News and events

September 2021

• Endorphins Group are commissioned by Leeds Council to run sessions for SEND young people throughout the Leeds area.     

  Their fun action-packed Super Star programmes are designed to increase the confidence of the young people through interactive activities such as sports and crafts, with a chance to make new friends, learn new things and the opportunity to really grow and develop personally.    

  Their Happy & Healthy Geeks session give young people an opportunity to play on several of the latest computer games, in a safe and friendly environment. The young people will be able to make new friends and build up their confidence.    

  For more information and to register, please visit their website    

• SENIT have updated their SENCO pack that provides criteria for schools to access SENIT support and information about their offer. It is a public rsource that provides clear explaination of the criteria to access the service and of the graduated approach. Click here to access this resource pack.     

• Deaf Ex-Mainstreamers are a charity that supports young deaf people across Yorkshire to meet other young deaf people and share experiences. They also run a DEX Deaf Youth Council for young deaf people aged 17-30. For more information you can email contact@dex.org.uk, visit their website or find them on social media.     

August 2021

• The Employment Hub - Specialist Autism Services are delivering employment support in an autism friendly and specific way for individuals aged 15 or over living in the Leeds or Bradford district.            

  The Employment Hub features autism support and workshops run by their employment team in Bradford and Leeds. It is done in a variety of ways including Zoom, e-mail and phone.        

  For more information visit their website or contact them at: Employment@SpecialistAutismServices.org            

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.                                     

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.