We are pleased to publish the first edition of our play and leisure guide for the school summer holidays 2026. 

You can see the booklet here. 

We will be adding more to this over the next few weeks so please do check back for updates.

Enfield Local Authority have also published a guide for summer activities. This includes Universal Activities (activities suitable for all children and young people), Universal Plus Activities (activities for children and young people with SEND who need some additional support) and Specialist Activities (for children and young people with SEND who have complex needs). 

You can see Enfield Local Authority's booklet here.

Summer Uni is a local programme of free activities across the school summer holidays, for young people aged 11 - 25 (or up to 19 if they do not have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities - SEND). 

The programme of events for summer 2026 has now been agreed and you can see details in the brochure here. 

ECYPS teenscheme booklet is here (see our play and leisure guide for more details) 

Cheviots Sleep Service offers drop-in sessions on the first Tuesday of every month, from 10 am to 12 pm at the Cheviots Disability Service in Cheviots Close. 

The next session will be on Tuesday 6th October. 

Full details are on the flyer here. 

You can also see some useful tips from Cerebra about supporting your child's sleep in this guide. 

Positive Behaviour Support information and resources

Following our successful Positive Behaviour Support project last year, Our Voice periodically runs our  Introduction to Positive Behaviour workshop. We don't currently have a session scheduled but will update this page when the next session is confirmed. 

Our last session was on Thursday, 7th May 26, and you can see the slides and other resources from this session below. 

The Cheviots Team (part of the Joint Service for Disabled Children) are continuing to run monthly Behaviour Support Drop-in sessions for families, giving you an opportunity to discuss individual questions regarding your child/young person's behaviour. 

The next session will be on Friday 4th September at Cheviots Children's Centre, 10 am to 12 noon. You do not need to book, but if you would like Cheviots to provide creche facilities and/or a translator for the session, please email them to confirm clare.redrupp@enfield.gov.uk, giving as much notice as possible. A flyer for this event will be added nearer to the time. 

You can see the slides for the Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support workshop here, along with the 'Capable Environments reflection tool' that we use in the session. 

Links for services referred to in the session, and additional useful resources: 

• Enfield Advisory Service for Autism - Home
• What do we mean by quality of life? factsheet from BILD
• Managing Anxiety factsheet from BILD 
• The Impact of the Environment factsheet from BILD 
• https://eric.org.uk/advice-for-children-with-constipation
• Information sheet on spitting

• The National Autistic Society website has a useful section on Behaviour which includes: Information about distressed behaviour, Anger Management, Meltdowns, and Dealing with Change.

• The Educational Psychology Service offers a telephone support helpline  which you can use to book a call to discuss concerns or issues relating to your child
• You might also like to have a look at this video - on Supporting Children's Behaviour at Home. 

The 24-25 Positive Behaviour Support Project 

Our Voice ran a joint Positive Behaviour Support Project from April 24 to April 25, as part of the Empowering Families and Networks in Enfield Project, delivered jointly with the Joint Service for Disabled Children (Cheviots team): 

• We ran six Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support workshops - you can see the presentation from these sessions here. 

• We co-delivered Positive Behaviour support drop-in sessions, giving parents a chance to discuss individual questions relating to their child/young person's behaviour. All the joint sessions between Our Voice and the JSDC have now been completed. 

We have been asked to share details of a study on parents' experiences of getting support for children with Learning Disabilities from ethic minority backgrounds. 

Participants will receive a thank-you voucher. 

You can take part if you:

•           Are older than 18 years old.
•          Live in England.
•          Can speak English.
•           Are from an ethnic minority background.
•         Have a child with a diagnosis of learning disability or known care needs relating to their learning and development who is younger than 25 years old.
•          Have had support or thought about getting support for your child before they turned 18 years old.

       More information is available on the study recruitment poster. 

      If you are interested, please read the participant information sheet or the Easy Read version. 

IIf 

Coming up – three monthly opportunities to catch up with other parent-carers of children with SEND, in a relaxed and welcoming environment. No need to book – just go along. SEN Consultants join most sessions to offer their insights and guidance. 

SEN consultants join most sessions to offer insight, guidance and support for you and your children. 

If you have any questions, please contact Elena at senwithelena@hotmail.com 

You can see more information about SEN with Elena and all the relevant contact points on this flyer. 

• The next event will be a workshop with the Enfield Service for Disabled Children on the Short Break Grant, which will be from 10 am to 12 noon on Monday 29th June. Details are on the flyer here. 

• Coffee and play mornings - next session Monday 7th September  9.45 -11.15 am at Playbox, Palace Exchange Shopping Centre, Enfield, EN2 6SN. These sessions offer a relaxed, welcoming environment for you to connect with others who truly understand the journey. You'll have a chance to share stories, exchange advice and talk openly about both the challenges and the triumphs in a supportive, non-judgemental space. These sessions are not just about information - they are about your emotional well-being. 
• Coffee and Well-being mornings- next session Friday 11th September 9.30 – 11 am at Costa Coffee in Cockfosters EN4 0DN. These sessions offer a relaxed, welcoming environment for you to connect with others who truly understand the journey. You'll have a chance to share stories, exchange advice and talk openly about both the challenges and the triumphs in a supportive, non-judgemental space. These sessions are not just about information - they are about your emotional well-being. 
• SEN coffee and chat afternoons for parents supporting neurodiverse young people aged 14 plus – next session Wednesday 9th September 12.30 – 2 pm at the Dugdale Arts Centre, 39, London Road, Enfield EN2 6DS. These sessions offer a relaxed and welcoming space for parent carers of young people aged 14 and over with SEN to meet others who are navigating similar experiences and preparing for the transition into adulthood. The sessions are a place to receive support and to look after your emotional well-being. Discussions around your young person's post-14 transitioning journey, including sixth form, supported internships, college and supported learning, further education pathways, day services and post-education options. 
• Stories, Songs and Chat with SEN with Elena takes place on Wednesday 8th July at the Edmonton Green Library (Children's Area). 10 am to 10.30 - stories and songs session, 10.30 - 11 am connect with other SEND parents and find out about local support and services.

  More information on the flyer here. 

We have been notified that Enfield is about to undergo an ‘Area SEND Inspection’. This means that, from 29^th June until 3^rd July, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will jointly inspect how well the Local Authority, Health Services, and other partners are working together to improve the experiences and outcomes for children and young people with additional needs.

This is different to a school inspection as it focuses on all the support for your child/young person across the Local Authority, Education, Social Care and Health (rather than on specific schools).  

It is a really important exercise, and it is essential for parents and carers to make sure that their voices are heard by the inspectors so that they get a full picture of families’ experiences.

As part of the inspection, parents and carers and children and young people are invited to complete a short survey. You can access the surveys at https://ofsted.smartsurvey.co.uk/p/AreaSend/10436557

You should complete the survey if you have a child or young person aged 0-25 who has a Special Educational Need or Disability, whether or not they have an EHCP, are on SEN support or have a formal diagnosis. If you have more than one child with additional needs, please complete one survey for each child.

You can complete either this Parent/Carer Survey or the Easy Read version: Parent/Carer Survey (Easy Read)

You should be able to complete the survey in about 15 minutes or so, but there are several open questions, so it may take longer if you have a lot to say!

There is a separate survey for your child or young person to complete, which you can find at Children and Young People Survey. Please encourage and support them to give their views using this form.

You will not be asked for your name.

The surveys will close at 9 am on Tuesday 23^rd June so please don’t delay!

This page Area SEND inspections: information about ongoing inspections - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) gives more information about what the Ofsted and CQC inspections are about and includes versions of the information for parents and carers, and for children and young people, in Easy Read, video and British Sign Language versions.

This week (Monday 15^th to Sunday 21^st June) is Learning Disability Week.

The theme for 2026 is ‘Do you see me?’ – a positive message created by people with a learning disability, which is all about people with a Learning Disability being seen, heard and valued.

You can see more about Learning Disability week here Learning Disability Week | Mencap including a video explaining why this week matters, and an Easy Read explanation of Learning Disability week here Learning Disability Week 2026 | Mencap | Easy Read

Events for Learning Disability Week

Mencap’s Lunch and Learn Tuesday 16^th June 12 pm via Microsoft Teams – scroll down on this page to sign up.

Learning Disability Week Open Day Friday 19^th June 11.30 am to 2.30 pm – marketplace event at the ILDS building which is at The Enfield Highway Carnegie Building, 258a Hertford Road, Enfield, EN3 5 BN. Lots of providers including Enfield Carers Centre, Disability Advice Network Enfield, local Leisure Centres, and Occupational Therapists. Plus opportunities to join a creative art session, advice about getting a job, Health stalls and more. Information on this Easy Read Flyer.

Summer Uni is a local programme of free activities across the school summer holidays, for young people aged 11 - 25 (or up to 19 if they do not have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities - SEND). 

The programme of events for summer 2026 has now been agreed and you can see details in the brochure here. 

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution they make. 

The theme for Carers Week 2026 is Building Carer Friendly Communities and will highlight the impact that carer friendly communities cann have in making a real difference to carers lives. You can read the Building Carer Friendly Communities report here.

The Carers UK website provides a useful overview of sources of support for parent carers - see their information and support page. 

Carers Week Events 

• You can search for events celebrating Carers Week here. (note that you can filter for online events if you wish). 
• 'Permission to Pause' is a free 5 -day self-carer challenge for unpaid carers, offering a short, daily practical prompt to help carers pause, reconnect with themselves and prioritise their own wellbeing - without guilt. See details and sign up at Work Care and Thrive Permission to PAUSE Self Care Challenge | Carers Week 2026
• Enfield Carers Centre continue their programme of events for carers, which will include an exercise and relaxation session on Monday 8th June 10 - 11 am (repeated every Monday), a Legal information telephone appointment service on Wednesday 10th June 10 am to 12 pm and a Carers Coffee morning for Mental Health Carers Wednesday 10th June 11 am to 1 pm at the Mind Community Care. Details of these events are on the bulletin here. 

Fusion of Hearts is a local voluntary sector organisation that provides advice, guidance, advocacy and help with navigating services, community and peer support, and events and workshops. 

You can see more information about them on the flyer here  and on their website www.fusionofheartscic.com

Telephone 07593 087071. 

Fusion of Hearts runs events for parent carers 

Their next event is the 'Finding your Voice' workshop on Wednesday 10th June 10 am to 12 pm (registration from 9.45 am),at Edmonton Green Libarary (Community Room 1) . This is a practical workshop for parents and carers of children with SEND, which aims to support you to advocate confidently for your child. 

Full details on the flyer here.