In this issue:
Online mental health support for children and young people - The Sandbox (ages 10 - 25)
The Sandbox is a new free service in Hertfordshire to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing. It has a website, with access to games, worksheets, group chats and online events for children, young people, their parents/carers, teachers and other professionals.
Through The Sandbox you can also access Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), or one to one support from professional therapists by text, phone, online chat or video call, based on an
assessment of the young person’s needs.
Signing up is easy and you don't need a referral from a professional.
Visit the Sandbox website
Healthy families programme - HENRY (ages 0 - 5)
The HENRY programme helps families to learn how to keep their family healthy. It is completely free for families with children who are 0 - 5 years old, and runs online and face to face. Online is a 1 hour session and face to face is a 2 hour session. There is a creche available to parents. Our next set of sessions will run in April on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, beginning the week of 24 April.
Over the 8 weeks we cover the following topics using a partnership approach which is strengths based and solution focused.
- Session 1: Let’s get started (what’s a healthy person? Goal setting)
- Session 2: Balancing acts (balance of foods and looking after self in terms of ‘me’ time)
- Session 3: Needs and demands- parenting strategies
- Session 4: Tuning into mealtimes- healthy habits
- Session 5: Time to be active
- Session 6: Eating Healthily- lunchboxes, Portions and food labels
- Session 7: Let’s focus on feelings (listening and empathy)
- Session 8: The way forward (celebrating what parent have achieved and handing out certificates)
Learn more and find details for applying to the HENRY Healthy Families programme
Increasing special school places in Hertfordshire
We know there is a need to create more special school places in Hertfordshire so that our children and young people with SEND have the right education in the right place, at the right time.
You can find out more about our short and longer term plans for increasing specialist provision in Hertfordshire on the Local Offer - this webpage is updated regularly with information on the latest developments.
Annual Health Checks for young people (aged 14+ with a learning disability)
If you are over the age of 14 and on the learning disability register, you are entitled to a free annual health check. This is a chance for your doctor to check your overall health, and spot anything you might need help with early, before it becomes a bigger problem. Annual health checks are not something that you should be worried about, they are a chance for your doctor to make sure you're healthy.
We know that a lot of young people find medical appointments a bit nerve-wracking. Annual health checks can also help young people to get used to attending appointments, and communicating their health needs. We asked our Experts by Experience, 2 young women with SEND to write a page for us about annual health checks, that would help other understand them and feel less worried about it: Annual Health Checks.
Educational Psychology service Contact line (ages 0 - 25)
Unfortunately Educational Psychology Service are not able to continue with our Contact Line in the Summer term 2023 due to staff shortages. We hope to be able to start running this again from September 2023.
Events
View all activities and courses
ADD-vance: Communicating with your child when talking is too much - workshop
Wednesday 19 April, 10am - 11.30am online
Learn how to support your child when they can't communicate verbally (due to overwhelm, executive function delay)
DSPL 7 ASC/SEND Coffee morning
Wednesday 26 April 9.15am, Fleetville Junior School St Albans
Exciting new opportunity to join other parents/ carers of children with special educational needs (SEN), diagnosed or not, for a cuppa and chat hosted by one of our School Family Workers.
Children's SEND Yoga class
Sunday 23 April 10am
The class will consist of gentle yoga poses, breathing practices and time for relaxation and mindfulness.