31 October 2023

Welcome

In this issue:

Hertfordshire SEND Employment Forum (for local businesses)

We are calling on local businesses to support young people in the county with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to increase their skills by providing workplace opportunities.

SEND Employment Forum

A new Hertfordshire SEND Employment Forum, taking place online on Wednesday 22 November at 10am, provides an opportunity for local businesses to learn from others who are already employing in an inclusive manner as well as hearing directly from parents, young people and colleges about the difference they can make.

The forum, which has been organised by the council’s Services for Young People and funded through the Department for Education Internships Work programme, will also have training events about reasonable adjustments, the access to work scheme, effective communication, and tools available to help support SEND employees.

Read more about the SEND employment forum

Reserve a spot on the online SEND Employment forum

Showcasing the Autism for Schools project (ages 5-16) 

The Autism in Schools project in Hertfordshire, has helped school settings and staff better support Children and Young People with Autism. The schools and settings involved have received Hertfordshire Autism Training, children and young people have worked with our Mental Health Support Teams, and parent carers have worked with HPCI (Hertfordshire Parent Carer Involvement – the Parent Carer Forum for Herts) to ensure all voices have been heard.

We are now showcasing the success of the project and offering school staff and professionals ideas on how this can be replicated within their own settings.  We are also offering parent carers the chance to see what schools are doing for their children and young people within the school setting.

There will be talks from professionals that parent carers may find beneficial with ideas and information on how they can help support their child/children.

A launch of an Emotional Regulation resource will be available on the day for both professionals and parent carers to take away. The event will be well attended by many voluntary organisations that school staff, professionals and Parent Carers will have the opportunity to network with.

Thursday 16 November, Robertson House, Stevenage

Morning session 9.30am - 12.30pm
Afternoon session 1pm - 4pm

Register for this event here

Are you eligible for a Healthy Start card? (pregnancy and ages 0-3)

Could you be eligible for support in providing a Healthy Start for your family?

If you receive a qualifying benefit and you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk. If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. 

You can use your card to buy:

  • plain liquid cow’s milk
  • fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
  • fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
  • infant formula milk based on cow’s milk

You can also use your card to collect:

  • Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old

Find out more on the Healthy Start website  

Healthy Start picture

SEND News survey - help us to improve this newsletter (all ages)

We want to make sure this newsletter is as good as it can be, and that it is serving the needs of parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in Hertfordshire. 

We have designed a quick survey which will help us find out what you like about the newsletter, and where you think improvements can be made. 

Complete the survey and help us to improve SEND News

The survey will be open until 15 November 2023.

Events

View all courses and activities

Childminder Information Cluster

Thursday 16 November 7-9pm

Come along and learn more about the Herts SEND local offer, SEND funding for Early Years and assessment tools for early identification of SEND

Inclusive United - Football and social session (ages 18+)

Monday 6 November, 10.30am Hemel Hempstead

Participants will be able to play in a safe, inclusive and fun environment, develop their football skills and build their confidence.

Family Lives - Sorting out family arguments (6 week course)

Starting Wednesday 8 November, online

Join our free online 6-week group to help improve family communication, reduce the reactions which lead to arguments and create a culture of teamwork in your family.

Playskill - Managing Behaviour

Monday 6 November, 8.15 - 9.30pm, online

This training will focus on some common reasons for difficult behaviour in children and developing effective management techniques.