Welcome

In this issue:

NHS Talking Therapies - webinars on emotional and wellbeing support for parent carers

Hertfordshire and Mid Essex Talking Therapies are running 2 free webinars on wellbeing support for parents and carers.Care for carers webinars
Webinar 1 (Care for Carers, 5 June, 7pm)
This webinar looks at the practical challenges of being a carer and the impact that this can have on your relationships, work, and other factors in your life. A professional from Talking Therapies will provide a 3 point toolkit, plus other tips, for managing your psychological and emotional wellbeing through this.

Webinar 2 (Managing difficult emotions and building resilience, Weds 3 July, 7pm)
This webinar looks at the complex and sometimes painful emotions which can accompany the caring role. The webinar provides several tools for building resilience and a relaxing mindfulness exercise.

Recording of 'Improving the way we manage our EHCP duties' webinar now available

For those of you who couldn't make it to the webinar on Thursday 23 May, the recording is now on our YouTube, with subtitles and BSL.
In the recording, Hero Slinn, our Director of Inclusion and Skills takes you through how we are investing in our EHCP workforce to ensure we are delivering more EHCPs on time and to a better quality. 
It's quite a long video, so we have added chapters for you to get to the parts you are most interested in.
Some key points from the webinar include:
  • We have recruited 112 new staff so far to manage EHCPs. Most are EHC Coordinators, some have joined our quality assurance or resolution and reconciliation team.
  • 70 of the new staff have completed their 3 month induction training and are joining their teams, with 12 in the training programme now
  • By September all new staff will have joined and completed their training, meaning there will be many new colleagues managing EHCPs.
  • Change will take time - we hope positive impacts will be felt later in the year.

Watch "Improving the way we manage our EHCP duties in Hertfordshire" on YouTube.

Pilot clinic held for children with partial deafness is a success

A clinic held as a pilot for children with partial hearing loss has been hailed a success. The clinic was set up for children and young people with unilateral hearing loss (where hearing in one ear is within normal limits but hearing in the other ear is limited, ranging from mild to profound in severity). Children with unilateral hearing loss often face difficulties which can be overlooked due to the fact that they have a “good side” (normal hearing in one ear).unilateral deafness clinic photo

A pilot clinic was set up to bring several professionals together to help children including an audiologist, consultant audio vestibular physician, highly specialised speech and language therapists in deafness, and a teacher of the deaf from Hertfordshire County Council, all in one appointment for assessment, management, and signposting.

Feedback from the young patients was overwhelmingly positive, and as a result regular clinics will now run every 6 months. This will help ensure children with unilateral hearing loss, who would otherwise not be eligible for help from other services, do not miss out on receiving support.

Thank you to all involved in this successful pilot.

Understanding my Autism and ADHD courses (ages 7 - 16)

Autism Oxford are offering 10 weekly sessions for young people on different topics relating to Autism and ADHD.

This range of weekly webinars are specifically for young people (ages 7 - 16) with ADHD and/or autism to help them understand their diagnosis in a fun and safe space and explore what it means for them. To refer and for more info, complete the contact form with the young person's details and one of the team will be in touch with a referral form and any relevant booking information.
If you have any questions please email: Hertsbeeyou@autismoxford.org.uk. 

Do you know a young person who would like to star in our ADHD training video? 

Earlier this year, some of you were involved in ADHD research that helped us update our training for adults working with children and young people - thank you.Bee Included
Now, we are looking for some short videos (no more than 1 minute) to bring the training to life. Do you know a child or young person who would like to be the star of a training video that will really make an impact? A bee
If you know someone who would like to take part, please email sarah.stevens2@hertfordshire.gov.uk, and she will send you a list of questions for your child or young person to answer. You can film their answers on your device and email them back to us (by no later than 28 June).
Thanks for your help!

Forest School sessions for home educated children (ages 6 - 12)  

'Wild Kites' is working with the National Trust to offer a special series of Forest School sessions for home educated children in less-explored areas of the beautiful Ashridge National Trust estate near Tring.Wild Kites logo

At these fully inclusive small-group sessions for children aged 6 - 12, we'll be getting to know the amazing trees, spotting signs of wildlife, learning to use tools for nature craft projects, cooking on the campfire and enjoying time in the woods. Parents can either stay for the session or drop off if preferred.

Sessions will be delivered by experienced, DBS-checked Forest School staff and will focus on boosting confidence, wellbeing and resilience through child-centred play.

20% of all ticket sales will be donated to the National Trust so they can protect heritage and natural landscapes for future generations to enjoy.

Find out more and book a 'Wild Kites' session

Paediatric audiology services at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust – reopening

Children’s hearing services at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust are re-opening, in a staged way. The first services to have re-opened are those for 3 - 5 year olds and children over 5 years.

Paediatric audiology services at the Trust have been under review since mid 2023, with parts of the service paused to ensure that the quality of care was assured, and that national guidelines were followed. This was following an audit of paediatric audiology in England. 

Please continue to refer into the service – however please be aware that the wait for an appointment may still take some time. The waiting list is prioritised for those in most clinical need, and children may be seen at a different provider.  

We’ll continue to keep you updated, but in the meantime, please email audiology.enh-tr@nhs.net if you have any questions. 

Events

View all courses and activities

Starting secondary school with an allergy (The Allergy Team)

Friday 7 June, 5pm, Spitalfields London, from £45

The Allergy Team is holding its first ever event to support young people with allergies with the transition to secondary school. Brilliant Nurse Consultant James Gardner will be hosting this 2 hour session for young people in Years 5-7 and their families.

Inclusive United - Inclusive Sport and social hub for young adults (ages 18+)

Tuesday 4 June, 9.30am, Hemel Hempstead 

Inclusive sport & social hub for young adults with learning disabilities & SEN (ages 18+).

Families in Focus - Handling anger in your primary school aged child with ADHD and/or autism

Wednesdays starting 5 June - 6.30pm - 8.30pm (6 online sessions)

A course for parents of primary aged children providing practical and proven techniques to reduce anger in your family.