WHATS

ON

OUR VISION

To build an inclusive, credible and evolving forum that provides parents and carers a vehicle to voice their opinions and influence the decisions that affect all SEND families in the future.

WE NEED YOU!

Please share our Facebook posts so that we can spread the message about what we do and how we can help. Find our Facebook page HERE


Post your ideas on our ‘Have your say’ page so we can get your views and ideas. Complete our surveys and share with us your real life experiences - HERE


Our aim is to represent all SEND children/young people whatever the disability or need.

 EVENTS AT SSIF

We know that the world of SEND can be overwhelming and complicated to navigate.


In order to overcome this we organise various Events throughout the year, presenting opportunities to empower Parent Carers with knowledge, information and wellbeing techniques to make their journey a little easier. 


One of our favourite Events is our regular monthly coffee morning, where Parent Carers can get together to share their experiences. Every month we have the Local Offer and the SENDCo teams represented and available to offer guidance and advice, plus, we usually have one additional special guest too.


OUR EVENTS

SSIF Seminar - Support Plans and Support Whilst Waiting for EHCNA or EHCP

By Irvana Davies • January 6, 2025
SSIF invite ParentCarers of Children with SEND to our third Seminar this year. ‘Support Plans, ISPs, Support Whilst Waiting for EHCNA and EHCP’ is the third in a series of valuable an informative events for ParentCarers that will run throughout the year. This seminar is aimed at ParentCarers who are not sure of the support and information available to them and their families whilst they are waiting for an Education and Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) or an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP). We will aim to answer questions such as: What is an Individual Support Plan (ISP), and who is it for? What are Reasonable Adjustments and can I expect them to be made for my child? What is the SEN Register? What is SEN Support? What can I do to support my child or young person at home? Are there any workshops or webinars I can access? We have a panel of professionals from the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Team, Health and Education, who will talk about what support is available and how to find it. They will also bust some common myths. We are inviting ParentCarers to submit any questions they have for the panel by email, by Monday 20th January 2025, via email, to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in a co-production session to develop a useful route map/flow chart of the Support Whilst Waiting process. Book your ticket here.

SSIF Coffee Mornings

By Irvana Davies • November 18, 2024
One of our favourite Events is our regular monthly coffee morning, where Parent Carers can get together to share their experiences. Every month we have the Local Offer team with us and invite 1 or 2 additional special guests from for example Health, Social Care, Education and more, to offer guidance and advice. There is also a sensory play creche available for your little ones aged 0-5 with Chaos & Calm. Come along and chat to other ParentCarers, get advice from one of our SEND support service guests and enjoy a hot drink with something sweet. Booking is not required.

SSIF Seminars 2025

November 10, 2024
We host in-person Seminars at the Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER, covering a wide range of SEND related topics. We invite a varied panel of professionals to provide information and guidance to ParentCarers of children and young people with SEND (aged 0-25). Our events are hosted together with guest speakers from the Local Authority, Health Services, Education Services and more. Save the dates for our upcoming Seminars in 2025! We will release further details and confirm guest speakers nearer the time.

SSIF Seminar - Early Identification of SEND and the support available

By Irvana Davies • November 7, 2024
Southend SEND Independent Forum invite ParentCarers of children and young people with SEND who are at their start of the SEND journey and who are looking for answers and support to our upcoming Seminar. We will aim to answer questions such as: Who are the key people involved in early identification of SEND? Who can I expect to talk to? What is a SENCo? What is the SEN Register? What is SEN Support? What should my child’s class teacher be doing? What is the role of the GP, and do they need to be involved? We have a panel of professionals from the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Team, Health and Education Services, who will talk about SEND identification and support in schools, when an education health and care needs assessment (EHCNA) is needed and bust some common myths. We are inviting ParentCarers to submit any questions they have for the panel by email, by Monday 25th November 2024, via email, to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk. There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in a co-production session to develop a useful route map/flow chart of the Early Identification process. Book your ticket here.
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