

Who can refer me to the Portage Service?

Referrals can be made from:

• Health Visitors
• Paediatricians
• The Child Development Centre
• Child care providers (Nurseries, Childminders, Preschools)
• Parents

Download the Portage referral form

Pathway flowchart for Portage Home Visiting 0-3 ½ years age

Contact Details:

Telephone:   01803 208579

Email:   portageteam@torbay.gov.uk

Torbay Portage Service | Facebook

Related services   

• Early Years Advisory Teacher (EYAT) for Inclusion
• Educational Psychology & Specialist Teaching Service (TEPATS)
• Schools and learning – Torbay Council
• SENDIASS
• Contact your public health nursing team – Health Visitor

Links to other websites

• National Portage Association
• Torbay SEND Local Offer
• Cognition & Learning (SEND Early Years Resources)
• Communication & Interaction (SEND Early Years Resources)
• Physical & Sensory needs (SEND Early Years Resources)
• Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEND Early Years Resources)
• Home Learning Environment and Early Years Service – Early Years Inclusion
• Early Years additional funding for children with SEND (ALFI and DAF)
• National Autistic Society
• NASEN
• Makaton Charity
• Cerebra

The Torbay SEND team are responsible for:

• Processing EHC needs assessment
• Issuing EHCP’s when required to meet a child or young person’s identified SEND
• Securing shcool places named on EHCP’s
• Managing admissions to Special School and Enhanced Resourse placements
• Monitoring the progress of children and young people with EHCP’s via the Annual Review process
• Amending EHCP’s and school placements where appropriate
• Ceasing EHCPs when children or young people no longer require them

The Torbay SEND team work closely with parents and carers, as required, thoughout these tasks, and also when any difficulties arise for children and young people with an EHCP.

For information about how and when they process information please see Privacy notices for the activities carried out by Children’s Services in Torbay

Who to contact

Telephone: 01803 208274

Email: ehcp@torbay.gov.uk

Website: https://www.torbay.gov.uk/send-services/

Torbay Visual Impairment (VI) Service has been developed to provide specialist support and advice to all Torbay’s Local Authority early years settings and schools, including special schools and provisions. The service supports the inclusion of pupils with visual impairments in all these settings.

The referrals are managed by the Local Authority Torbay SEND team and are sent to the VI Advisory Teacher. Pupils can also be referred directly to the VI Advisory Teacher by the ophthalmology department at Torbay Hospital. As necessary, this will be followed by a visit from the VI Advisory Teacher.

The Service is, at present, staffed by one part-time advisory teacher. This teacher is an experienced teacher with an additional degree in working with children and young people with VI.  This includes a qualification in Grade Two Braille and knowledge and experience of access technology that supports the learning of both Modified Large Print (MLP) users and Braillists in their setting.

Who does the Service support?

The VI Service provides support for any pupil who lives in Torbay or is at school in a local authority Torbay School and has a confirmed diagnosis of a VI. The Service works with these pupils regardless of whether they have an Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP).

Referrals are usually made by school or pre-school and must include parental consent.

Download the visual impairment service referral form

What happens following a referral?

The VI Advisory Teacher will contact the school or pre-school to arrange a preliminary meeting with either the SENDCO or the class teacher. Once permission has been gained from the parent/guardian the VI Advisory Teacher will arrange a time to see the pupil in school if deemed appropriate. Referrals should include written parental consent. Parents are welcome to attend the school to meet with the VI Advisory Teacher if they would like to. The VI Advisory Teacher also works collaboratively with a variety of services such as the educational psychologists, portage & the hearing support service and if a joint visit is appropriate that may be carried out at this stage or later in the process.

During the initial or subsequent visits the VI Advisory Teacher may observe during a lesson or 1:1 session, talk to the pupil outside the classroom, meet with the class teacher and/or SENDCO and/or TA and/or Head Teacher, carry out a Functional Vision Assessment (FVA) or observe during breaktime or lunch time.

Following the visit, a report will be written in which there will be advice for the school (and the pupil if appropriate) and a recommendation for the next visit and the frequency of subsequent visits. Input from the VI Advisory Teacher will vary depending on the need of the pupil at the time.  The frequency with which individual pupils are visited is determined by their need.

How the VI Advisory Teacher works with schools and pupils

The VI Advisory Teacher works closely with Torbay Hospital Ophthalmology Department, the Habilitation Team, parents, teachers and pupils in all settings. Advice and guidance on a range of VI issues appropriate to a pupil’s age and needs are offered to professionals, parents and pupils. This advice may cover classroom practice, technology, reprographics support and advice, training in support best practice, VI awareness training for staff and pupils and Braille teaching & support. Annual EHCP reviews will be attended either virtually or in person where it is helpful & practical to do so.

Contact Visual impairment service

• Rosey.James@​torbay.gov.uk
• 07393 802534

CSW Group provides free information, advice, guidance and support to people of all ages to help them to enter work and learning.

The service for 13-19 year olds also provides support up to the age of 25 for young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities.

Also offer free information in learning and work to anyone aged 19 and over, helping improve career prospects by learning new skills, retraining or gaining new qualifications.

They also support vulnerable groups during this time of transition.

CSW Advice and Guidance Service

CSW Group offer a free transition advice and guidance to all Y11 students who have Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP) or are electively home educated (EHE)

The Transitions service aims to:

• Encourage achievement and raise aspirations
• Remove barriers to education
• Ensure understanding of future options and provide practical support in applying to and accessing these options
• Support transitions for Young People in line with Peninsula Local Authorities transition protocols
• Ensure a smooth, successful and sustained transition to post-16 learning whether remaining in a sixth form or moving on

Independent Travel Training is a free scheme which has been set up by Children’s Services at Torbay Council. Our Independent Travel Training programme provides targeted support for Children and Young People with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Our Trainer works with students from mainstream and special schools, education other than at school, and colleges of further education.

The scheme aims to support Children and Young People with SEND throughout Torbay, as they learn how to develop the skills required for safe and successful, independent travel between home and school. We use a Total Communication approach to support successful interaction, providing a range of communication aids throughout training, suited to the needs of the Trainee.

The Independent Travel Training programme will include road safety awareness, accurately telling the time, handling money, how to use a bus/train pass, appropriate social behaviour, stranger danger, location identification, strategies for solving problems and overcoming barriers, and any other issues that might arise.

If your Child or Young Person currently travels to school or college on assisted transport and would like to travel on their own, then our Independent Travel Trainer could help.

Benefits of our Independent Travel Training programme include:

• Children and Young People develop skills to travel independently and without fear, between home and school or college.
• Learning core travel skills on a familiar route is an excellent foundation from which to support independence for their future, such as travelling to work, or social and leisure activities.
• Less dependency on friends and family and greater autonomy.
• Providing preparatory one-to-one or group training in a school or college setting.
• Children and Young People are prepared for safer and more confident engagement with the community by becoming more independent.
• Parents and carers are reassured that their child is being supported to become more independent.

We provide a person-centred approach, before any training commences our Independent Travel Trainer will liaise closely with the Trainee and their support circle including Parents/Carers, Tutors and Social Workers to gain an understanding of how to tailor the programme to best suit the needs of the Trainee.

If you would like your child to take part in this scheme, or for more information, please contact ITT@Torbay.gov.uk

We provide impartial information, advice and support to parents/carers & children/young people in relation to special educational needs and/or disability issues for children/young people aged 0-25. 

Working across education, health and social care our officers provide confidential and impartial advice, as well as ensuring that parents and carers’ views are heard and understood and that they understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.

SENDIASS Torbay supports parents through a range of ways including phone or email contact and face to face meetings. We have recently started running coffee mornings for Parents to be able to share thier experience and learning with each other and gain new information from us and other professional invited speakers. (Please see the flyer, attached within the downloads section on the right hand side of this webpage, for more information including dates, times and venues)

We also provide a signposting service to direct parents and carers towards the organisations that is best suited to help them, ensuring that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their child’s future.

SENDIASS Torbay can support parents and carers and children or young people in any of the following areas:

• Preparing for and  attending meetings with schools, local authorities and other professionals
• We have a confidential telephone helpline, with answering service in case we are unable to answer your call first time. We aim to return all messages within 2 working days.
• Helping to write official letters and complete forms
• Explaining the meaning of official documents
• Assisting in the statutory assessment process
• Referral to the correct organisation or contact

We can provide advice on

• The Special Educational Needs (SEN) systems and processes
• SEN provision in schools
• The statutory assessment process
• Education and Health Care Plans
• Annual reviews
• Transitions
• Transport
• Specialist provision/support services
•  Appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
•  Disagreement resolution services
•  Local policies
•  SEN code of practice

Any service provided by SENDIASS ensures complete confidentiality for each individual case, we only take direct referrals from parents/carers & children/young people, or from a professional on thier behalf. We only make contact with a parent/carer or child/young person if it has been agreed that we can do so, and we have a dedicated confidential enquiry line. We can and will liase with other professionals on your behalf, with prior written consent. Contact us to find out more about how you can get involved.

Contact:

Phone: 01803 207884 (inquiry line open 10am – 2pm Mon – Fri and 24 hour answerphone facility)

Email: sendiass@torbay.gov.uk

Sendiass Torbay | Torquay | Facebook

Website: Sendiass Torbay | Torbay

The service is provided to adults who suffer from a wide range of communication disorders, as follows:

• Speech and language disorders secondary to stroke, head injury, or progressive neurological disease, and carcinoma of head and neck.
• Voice disorders including laryngectomy.
• Disorders of fluency.
• Communication disorder secondary to severe learning disabilities.
• Disorders of chewing and swallowing resulting from stroke, head injury, progressive neurological disease and carcinoma of the head and neck and learning difficulties.

Adult’s Speech and Language Therapy – Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Wellbeing | Young Devon

Self Help Techniques and Advice for Managing Anxiety YOUNG DEVON

We are a team of specialist children’s nurses and specialist nursery nurses who provide assessment, treatment, support and advice for children and young people with bladder and/or bowel difficulties.

We are based in Exeter and provide community-based clinics in Devon and Torbay.

We specialise in the treatment of:

• Day and night time wetting
• Constipation and soiling
• Delayed toilet training for children with additional needs

We provide continence promotion, and healthy bladder and bowel advice for children with additional needs. We see and assess children who are eligible for continence products because of a learning or physical disability.

We also advise parents, pre-schools and schools about specialist treatments, such as intermittent catheterisation and anal irrigation to help manage their children’s bladder and bowel.

Referrals can be made through your GP, Health Visitor, School Nurse or a Social Worker.

Telephone: 01392 208044

Children & Family Health Devon provide health services for children, young people and families across Devon. Our hope is that our services help children and young people to feel healthy, happy and safe.

The services they offer are:

• Specialist School Nurses
• Autism Spectrum Assessment Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) 
• Children in Care Service
• Community Children’s Nursing Service 
• Devon Early Years Complex Needs Service
• Learning Disability Team 
• Occupational Therapy
• Palliative Care
• Specialist Children’s Assessment Centres (SCAC)
• Speech and Language Therapy

Exercises to help improve your balance

Using the exercise ball to improve your core stability

Advanced ball exercises to improve your core stability

More ball exercises to improve your core stability

Managing activity levels in chronic fatigue syndrome

4 – point kneel exercises to improve your core stability

What is postural management and why is it important?

Supportive seating as part of a child’s 24 hour postural management programme

Supportive standing as part of a 24 hour postural management programme

Sleep systems as part of a postural management programme

Simple stretches for your child’s legs

Splints and footwear for children

Normal variations in children’s walking (Flat feet)

Normal variations in children’s walking (Toe walking)

Normal variations in children’s walking (In-toeing)

Occupational Therapists work with children and young people, parents/carer(s) and teachers to find solutions to minimise the difficulties they face and help them to get the most from life.  We support children and young people with physical, sensory, developmental, cognitive and social needs that affect their functional abilities and have an impact on their daily life. When a child or young person is referred to us we work in partnership with parents and with other healthcare and education professionals with whom the child or young person has a relationship, because we recognise that parents and carers know their child or young person best.

We’ll help to identify a child or young person’s difficulties in their daily life by assessing their needs, using play and purposeful activities to help them achieve their goals and become as independent as possible. We’ll also assess for and provide equipment and adaptions to maximise children and young people’s independence.

Occupational Therapy – Children and Family Health has links to tools and strategies that can be used at home to help and support children and young people who have difficulties which might require help from Occupational Therapists. We ask that these tools and strategies are used for two to three months before making a Request for Service unless you are requesting equipment or adaptations.

You will need to submit evidence that the appropriate strategies and activities have been completed, according to need, with your request for the Occupational Therapy Service.

Learn how the NHS and CARE working with communities and local organisations will improve people’s lives through Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships.

This video explains how the Health and Social Care Act is allowing things to change.

This video explains more about One Devon and how changes are being made.

SEND Family Voice Torbay is an independent Parent Carer Forum recognised by the Department of Education. 

We are a small, independent, passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to listening and responding positively to the views of parents and carers of SEND children and young people.  Our aim is to make life just that little bit easier by providing mutual support and exchanging information through to influencing policy and practice. We receive an annual grant from the Department for Education, to strengthen and sustain parent carer participation.

SEND Family Voice Torbay work with Torbay Council, the local NHS and other partners to help bring about improvements in SEND services and say hearing from local families vital.

We want to listen to and respond to the needs of parents for our SEND children and young people helping them access services and co-produce a positive change in the planning, commissioning, delivery and review of services. Championing the voice of parents and carers and ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard at every level. This means your voice!

We aim to use our collective voice for change by working co-productively with Torbay Council and other agencies to improve communication and remove barriers for the benefit of SEND families in Torbay. We are welcoming being part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, which brings together over 150 parent carer forums in England. Together, these local forums reach over 80,000 families.

Contact Details

Facebook: SEND Family Voice Torbay | Paignton | Facebook

Email: admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com

Website: Family Voice Torbay

Office: Parkfield House, Paignton.

School nurses are the key people linking education and health and take over from the health visitor when children start school, and are there to support them until they leave school at 19.

Our Health Visitors will support you in getting your child ready for primary school. They will provide guidance on arranging pre-school immunisations and advice about healthy eating, toileting, hand washing, etc. At five years your child moves to the care of our School Nurses.

School Nurses are qualified nurses who have specialist training in Public Health and offer support to children and their families throughout the school year as part of the Healthy Child Programme 5-19. Some screenings and immunisations are provided through schools. If your child is home educated and you would like some advice from the school nurse, please do contact us.

Public Health Nurses are qualified nurses that work alongside Health Visitors, School Nurses, Community Nursery Nurses.

Community Nursery Nurses have a variety of qualifications and skills in child development and have expertise and knowledge supporting children and families. They work with the Health Visitors, School Nurses and Public health Nurses in the 0-19 service.

If you have concerns about your school age child you can speak to a School Nurse by either phone or by attending a local drop-in session. Contact our advice line (see below for details) or visit one of our Drop in’s. Dates, times and venues in our what’s on section.

Your School nurse can provide advice and support on issues including:

• Behaviour
• Emotional health and wellbeing
• Continence issues e.g. soiling and enuresis
• Developmental concerns
• Advice, information and signposting to sexual health and contraception services
• Growth and weight concerns
• Advice and information in relation to lifestyle concerns including smoking, drugs or alcohol
• Supporting pupils and their families/carers with newly diagnosed medical conditions

What if I want advice outside of school?

You can either phone our advice line on 0300 333 5352 (Monday – Friday 9am to 5pm) or email us publichealthnursing.torbay@nhs.net which ever is easier.
Referral to 0 to 19 for school age children and young people.

Starting school in September

Here’s how the team can help. View or download the information poster and leaflet.

The service we offer includes behavioural, sleep and assessments to support continence and skills for independence with children and young people who have profound and severe levels of learning disability; working with children who have profound and severe levels of learning disability (including children with additional diagnosis such as Autism, Down’s Syndrome etc.) and supporting the development of community and school-based programmes of support. As such, we offer support both directly to children and young people with learning disabilities and indirectly in order to facilitate access to mainstream services.

We provide impartial information, advice and support to parents/carers & children/young people in relation to special educational needs and/or disability issues for children/young people aged 0-25. 

Working across education, health and social care our officers provide confidential and impartial advice, as well as ensuring that parents and carers’ views are heard and understood and that they understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.

SENDIASS Torbay supports parents through a range of ways including phone or email contact and face to face meetings. We have recently started running coffee mornings for Parents to be able to share thier experience and learning with each other and gain new information from us and other professional invited speakers. (Please see the flyer, attached within the downloads section on the right hand side of this webpage, for more information including dates, times and venues)

We also provide a signposting service to direct parents and carers towards the organisations that is best suited to help them, ensuring that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their child’s future.

SENDIASS Torbay can support parents and carers and children or young people in any of the following areas:

• Preparing for and  attending meetings with schools, local authorities and other professionals
• We have a confidential telephone helpline, with answering service in case we are unable to answer your call first time. We aim to return all messages within 2 working days.
• Helping to write official letters and complete forms
• Explaining the meaning of official documents
• Assisting in the statutory assessment process
• Referral to the correct organisation or contact

We can provide advice on

• The Special Educational Needs (SEN) systems and processes
• SEN provision in schools
• The statutory assessment process
• Education and Health Care Plans
• Annual reviews
• Transitions
• Transport
• Specialist provision/support services
•  Appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
•  Disagreement resolution services
•  Local policies
•  SEN code of practice

Any service provided by SENDIASS ensures complete confidentiality for each individual case, we only take direct referrals from parents/carers & children/young people, or from a professional on thier behalf. We only make contact with a parent/carer or child/young person if it has been agreed that we can do so, and we have a dedicated confidential enquiry line. We can and will liase with other professionals on your behalf, with prior written consent. Contact us to find out more about how you can get involved.

Contact:

Phone: 01803 207884 (inquiry line open 10am – 2pm Mon – Fri and 24 hour answerphone facility)

Email: sendiass@torbay.gov.uk

Sendiass Torbay | Torquay | Facebook

Website: Sendiass Torbay | Torbay

The Torbay Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service provides emotional and mental health assessment and treatment to children, young people, aged 0-18 years, and their families/carers within Torbay.

CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health) provide assessment and treatment for children and young people who are experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties. Treatment options include; crisis/self-harm assessment, CBT, EMDR, Family therapy, trauma work and Eating Disorder work. CAMHS also provides consultation support to professionals within social care, health, education and the voluntary sector.

Referrals can be made through your GP, Health Visitor, School Nurse, Social Worker, or by self-referral.

Early intervention support is offered through the Mental Health in Schools Team.

Torbay Children’s Services have a specialist team comprising social workers and community care workers, to support children with disabilities up to the age of eighteen and their families across a range of thresholds, including Targeted Help, Child in Need and Child Protection planning and Cared For planning. They work in close connection with the Placements, Day Care Services and Short Break team, who oversee the management and support of holiday play schemes, Saturday clubs and enabling services as well as Direct Payments.

• Children who are under the age of 18 and who have a disability will usually have their needs assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
• If the child is approaching adulthood and it appears to social workers that the child is likely to have needs for care and support after becoming 18, a transition assessment may be undertaken under section 58 Care Act 2014.
• An adult will be assessed under section 9 Care Act 2014.

Needs assessments will be used to gather information to determine needs, whether the threshold for the CWD Team is met and to identify the level and type of resource provision needed. The definition of disabled children and young people is set out in the Equality Act 2010: that is a child and young person who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities.

The Children with Disabilities Team will usually only provide services to children and young people who have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial long term adverse effect at a severe or profound level as further explained within the Torbay Children with Disabilities Eligibility Criteria. 

All referrals are made via Torbay’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) referral system.

Our Early Help Service is available to children and their families and is made up of two types of services that combine in different ways to form Torbay’s Early Help offer.

Here is the link to the assessment portal where you can register and complete an Early Help Assessment

These are universal services and targeted services.

• Universal services include: Post-16 education, schools, early years settings, housing and finance advice and support, family hubs, children’s centres and youth centres, GP surgeries, libraries, maternity services, specialist public health or community nurses and community connectors
• Targeted services include: Early Help Panel, Family support, health professionals, mental health services, special education needs support services, jobcentre plus, school attendance and exclusion support, domestic abuse services, alternative provision, housing services, police, substance misuse services and targeted youth services.

Our Early Help Universal offer covers an umbrella of services which are available to all children and families. Please click here to open more information and how to contact that service.

• Housing & Cost of living surgeries
• Youth Homeless Prevention Service
• Family Group Conference
• Parenting Drop ins
• Parenting Teens Group
• Reducing Parental Conflict/EPIC partnership for whole family support
• Youth Service

The Family Intervention Team offer focused family support to families with complex needs through targeted support. We work flexibly and creatively with parents and their children in their homes and in groups, to increase the skills, confidence and abilities of all family members to live their daily lives in a positive and safe way.Key areas of work:
• To offer emotional and practical support to parents and their families, in their own homes and in the community.
• To offer a whole family / family centred restorative approach to families with emerging and complex needs within a preventative approach.
• We attend meetings, groups and deliver training as requested.
• Develop and build a trusting relationship with the children, young people and parents to help alleviate or break their social isolation and increase capacity and resilience.
• Provide advice and support to families and professionals linking with community resources.
• Communicate and foster positive relationship with our agency partners to ensure best interests of the child and family.

FIT link worker
One FIT worker is linked to each Family Hub. They are available to have conversations and signpost over current worries and support needs your family might be having at the time.

Parenting Support
Various offers of parenting support through face-to-face groups are being offered in the Hubs- please look at our timetable for up to date information on these.

Email:  earlyhelp@torbay.gov.uk
Phone: 01803 208100

SEND Family Voice Torbay is an independent Parent Carer Forum recognised by the Department of Education. 

We are a small, independent, passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to listening and responding positively to the views of parents and carers of SEND children and young people.  Our aim is to make life just that little bit easier by providing mutual support and exchanging information through to influencing policy and practice. We receive an annual grant from the Department for Education, to strengthen and sustain parent carer participation.

SEND Family Voice Torbay work with Torbay Council, the local NHS and other partners to help bring about improvements in SEND services and say hearing from local families vital.

We want to listen to and respond to the needs of parents for our SEND children and young people helping them access services and co-produce a positive change in the planning, commissioning, delivery and review of services. Championing the voice of parents and carers and ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard at every level. This means your voice!

We aim to use our collective voice for change by working co-productively with Torbay Council and other agencies to improve communication and remove barriers for the benefit of SEND families in Torbay. We are welcoming being part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, which brings together over 150 parent carer forums in England. Together, these local forums reach over 80,000 families.

Contact Details

Facebook: SEND Family Voice Torbay | Paignton | Facebook

Email: admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com

Website: Family Voice Torbay

Office: Parkfield House, Paignton.

The Supporting Families Programme is a Government funded initiative that has been running since 2015.

When families experience a lot of challenges all at once these can be the most difficult times for them. The Supporting Families programme is aimed at working with families at these times by providing targeted interventions for families with complex problems. These problems might include the following:-

• Unemployment and financial instability,
• Poor school attendance,
• Mental and physical health problems,
• Involvement in crime and antisocial behaviour,
• Domestic abuse and poor family relationships,
• Children who are at risk of abuse and exploitation,
• Substance misuse and insecure housing.

The four key principles of Supporting Families is helping you at the earliest possible time you experience a problem, working with your whole family, working with other agencies in partnership who can provide different types of support to you, and ensuring we make a real difference to you and your children.

The Supporting Families programme in Torbay is delivered via the Early Help Partnership. For more information click on the link, speak to a Family Hub worker or contact us by clicking here.

TYAC provides a range of support for Young Adults aged 16 – 25 years old who are caring for, or helping to care for someone who has a long term illness, disability, frailty, mental ill-health, and drug or
alcohol problem.

Who can Refer?

Referrals can be accepted from young adult carers, their families or from professionals working with young adults and their families. Please note that if referral is not a self-referral, the Young Adult Carer must have consented to the referral being made on their behalf. Our support will be more limited if the cared for and carer live outside of Torbay.

How to make a referral?

Referrals can be made by completing one of the Referral Forms available from the service on request or accessing the Young Adult Carers’ website and submitting a referral on line; or by telephone. In the case of Young Adult Carers that want to self refer, we are happy to meet up informally and help complete the form.

What happens next?

We will acknowledge receipt of the referral both with the referrer and the Young Adult Carer. We would hope to make contact within 4 weeks to arrange an initial visit (any problems in contacting the Young Adult Carer will be taken back to the referrer). The visit will enable us to assess the support required. If appropriate an offer of service will be made soon after the initial visit.

For more information, or to make a referral please contact:

Young Adult Carers
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Room 17 Paignton Library
Great Western Road
Paignton, TQ4 5AG
Phone: – 01803 208455 / 01803 852421
e-mail:- torbayyac@nhs.net

Torbay Youth Justice Service (previously known as a YOT or a youth offending team) works with children aged 10 – 17 years old who have been arrested, charged or sentenced for offences or who are at risk committing crime.

We are a team of professionals from Children’s Services, Education, Police, Probation and NHS Devon ICB, working together to prevent children and young people from offending or re-offending and promoting safe communities.

We will:

• Work with the child and their family to understand what has led to the offending behaviour and agree what we can do to help create change.
• Build on the strengths and positives in the young person’s and their family’s life.
• Complete an assessment of various aspects of the young person’s life including their family situation, education, health, attitudes and any previous criminal history.
• Provide access to specialist services for example Substance Misuse Worker, Education Worker, Specialist Mental Health Worker, Family Therapist and a Parenting Worker.
• Endeavour to empower young people to make better choices.
• Support victims of crime and offer them opportunities to engage in restorative justice
• Work with young people to help them explore the impact of their actions for themselves, their victims and local communities.

We provide impartial information, advice and support to parents/carers & children/young people in relation to special educational needs and/or disability issues for children/young people aged 0-25. 

Working across education, health and social care our officers provide confidential and impartial advice, as well as ensuring that parents and carers’ views are heard and understood and that they understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.

SENDIASS Torbay supports parents through a range of ways including phone or email contact and face to face meetings. We have recently started running coffee mornings for Parents to be able to share thier experience and learning with each other and gain new information from us and other professional invited speakers. (Please see the flyer, attached within the downloads section on the right hand side of this webpage, for more information including dates, times and venues)

We also provide a signposting service to direct parents and carers towards the organisations that is best suited to help them, ensuring that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their child’s future.

SENDIASS Torbay can support parents and carers and children or young people in any of the following areas:

• Preparing for and  attending meetings with schools, local authorities and other professionals
• We have a confidential telephone helpline, with answering service in case we are unable to answer your call first time. We aim to return all messages within 2 working days.
• Helping to write official letters and complete forms
• Explaining the meaning of official documents
• Assisting in the statutory assessment process
• Referral to the correct organisation or contact

We can provide advice on

• The Special Educational Needs (SEN) systems and processes
• SEN provision in schools
• The statutory assessment process
• Education and Health Care Plans
• Annual reviews
• Transitions
• Transport
• Specialist provision/support services
•  Appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
•  Disagreement resolution services
•  Local policies
•  SEN code of practice

Any service provided by SENDIASS ensures complete confidentiality for each individual case, we only take direct referrals from parents/carers & children/young people, or from a professional on thier behalf. We only make contact with a parent/carer or child/young person if it has been agreed that we can do so, and we have a dedicated confidential enquiry line. We can and will liase with other professionals on your behalf, with prior written consent. Contact us to find out more about how you can get involved.

Contact:

Phone: 01803 207884 (inquiry line open 10am – 2pm Mon – Fri and 24 hour answerphone facility)

Email: sendiass@torbay.gov.uk

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Website: Sendiass Torbay | Torbay

The service is provided to adults who suffer from a wide range of communication disorders, as follows:

• Speech and language disorders secondary to stroke, head injury, or progressive neurological disease, and carcinoma of head and neck.
• Voice disorders including laryngectomy.
• Disorders of fluency.
• Communication disorder secondary to severe learning disabilities.
• Disorders of chewing and swallowing resulting from stroke, head injury, progressive neurological disease and carcinoma of the head and neck and learning difficulties.

Adult’s Speech and Language Therapy – Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Wellbeing | Young Devon

Self Help Techniques and Advice for Managing Anxiety YOUNG DEVON

Torbay Children’s Services have a specialist team comprising social workers and community care workers, to support children with disabilities up to the age of eighteen and their families across a range of thresholds, including Targeted Help, Child in Need and Child Protection planning and Cared For planning. They work in close connection with the Placements, Day Care Services and Short Break team, who oversee the management and support of holiday play schemes, Saturday clubs and enabling services as well as Direct Payments.

• Children who are under the age of 18 and who have a disability will usually have their needs assessed under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
• If the child is approaching adulthood and it appears to social workers that the child is likely to have needs for care and support after becoming 18, a transition assessment may be undertaken under section 58 Care Act 2014.
• An adult will be assessed under section 9 Care Act 2014.

Needs assessments will be used to gather information to determine needs, whether the threshold for the CWD Team is met and to identify the level and type of resource provision needed. The definition of disabled children and young people is set out in the Equality Act 2010: that is a child and young person who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities.

The Children with Disabilities Team will usually only provide services to children and young people who have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial long term adverse effect at a severe or profound level as further explained within the Torbay Children with Disabilities Eligibility Criteria. 

All referrals are made via Torbay’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) referral system.

An IMCA is an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate appointed by the local authority and/or NHS body to protect other people’s interests when they lack the capacity to make certain important decisions and, at the time such decisions need to be made, have no one else (other than paid staff) to support them or be consulted.

The Devon Advocacy Consortium provides an independent, professional advocacy service for people over the age of 16 in Devon. The service is free, flexible and confidential.

We take action to help people say what they want, secure their rights, represent their interests and to get the services they need. Advocates can visit you at home or a place of your choice and if an advocate can’t help they can find someone who will.

The Devon Advocacy service can help you if:

• You have a health and / or social care related issue or complaint
• An informed choice has to be made
• A person lacks independent support
• The person is lacking in confidence or is having trouble communicating

Where the above applies, an IMCA must be appointed when the decision involves:

• serious medical treatment
• the local authority proposing to arrange accommodation for someone for longer than 8 weeks
• the NHS body proposing to arrange accommodation for someone for longer than 28 days.

An IMCA may also be involved:

• where there is a care review (where accommodation is being reviewed)
• in Safeguarding of Adult cases (the criterion of friends and family does not apply in Safeguarding cases).
• to support people through the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DLS) process.
• detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act, apart from shorter sections (4, 5 135 or 136) designed to allow a proper Mental Health Act assessment to take place
• subject to a Guardianship order
• subject to a Community Treatment Order
• discussing with their doctor the possibility of Psychosurgery, or ECT (if under 18 years).

If you feel that someone meets the criteria for an IMCA please call or email to request a referral form

Contact:

Telephone : 01392 822377

Email: devonadvocacy@livingoptions.org

Web address: https://devonadvocacy.org.uk/

Unit 3-4 Cranmere Court

Lustleigh Close,

Matford Business Park

Exeter

EX2 8PW

SEND Family Voice Torbay is an independent Parent Carer Forum recognised by the Department of Education. 

We are a small, independent, passionate group of volunteers, dedicated to listening and responding positively to the views of parents and carers of SEND children and young people.  Our aim is to make life just that little bit easier by providing mutual support and exchanging information through to influencing policy and practice. We receive an annual grant from the Department for Education, to strengthen and sustain parent carer participation.

SEND Family Voice Torbay work with Torbay Council, the local NHS and other partners to help bring about improvements in SEND services and say hearing from local families vital.

We want to listen to and respond to the needs of parents for our SEND children and young people helping them access services and co-produce a positive change in the planning, commissioning, delivery and review of services. Championing the voice of parents and carers and ensure that the voice of lived experience is heard at every level. This means your voice!

We aim to use our collective voice for change by working co-productively with Torbay Council and other agencies to improve communication and remove barriers for the benefit of SEND families in Torbay. We are welcoming being part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums, which brings together over 150 parent carer forums in England. Together, these local forums reach over 80,000 families.

Contact Details

Facebook: SEND Family Voice Torbay | Paignton | Facebook

Email: admin@familyvoicetorbay.onmicrosoft.com

Website: Family Voice Torbay

Office: Parkfield House, Paignton.

In Torbay, Social Care Support for adults is provided by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. 

TYAC provides a range of support for Young Adults aged 16 – 25 years old who are caring for, or helping to care for someone who has a long term illness, disability, frailty, mental ill-health, and drug or
alcohol problem.

Who can Refer?

Referrals can be accepted from young adult carers, their families or from professionals working with young adults and their families. Please note that if referral is not a self-referral, the Young Adult Carer must have consented to the referral being made on their behalf. Our support will be more limited if the cared for and carer live outside of Torbay.

How to make a referral?

Referrals can be made by completing one of the Referral Forms available from the service on request or accessing the Young Adult Carers’ website and submitting a referral on line; or by telephone. In the case of Young Adult Carers that want to self refer, we are happy to meet up informally and help complete the form.

What happens next?

We will acknowledge receipt of the referral both with the referrer and the Young Adult Carer. We would hope to make contact within 4 weeks to arrange an initial visit (any problems in contacting the Young Adult Carer will be taken back to the referrer). The visit will enable us to assess the support required. If appropriate an offer of service will be made soon after the initial visit.

For more information, or to make a referral please contact:

Young Adult Carers
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Room 17 Paignton Library
Great Western Road
Paignton, TQ4 5AG
Phone: – 01803 208455 / 01803 852421
e-mail:- torbayyac@nhs.net

Turning Heads is a community interest company that is helping to build a community that values and empowers togetherness.

We work with people and organisations across Torbay. This includes families, children, people with learning disabilities, those who are furthest from employment and education and those who might be isolated or vulnerable.

Turning Heads runs day activities from The Windmill Centre in Hele (Torquay), and both a Community Kitchen and Social Supermarket from Victoria Park Methodist Church in Plainmoor (Torquay).

Our curriculum will be based around providing a workbased employment model over a period of 12 weeks running in parallel with our programme that we offer through the DWP. It will begin with a period of induction which will typically be for up to 4 weeks and will involve the young person trying a variety of activities and opportunities before we decide which particular areas and skills to focus on for the period of time that they are with us.

Our programme will focus on developing confidence, work related skills and will aim to provide the young person with the starting tools to moving back into either education or training or employment. We will be looking at using a variety of NCFE adult qualification units that we can tailor to the individual.

Alternative provision is only arranged as part of an educational package via school’s or the Local Authority.

Day services are all chargeable and clients pay through adult social care funding, direct payments or personal funds.

Contact:

Phone: 07817 777739 or 07817 777739

Email: admin@turningheads.org.uk or alanrtilley@mail.com

Turning Heads, The Windmill Centre, Pendennis Road, Torquay, TQ2 7QR

Torbay Youth Justice Service (previously known as a YOT or a youth offending team) works with children aged 10 – 17 years old who have been arrested, charged or sentenced for offences or who are at risk committing crime.

We are a team of professionals from Children’s Services, Education, Police, Probation and NHS Devon ICB, working together to prevent children and young people from offending or re-offending and promoting safe communities.

We will:

• Work with the child and their family to understand what has led to the offending behaviour and agree what we can do to help create change.
• Build on the strengths and positives in the young person’s and their family’s life.
• Complete an assessment of various aspects of the young person’s life including their family situation, education, health, attitudes and any previous criminal history.
• Provide access to specialist services for example Substance Misuse Worker, Education Worker, Specialist Mental Health Worker, Family Therapist and a Parenting Worker.
• Endeavour to empower young people to make better choices.
• Support victims of crime and offer them opportunities to engage in restorative justice
• Work with young people to help them explore the impact of their actions for themselves, their victims and local communities.

Independent Travel Training is a free scheme which has been set up by Children’s Services at Torbay Council. Our Independent Travel Training programme provides targeted support for Children and Young People with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Our Trainer works with students from mainstream and special schools, education other than at school, and colleges of further education.

The scheme aims to support Children and Young People with SEND throughout Torbay, as they learn how to develop the skills required for safe and successful, independent travel between home and school. We use a Total Communication approach to support successful interaction, providing a range of communication aids throughout training, suited to the needs of the Trainee.

The Independent Travel Training programme will include road safety awareness, accurately telling the time, handling money, how to use a bus/train pass, appropriate social behaviour, stranger danger, location identification, strategies for solving problems and overcoming barriers, and any other issues that might arise.

If your Child or Young Person currently travels to school or college on assisted transport and would like to travel on their own, then our Independent Travel Trainer could help.

Benefits of our Independent Travel Training programme include:

• Children and Young People develop skills to travel independently and without fear, between home and school or college.
• Learning core travel skills on a familiar route is an excellent foundation from which to support independence for their future, such as travelling to work, or social and leisure activities.
• Less dependency on friends and family and greater autonomy.
• Providing preparatory one-to-one or group training in a school or college setting.
• Children and Young People are prepared for safer and more confident engagement with the community by becoming more independent.
• Parents and carers are reassured that their child is being supported to become more independent.

We provide a person-centred approach, before any training commences our Independent Travel Trainer will liaise closely with the Trainee and their support circle including Parents/Carers, Tutors and Social Workers to gain an understanding of how to tailor the programme to best suit the needs of the Trainee.

If you would like your child to take part in this scheme, or for more information, please contact ITT@Torbay.gov.uk

We provide impartial information, advice and support to parents/carers & children/young people in relation to special educational needs and/or disability issues for children/young people aged 0-25. 

Working across education, health and social care our officers provide confidential and impartial advice, as well as ensuring that parents and carers’ views are heard and understood and that they understand their rights, roles and responsibilities.

SENDIASS Torbay supports parents through a range of ways including phone or email contact and face to face meetings. We have recently started running coffee mornings for Parents to be able to share thier experience and learning with each other and gain new information from us and other professional invited speakers. (Please see the flyer, attached within the downloads section on the right hand side of this webpage, for more information including dates, times and venues)

We also provide a signposting service to direct parents and carers towards the organisations that is best suited to help them, ensuring that they are empowered to make informed decisions about their child’s future.

SENDIASS Torbay can support parents and carers and children or young people in any of the following areas:

• Preparing for and  attending meetings with schools, local authorities and other professionals
• We have a confidential telephone helpline, with answering service in case we are unable to answer your call first time. We aim to return all messages within 2 working days.
• Helping to write official letters and complete forms
• Explaining the meaning of official documents
• Assisting in the statutory assessment process
• Referral to the correct organisation or contact

We can provide advice on

• The Special Educational Needs (SEN) systems and processes
• SEN provision in schools
• The statutory assessment process
• Education and Health Care Plans
• Annual reviews
• Transitions
• Transport
• Specialist provision/support services
•  Appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST)
•  Disagreement resolution services
•  Local policies
•  SEN code of practice

Any service provided by SENDIASS ensures complete confidentiality for each individual case, we only take direct referrals from parents/carers & children/young people, or from a professional on thier behalf. We only make contact with a parent/carer or child/young person if it has been agreed that we can do so, and we have a dedicated confidential enquiry line. We can and will liase with other professionals on your behalf, with prior written consent. Contact us to find out more about how you can get involved.

Contact:

Phone: 01803 207884 (inquiry line open 10am – 2pm Mon – Fri and 24 hour answerphone facility)

Email: sendiass@torbay.gov.uk

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Website: Sendiass Torbay | Torbay