News and events

Find details of the latest news and events provided by Leeds SENDIASS.

Leeds SENDIASS news

Find out more about what is going on within the Leeds SENDIASS service. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

June 2021
  • We now have a short voice narrated webinar to give parents and carers information and advice about SEND tribunal appeals and mediation.

    • This webinar may also be useful for professionals working with families who are considering, or going through these processes.

    Click here to view this webinar on our YouTube channel.

SENDIASS news achive

May 2021
  • We now have a short voice narrated webinar to give parents and carers information and advice about education placements in relation to Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

    This webinar may also be useful for professionals working with families considering different education placements which can be accessed through an EHCP.              

    Click here to view this webinar on our YouTube channel.              

April 2021
  • We now have a short voice narrated webinar to give parents and carers information and advice about SEND support in mainstream education settings, and meeting to discuss this with a child or young person’s education setting.

    This webinar may also be useful for professionals who are working with families who have children and young people with SEND, to better understand this SEND topic.                                                        

    Click here to view this webinar on our YouTube channel.                                                        

March 2021
  • We now have a short voice narrated webinar to give parents and carers information and advice about education health and care (EHC) needs assessments within the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system.

    This webinar may also be useful for professionals who are working with families who have children and young people with SEND, to better understand the process of EHC needs assessments.                                

    Click here to view this webinar on our YouTube channel.                                

Leeds SENDIASS events

Find out about any information, advice or support events that Leeds SENDIASS are running.

Advice workshops

SEND support in schools

This workshop covers what SEND support can be accessed in school, requesting, preparing for and attending SEND meetings, the Graduated Response, reasonable adjustments, and receiving support from other agencies        

Contact us to book your place.                          

Upcoming dates:
  • 23rd September at 10am
  • 12th October at 10am

EHC needs assessments

This workshop covers how to request an assessment, guidance for filling in the application forms, information on the process, including time lines.

Contact us to book your place.                          

Upcoming dates:
  • 22nd September at 1pm
  • 7th October at 1pm


EHCP reviews

This workshop covers asking for, preparing for and attending a review meeting for EHCP’s, requesting a change of setting, calling an early review, planning for adulthood and updating the content of a plan. What to do if you are unhappy with the review process or outcome.        

Contact us to book your place.                          

Upcoming dates:
  • 28th Septmeber at 10am
  • 14th October at 10am

Appealing to the SEND Tribunal

The workshop will cover appealing decisions to the SEND tribunal in relation to an EHC needs assessment or an EHC plan, including mediation and disagreement resolution, the tribunal process and preparing paperwork.       

Contact us to book your place.                          

Upcoming dates:
  • 6th October at 1pm


Preparing For Adulthood (Pfa)

The workshop will cover preparing for adulthood, EHCP reviews and updating the content of the plan, and post 16 placement.

Contact us to book your place.                          

Upcoming dates:
  • 18th October at 1pm



More SEND news and events

Find out more about other SEND news and events  happening both locally and nationally.

Information in this section is not endorsed by Leeds Sendiass. We are not responsible for the content of sites or services offered by third parties.

News

July 2021
  • yorkshire Sculpture Park will be organising some Autism friendly event and walks over the summer break. For more information visit their website.
June 2021
  • Leeds City Council and Leeds health agencies are working on a new strategy to support children and young people in Leeds aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and/or additional needs.

    They are working with a range of partners, including children and young people and their families, and partners across education, health and social care services.

    They are inviting people to join Zoom sessions to find out more about their early work on the strategy. They really want to hear what people think about it. If you are a child or young person with SEND and/or additional needs, a parent or carer, or you work with children and young people in Leeds, please join a session. Your views will help them to keep working on the strategy and make sure they get it right.

    To find out more and take part, please visit the Leeds Local Offer website

    They can also bring the session to groups of young people, families or partners. Email Natalie from the Learning Inclusion Service at natalie.samuel@leeds.gov.uk to discuss this.

    If you can’t make it to a session, or prefer to read about the strategy and give feedback in your own time, that’s also an option. See the website as above for more information.

News archive

May 2021
  • Scope “Activities for All” is a universal plus service which aims to encourage and support access to universal activity settings (dance, drama, scouts, sports, arts and crafts and anything else) to meet the needs of children with SEND. They will work with any universal service that are offering leisure activities giving advice and support using their Scope Inclusive Activity Award (SIAA) ensuring access to universal activities is a real possibility.

    Alongside the SIAA Scope can also offer additional support through their “sessional workers” who will act as a bridge between home and the setting. They will attend with your child to upskill the group and backfill their staffing. The support is on a short-term basis and compliments the team at Activities for All who will work with the setting to develop the practice of the group so the young person can continue after the support is withdrawn, taking ownership of providing support to all children in their setting.         

    Contact Scope or email leedsplaypartners@scope.org.uk for a referral form.         

March 2021
  • It is 'Leeds Local Offer Consultation Month'. This is an opportunity for families in Leeds to find out information on the different services available to them as well as take part in consultations. Find out more by visiting the Leeds local offer website.
January 2021
  • Silc Listening Ear (Tel:0800 470 09 06) - The Silcs have launched a dedicated out of hours phone line offering support, information and advice to parent / carers of children who are on roll at a specialist provision.This is a trial until March and is available Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays,6 pm until 10 pm. It is a free and confidential service.
  • SEND Single Route of Redress National Trial Briefing events will be taking place in January – March 2021. This includes a webinar for parents and carers. Click here for the vidoes and resources.
      • December 2020
      • Leeds MENCAP are asking anyone who works with families with children aged 0 – 5 with additional needs for their views on plans for new specialist developmental play sessions and nursery places. These views will help shape the development of the service. You can find the Click here  to complete their questionnaire.

      • The Leeds SEND Youth Forum is a virtual network of young people aged 11 to 25 years old with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who live in Leeds or attend school in Leeds. Being part of the SEND Youth Forum means young people can meet new people and make new friends, learn new skills, learn about SEND services in Leeds, include it on their CV and future job application forms, contribute to improving SEND services for young people in Leeds, share ideas and experiences with decision makers and even receive gift vouchers as a thank you! Click here for their membership form.
      November 2020
      • Mindmate have created a parent and carers working group aimed at parents/carers who have a child who has received support from Leeds CAMHS, or any mental health service. They will be holding 1:1 individual or group zoom chats to hear about thoughts and experiences and to discuss proposed changes and gather feedback. For more information, contact Liz Neill by text or WhatsApp on 07496 494679 or email liz.neill@commonroom.uk.com
      September 2020
      • Vicky Ford (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families) has written an open letter to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, their parents, families and others who support them. The letter signposts key Covid-19 guidance that has been published and expectations about returning to school. Click here to read her letter.

      • Scope Activities for All recorded their recent parents transitions workshop. They have produced an informative video about hints and tips for returning to school and activities after Covid. Click here to watch their video.

Events

Witherslack - Autism workshops (ongoing)

Witherslack online autism workshops

Begins 21st September 2020

online webinars

Witherslack are launching a free online series of webinars to help parents and carers continue to get the support and advice they need during this challenging year.             

The first of these will focus one learning more about autism which aims to give you a FRESH approach to supporting children and young people.             

Their presenter Anne-Marie Harrison from Ideas Afresh Education has a wealth of knowledge and experience and will deliver webinars on:             

  • F- firmly understanding the elements of diagnosis
  • R- remembering key points for positive communication
  • E- engaging with your child from early years to teens
  • S- strategies to support learning
  • H- highlighting the abilities in your child

The webinars are pre-recorded so that you can view them at your own pace and the first one will be availble from Monday 21st September.             

Register for event              

Racial Inequalities online training

Racial Inequalities Training

on going             

online             

             

The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership are offering free and accessible training as part of their journey to become an anti-racist system to reduce the health inequalities that exist within society.             

Find out about:             

  • black history
  • unconscious bias and racial microaggressions
  • white privilege and racial inequalities
  • the importance of Allyship
Find out more              
             
             

SCOPE -Starting Line Employment Course

Starting Line Employment Course

Starts October 2021     

via telephone and online     

     

A free service to help support and encourage people back into sustainable work, volunteering work or even education by providing courses to help people gain confidence and believe in their abilities.     

Starting Line is a service delivered by Scope, and open to people who are:     

  • disabled - including if you have a physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulty, autism or mental health condition (i.e., anxiety, depression) and long-term health conditions.)
  • aged 16 and over
  • Unemployed

Working with disabled people to develop a programme around their career goals and how they can achieve them. Through group and one-to-one sessions, helping people to:     

  • Understand their career goals.
  • Grow in confidence, assertiveness, and independence.
  • Write their CV.
  • Develop interview skills.
  • Find and apply for volunteering, training, or employment opportunities.

Strating Line is a seven-week Pre-Employment Group Support course consisting of 14 modules delivered on 2 half days a week.     

If you would like to speak to someone first, before signing up, you can call:     

  • Sue on 07734 540 763
  • Emma on 07776 650 740
  • Andy on 07767 111 854
    • Register here
     
     
   

Leeds Waterfront Festival 2021

Autism and Neurodiverse friendly event

Friday 13th August 11am-4pm

Leeds Dock
Royal Armouries Square
Leeds

The Canal & River Trust and Leeds Autism Services are excited to announce a Leeds Waterfront Festival event with the experiences of neurodivergent people and people with learning disabilities in mind!          

This event has activities for people of all ages. It’s free and everyone is welcome. Help us spread the word by sharing the poster with friends, family and colleagues. Thanks for your support!          

Find out more