Education and Work

At last year’s Sharing Information day, it became apparent that parents/carers and young people are struggling to obtain information about education and work choices. We have tried to put together a drop in day this year with some of the services you will find on the following pages bringing their information. Unfortunately we have been unable to find many people to facilitate the day.

However we did feel that the information we have been able to find out should be available to you, so we have decided to publish this information on our web site.

We hope the information here will be of help to you and if you have any further information that you think may help other families then please email carolharrison@utdsl.com or phone the office on 01235 816310.

Early Years Support

Most county councils have a special educational needs service for children under the age of five. To find out if your local county council has a department for early years support please contact them directly.

They will offer help and advice not only to parents but to health professionals, social workers, staff from the child’s early years setting e.g nursery or play group as well as parents.

They offer support in the form of:

• Supporting staff to meet the child’s needs
• Making observations and discussing strategies
• Offering training to staff to support them in inclusion of disabled children and those with SEN (Special Educational Needs).

What they do:

• Lend toys and equipment to help a child learn through play
• Link with other professionals
• Plan and support the running of activities
• Support families with entry into pre-schools, nurseries and children’s centres

Children’s Centres:

Children’s Centres provide support, activities and information for children between 0 and 5 and their families. They can be found all over the country and offer everything from children’s activities to special sessions for young expectant parents to activities for single dads and their children.

Early Year’s Action Plus:

learning difficulties then they will be assessed in school and if need be put on an action plan. This is done in consultation with parents and the child, parents and school agree targets for your child. It may something as simple as the school provides more support in the classroom or extra help with reading but it may more in depth.

Early years action plus is a similar sort of system but is aimed at pre-school children. But if you feel your child’s needs are more complex and they need more support than they are getting you as parents or the early years setting can apply for a statutory assessment of special educational needs.

Just because your child is not in fulltime education or is under five does not mean you cannot get extra support for them.

Another useful point of contact is CBIT (Child Brain Injury Trust) This charity supports children with an acquired brain injury and their families. An acquired brain injury can have been caused by illness or accident.

Contact details for CBIT:

Child Brain Injury Trust

Unit1, The Great Barn

Baynards Green Farm,

Nr Bicester,

Oxon, OX27 7SG

Telephone: 01869341075

Website:www.cbituk.org

Parent Partnerships:

Parent Partnerships are statutory services that offer information, advice and support to parents/carers and young people who have special educational needs (SEN). They can also put you in touch with other local and national organisations.

They will help with giving advice and information on a schools responsibilities, help you to be fully involved in the assessment and statementing process, they will be able to help you with the paperwork involved, talk through with you your choices, the procedures involved and provide you with your rights and responsibilities as parents/carers on the polices, local procedures and the law.

If you don’t find the parent partnership details for the area where you live below please contact the national body for parent partnerships on 02078436058 or email nppn@ncb.org.uk or website parentpartnership@slough.gov.uk alternatively go on to your local county council website and search for parent partnerships.

Parent Partnership Contact Details:

Parent Partnership (Slough)

Learning and Cultural Services,

Town Hall,

Bath Road,

Slough SL1 3UQ

Helpline Number: 01753787693

Office Number: 01753787690

Email: parentpartnership@slough.gov.uk

Parent Partnership (Reading)

Education and Community Services

PO Box 2623

Reading RG1 7WA

Telephone Number: 01189399821

Email: parentpartnership@reading.gov.uk

Parent Partnership (West Berks)

West Berkshire County Council

Market Street

Newbury

Berks RG14 5LD

Telephone: 01635519779

Email: parent@westberks.gov.uk

Website: www.westberkspps.org.uk This is a very informative website where ever you live.

Parent partnership (Buckinghamshire)

Buckingham County Council

Walton Street

Aylesbury Bucks HP20 1UA

Telephone: 01296383754

Parent Partnership (Oxfordshire)

PO Box 264

Oxford

Oxon OX1 17S

Telephone:  01865 810516

Email:    parentpartnership@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/parentpartnership

Oxford has a very good website with lots of general information. They also have drop in sessions at various times around county. Please contact them for information.

Parent Partnership (Swindon)

Swindon Borough Council

Civic Offices

Euclid Street

Swindon

Wilts SN1 2JH

Telephone: 01793466515

Website: www.swindon.gov.uk

Miscellaneous

Connexions:

Various locations around the country.

They help support young people from 13 to 19+ with everything from education, careers, housing and benefits. Some areas have Connexions offices that offer information and appointments to see advisors but they can also be accessed through schools.

Community Head Injury Service

Working Out

The Camborne Centre

Jansel Square

Bedgrove

Aylesbury

Bucks HP21 7ET

Telephone: 01296 337760

This service is for Buckinghamshire residents only.

‘Working Out' provides specialist vocational rehabilitation which explores the issues related to employment after brain injury’.

CBIT: Child Brain Injury Trust

Caroline from CBIT holds drop in sessions on the first and third Mondays of every month on Melanie’s ward level 0 at the Children’s Hospital between 2pm and 4pm. Please contact Caroline on 01865 341075 for further information.

Post 16 Education

Skill (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities)

Unit 3 Floor 3

Radisson Court

219 Long Lane

London SE1 4PR

Telephone: 02074510620

Information service: 08003285050

Textphone: 1800108003285050

SMS Text Service For young people aged between 16-24: 07786208028

Email: info@skill.org.uk

Website: www.skill.org.uk

This is an excellent web site with information about applying for disabled student allowances, applying for further and higher education, support for learning, getting into work and much more.

Angela Stanley

ABI Transitions manager

South Worcestershire College,

Evesham Campus

Davies Road

Evesham WR11 1LP

Telephone: General Information 01386712635

Website: www.sworcs.ac.uk search box enter ABI Centre.

This college has a centre for young people with Acquired Brian Injury (ABI) as result of accident or illness.

Employment

Job Centre Plus:

These can be found in most towns.

Website: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

The web site has information about vacancies in your area, information about training schemes, pages for disabled people and information about benefits.

Disability employment advisors:

Job Centre Plus will be able to put you touch with a disability advisor. Sometimes they are shared between job centres so you may have to wait awhile for an appointment. They will discuss with you what work you think you can do and what training schemes are available to you.

Remploy:

18c Meridian East

Meridian Business Park

Leicester

Leics LE19 1WZ

Telephone: 08451552700

Minicom: 08451550532

Email: info@remploy.co.uk

Website: www.remploy.co.uk

This company helps disabled people find work.

Shaw Trust:

Fox Talbot House

Greenways Business Park

Bellinger Close,

Chippenham

Wilts SN15 1BN

Telephone: 08081802003

Website: www.shawtrust.org.uk

This is a charity that helps support disabled people to find work.

Connexions:

Various locations around the country.

They help support young people from 13 to 19+ with everything from education, careers, housing and benefits. Some areas have Connexions offices that offer information and appointments to see advisors but they can also be accessed through schools.