Our Voice

The Strategy Group will be running a series of focus groups this month to look at how to improve the physical and mental health of autistic people and people with Learning Disabilities. Details are on the information sheets below. 

Participants (except NHS staff) will receive a £50 voucher.

Focus groups for Autistic People Tuesday 11th Jan - information sheet and flyer

People with Learning Disabilities Friday 14th Jan - easy read information sheet 

Focus groups for Carers - Tuesday 18th Jan  Information sheet and flyer

Focus groups for Bereaved carers Monday 17th Jan Information sheet and flyer 

We recently carried out a survey amongst parents who had been visiting secondary schools for their children with SEND, prior to the year 7 transfer. 

You can see a summary report from the survey here

There was important news yesterday for the families of clinically vulnerable 5 - 11-year-olds as the Pfizer Covid vaccination was finally approved for use for this group 

Read more here.

Salmon's Brook is a new special school scheduled to open this September, for children who have an EHCP for Social Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (including challenging behaviour). 

The Local Authority is currently consulting on the plans and you can have your say at the Consultation event on 19th January and/or via the online questionnaire. 

For more information see SEND spotlights  · Enfield Council

Individuals who are clinically vulnerable (including Autistic children and young people and those with Learning Difficulties) and their carers can get priority at vaccination centres and avoid long queues. 

This is likely to be useful both if you are taking your child/young person for vaccination and know that they may have difficulties in waiting in the queue, or if you are going alone to get your own vaccination and will find it difficult to leave them with anyone else for a long time.

The Department of Health and Social Care have agreed that anyone who has current caring commitments or who is Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (including Autism and LD) can use the letter here to get priority at vaccination centres. 

If you can, we would recommend that you print the letter off and take it to your appointment or walk-in clinic or otherwise save it to a device that you will have with you (e.g. your mobile phone). 

We hope that this makes it easier for you and your children to get your vaccinations. 

Our Voice have launched a news story competition. 

We would like families (who have a child/young person with SEND aged 0-25 living in Enfield) to send us an illustrated story about something that their child/young person has done, or which they have all done as a family, for inclusion in our Spring 2022 newsletter. It could be a club or activity they enjoy (e.g. a youth club or horse-riding) or a family day out. 

The closing date for entries will be 10th January 2022. 

Entries must: 

Include at least one illustration 

Include something about the child/young person (including their name and age)

Include some direct input from the child/young person - this could be a quote, a photo they have taken, a drawing about the event/activity, or their input via a Talking Mat or similar tool.  

Include permission for the story and illustrations to be used in our newsletter and online channels. 

You can see more details of the competition on our flyer  here

There will be prizes for the winning families - a £60 Amazon voucher for the winner and 2 runner-up prizes of £20. 

The Healthy Parent Carers Programme is a free 12 - week programme designed to improve health and wellbeing. 

Our course will run online every Wednesday morning from 5th January to 30th March 2022 (excluding half-term week on 16th Feb). Participants will be expected to commit to attending every week. 

For more details see our flyer here. 

Book your place here.

A member of our EPS team is looking for Bangladeshi parents of Autistic children to join a research project. 

She will be looking at their experiences using an online interview format and the project has been approved by the University of East London. 

As a thank you, all participants will receive a voucher. 

Please see the flyer here for details. 

Information on playschemes and activities during the Christmas holidays for children and young people with special needs and disabilities.

The Local Authority has now published their booklet setting out the playschemes and other activities available during the Christmas holidays for children with SEND. Places on the playschemes are limited so if you want a place for your child/young person, do make sure you book as soon as you can.

You can see the booklet here on the Enfield Local Offer. 

Our Voice have also published a booklet for children and young people with SEND, giving more information on inclusive activities including cinema and theatre, museums, sports, youth clubs and more. See our booklet here. 

This is an urgent update about Universal Credit for young people aged 16 and 17 claiming whilst receiving education. 

The Department for Work and Pensions plans to introduce new roles to make it more difficult for students to claim Universal Credit, which will start to apply to Universal Credit claims made on or after 15th December 2021. 

From that date it will no longer be possible for someone who is 'receiving education' to qualify for Universal Credit by way of making a 'credits only' claim for new-style Employment and Support Allowance. Instead, a disabled student in education will only be able to claim Universal Credit if they had established a 'limited capability for work' before they started receiving education. 

Young people who haven't reached the September after their 19th birthday, alongside older students who are in full time advanced education will no longer be able to claim Universal Credit. 

This presentation from the EDA sets out the position in more detail.