# data[].attributes.body
YOUnited offers support to children and young people aged 5 to 17 with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. There are four partners: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS), Ormiston Families and Centre 33.

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We give help and information to parent carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and/or additional needs, as well as give parent carers opportunities to have a say and get involved in improving local services.

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Helping Cambridgeshire's parents and carers who have
children with SEND/additional needs.

Pinpoint Cambridgeshire is not only run for parents - but also by parents.

We give help and information to parent carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and/or additional needs, as well as give parent carers opportunities to have a say and get involved in improving local services.

No formal diagnosis is required in order to access support from Pinpoint - for example, a child may be on a waiting list, accessing services, had a referral turned down, or just be struggling.

Useful links

The SEND information hub for Cambridgeshire health, education and social care services and support.
Visit the Local Offer page

UK charity with a good helpline, lots of advice and resources for parents.
Visit Contact's website

What parents like about Pinpoint...

"Thanks so much, for this and all the work that you do - pinpoint has been a real lighthouse for those of us lost in the sea of support and...

For me, Pinpoint is an amazing place to go, where you ARE HEARD AND VALIDATED. No competition about who has is worse off.

"These meetings feel like a real lifeline and when everything feels like such a battle to cope and get the help we need for our little one it is so...

Thank you for all the hard work you've put in and Information you've provided over the past sessions I've attended. Pinpoint is such a great service and one of the...

"The meeting was really helpful and everyone at Pinpoint was very welcoming, supportive and listened- such a difference when you feel alone in this process!"

Really good to find support and assistance at this stage, as I feel like I'm in the dark.

I come to meetings to find out how to help my son - I feel the knowledge I have gained has helped settle him into the school environment.

This is a great service!

I have attended Pinpoint events for quite a few years now and have found the information very helpful and it has also enabled me to point other people in the...

Pinpoint have always been very helpful with and queries/problems that parents have. More recently, the help and support given to parents with home to school transport issues had been very...

I think it's important for professionals to hear parents' opinions.

Many thanks for an excellent meeting - well run, good quality attendees who listened! Very helpful, on many levels.

Pinpoint has completed the Communications Access Training, in conjunction with the National Network of Parent Carer Forums.

Pinpoint are committed to the Health Alliance Safeguarding Best Practice standards.

Pinpoint are delighted to have received the Carer Friendly Tick communities award demonstrating our commitment to supporting the needs of carers.

We are very excited to have been awarded the Good to Go: Good Governance mark by Hunts Forum. This mark ensures that organisations are well run with a good level of internal governance, financial control, management and data protection. Hunts Forum has seen our policies, interviewed us, and then a panel has reviewed the evidence and granted us the mark.

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Do you have a SEND/additional needs child in Cambridgeshire? Pinpoint offers information, support and involvement for SEND parent carers.

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Positively supporting parents of children who are struggling to attend school and who have emotional & mental health needs.

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Nessie is funded by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough County Council to support families of children and young people with emotional and mental health needs.

This project began with a specific focus on supporting families of children with self-harming behaviours in Cambridgeshire but we are pleased to announce that the funding was extended geographically in April 2023 to Peterborough to cover a range of emotional and mental health needs.

The aim of this work is to help parents/carers in developing a positive and more confident approach to supporting their young person, whilst offering a chance to gain peer support, useful strategies and practical tools .

Areas of support include, but are not limited to:

Bereavement and Loss (including divorce and separation)

LGBTQ+ and Gender Questioning

School Avoidance

Managing Meltdowns

To book one-to-one support, please complete this and a member of the team will be in contact to arrange a chat. Please note: there is an expectation that you will have attended relevant workshops before booking a 1-1 session.

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Cambridgeshire and Peterborough parents - NESSie IN ED, CIC

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Nessie is funded by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough County Council to support families of children and young people with emotional and mental health needs. This project began with a specific focus on supporting families of children with self-harming behaviours in Cambridgeshire but we are pleased to announce that the funding was extended geographically in April 2023 to Peterborough to cover a range of emotional and mental health needs.

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What is a Special Educational Need (SEN) Information Report?

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What is a Special Educational Need (SEN) Information Report?

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Our School SEN information reports explain how the school's SEN policy is used. It outlines:

How help and support for pupils with SEND operates in our school.

What happens, how it is made possible and by who.

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Offering free, confidential, and impartial advice about special educational needs. They've been brilliant in supporting many of our parents through the EHCP process. Highly recommend reaching out to them if you need guidance!

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Brilliant resource for parents worried about their child's mental health. They offer free, confidential support via phone or email. I've had several parents tell me how helpful their advice has been.

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We support main carers of children and young people, as well as parents. You might be a kinship carer, legal guardian, foster carer, grandparent or sibling. If you are the child or young person's main carer, we want to support you. Our advisers are trained and experienced in supporting carers as well as parents.

If you are a family member or friend, but you are not the child or young person's main carer, see our online information for advice around how you can support them. You can also encourage their parent or main carer to contact us.

If you are a professional looking for information about supporting the young people you work with, see our resources for professionals.

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Parents Helpline | Mental Health Help for Your Child

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The YoungMinds Parents Helpline, Webchat and Email provide support and help for parents and carers worried about their child's mental health and wellbeing.

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Advice and guidance for parents and carers to help them support a child or young person experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing.

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Advice and guidance for parents and carers to help them support a child or young person experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing.

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The ADHD Foundation is the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity, offering a strength-based, lifespan service for the 1 in 5 of us who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, DCD, Dyscalculia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and more.

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A Parents guide to the SEND Code of Practice

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A Parents guide to the SEND Code of Practice

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This guide explains how the system that supports children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) works.

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

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A Family Guide to the SEND System in England

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A Family Guide to the SEND System in England

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An introductory guide for families of children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions aged 0-25

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This statutory code contains:

details of legal requirements that you must follow without exception

statutory guidance that you must follow by law unless there's a good reason not to

It explains the duties of local authorities, health bodies, schools and colleges to provide for those with special educational needs under part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

The code, which applies to England, is for:

headteachers and principals

governing bodies

school and college staff

special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinators

early years providers

other education settings

local authorities

health and social services staff

Other SEND guides are also available.

Thank you for your feedback

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Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, from 1 September 2014.

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What is a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy?

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What is a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) policy?

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A Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy outlines how our school supports students with additional learning needs or disabilities. It sets out the framework for identifying, assessing, and providing tailored support to help each child succeed. The policy ensures that all pupils, regardless of their challenges, have equal access to education and are encouraged to reach their full potential. It also highlights the roles of teachers, parents, and specialists in working together to provide the best support for our pupils.

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Applies to England

Documents

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Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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A guide on the support system for children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

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Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) are required for some children and young people between the ages of 0 to 25 years. Children and young people with EHC Plans have significant and long-term complex needs that cannot be met by the usual Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support available in all mainstream educational settings.

An EHC Plan describes a child or young person's strengths as well as their special educational, health and social care needs and explains the additional help required to meet those needs (written as identified outcomes or goals and provision within the EHC plan). It defines how that help will support the child or young person to achieve what they want to in their life.

The EHC Plan is therefore written in a person-centred way, focussing on the needs and aspirations of the child or young person. An EHC plan would not be appropriate if a child or young person has a health or social care need only. Children and young people with only a significant health need will have an individual healthcare plan Supporting_pupils_with_medical_conditions

EHC Plan format

There is no national standard format for an EHCP, but every plan must have certain sections that are clearly labelled.

A: The views, interests and aspirations of the parent or carer and child or young person
B: Special educational needs (see F for related provision)
C: Health needs related to SEN (see G for related provision)
D: Social care needs related to SEN (see H for related provision)
E: Outcomes - how the extra support and provision will benefit the child or young person
F: Special educational provision (support)
G: Health provision
H: Social care provision
I: Placement - type and name of school or other institution (left blank in the draft plan)
J: Personal budget arrangements (if any)
K: Advice and information - a list of the reports and information gathered during the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA).

The three sections on needs (the child or young person's difficulties) are matched by three sections on corresponding provision (the support and help the child or young person will receive).

Paragraph 9.69 of the SEND code of practice has detailed information about what should be in each section.

There is an easy-to-follow, short animation developed by the Council for Disabled Children for parents, practitioners and others who want to quickly learn about the Education, Health and Care planning process below.

When can an EHCP be issued?

An EHCP can only be issued when Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA) determines a child or young person needs the additional support of an EHCP after an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) has been carried out.

What is an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)?

An EHCNA is a statutory (legal) assessment to find out whether a child or young person requires an EHCP to be drawn up. An EHCNA does not always lead to an EHCP being written, as the information gathered during the EHCNA may indicate ways in which the education setting can meet the child or young person's needs without a plan.

An EHCNA collates information and advice from the child or young person, their parents and relevant professionals, including an Educational Psychologist, on the needs and desired outcomes of the child or young person, as well as the provision that would be required to enable those desired outcomes to be achieved.

Once all the information has been received, within 16 weeks (from date of request), Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA) will decide by week 16 whether an EHCP is required. If an EHCP is necessary, the LA will confirm this and issue a proposed (draft) EHCP.
Timescales
Throughout the EHCNA there are statutory (legal) timelines which must be followed. The whole process of EHCNA and (if agreed) the production of an EHCP, from the point when an assessment is requested (or a child or young person is brought to the LA's attention) until the final EHCP is issued, must take no more than 20 weeks.

There are however some specific exceptions to this:

The child or young person is absent from the area for a period of at least four weeks.

Exceptional personal circumstances affect the child or the young person, and his/her parent or carer.

The educational setting is closed for at least four weeks (most likely over the summer holiday period).

If a request for an EHCNA is initially turned down, but is agreed at Mediation the Local Authority (LA) will inform the parent/young person within 10 weeks of the mediation date if they decide to not issue an EHCP If the LA decides to issue an EHCP they will do this within 14 weeks from the date of the mediation agreement.

Read more information on timescales on the Applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) page.

When should an EHCNA be considered?

Most pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in Cambridgeshire are helped at schools through SEN Support, which replaced the old School Action or School Action Plus support in schools following the SEND reforms in September 2014. Maintained and academy schools receive SEND funding for this. Cambridgeshire Local Authority has also developed an Ordinarily Available Toolkit to help education settings support children and young people at SEN Support.

Under SEN Support, the school will assess a pupil's needs with the parent or carer, the pupil and their teachers. Parents or carers should be involved in setting up a plan for their child and look at their needs/wanted outcomes. The plan will include what the school needs to do to make this happen and they will need to meet regularly with parents or carers to review the plan (and change it if necessary) and see how their child is progressing. A report should be provided at least once a year.

Some children and young people have more longer-term, complex needs and require more intensive and specialist support. If a child or young person does not make progress despite the SEN support, an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) might be the next step.

It is important to remember that an EHCNA can only be requested if a child or young person has, or may have, SEN. The process does not apply where there are only health or social care needs. Children and young people with only a significant health need will have an individual healthcare plan. Find out more about about the role of Health and Social Care visit the drpdown on the Applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) page.

Considering SEN means looking at any challenges or barriers to learning that a child or young person faces or experiences. These challenges may relate to a medical condition or something else and can include, but are not limited to:

reading and writing difficulties

reduced ability to understand things

impaired behaviour or ability to socialise, for example struggling to make friends

concentration levels, for example due to ADHD, and

physical ability to do things such as writing.

Does the child or young person have a learning difficulty or disability? That is, for those of a compulsory school age, does the child or young person have

significantly greater difficulty in learning than most others of the same age, or

a disability which makes it difficult for them to use the facilities normally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or post-16 institutions?

Who can request an ECHNA?

The following persons are eligible to request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (ECHNA):

the child's parent or carer

a young person over the age of 16 but under the age of 25

a person acting on behalf of an education setting or post-16 institution (this should be with the knowledge and agreement of the parent or young person where possible)

In addition, anyone else with specific concerns can bring a child or young person who has (or may have) Special Educational Needs to the attention of Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA), particularly where they think an EHCNA may be necessary. This could include, for example, foster carers, health and social care professionals, early years' practitioners, youth offending teams or probation services, those responsible for education in custody, school or college staff or a family friend. This should be done with the agreement of the child's parent/carer or the young person.

For children under 16, the parent or carer makes the request. This includes children from age 0 to 5, where parents or carers should make a request if they believe that their child will need extra help at nursery or when they start school. In the case of a young person (over 16 and up to 25), they can make the request themselves. If the young person is not able to understand, remember or communicate decisions about the educational support they need, their parent or carer can make the request on a young person's behalf.
EHCNA Request Form
It is always advisable to speak to the education setting about any worries before contacting Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA). Parents or carers should speak to the relevant class or subject teacher, the education setting SENCo or the person at the college responsible for SEN provision, and/or the headteacher or the principal. Anyone acting on behalf of an education setting can request an EHCNA at a parent or carer's request or provide information to support a parent or carer's request.

How can an EHCNA be requested?

To make a an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) request, a parent or carer or school acting on a parent or carer's behalf (with permission) should write to Cambridgeshire Local Authority (LA), setting out why they believe that their child or young person has or may have special educational needs, and why you believe they may need special educational provision to be made through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

If 16 or over, a young person may write to the LA themselves.

A Education Healrth Care Plan Needs Assessment (EHCNA) Request Form is available to help you with your request.

Cambridgeshire LA will reply within six weeks with a decision as to whether to assess or not to the parent/carer or young person, even where the request was made by the education setting.

Preparing for a meeting with a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo)

This information is to help parents or carers prepare for and take part in a meeting with their child's teacher or the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo). Parents or carers know their child best, so they will have important information to share with their school, including strategies for how their child can best be supported.
Before the meeting

Consider asking a friend or relative to come along to give you informal support at the meeting. It is helpful to let school know if you do ask someone else to attend.

Ask school if there is any new information that they will be sharing at the meeting that you can read beforehand.

Think about what you would like to get from the meeting.

Gather as much information as possible before the meeting.

Look at your child's school reports and the results of tests and assessments.

Check your child's home-school book or planner.

Gather samples of your child's work, if available and appropriate.

If you have kept a diary of events, take this with you and if not, consider starting one after the meeting ready for when a review takes place.

Speak to your child to gather their views and note down what they say and how they are feeling.

Make some notes to help keep you focussed during the meeting including:

Your key questions/concerns.

Any positive ideas you may have.

Any strategies that are likely to make the situation worse.

Your emotions are likely to be raised because this involves your child but remember the meeting will go better if you remain calm.

Questions to ask in the meeting
Here are some questions you may want to ask in the meeting. You can, of course, ask any questions or raise any other issues relevant to your situation.

What level is my child working at?

Is my child at the expected level for his/her age?

Is my child making progress?

Is my child getting any extra help?

Is the extra help given to my child in a group or individually? Is it every day? How long is it for?

Is the extra help having the desired impact? If not, what needs to change?

What assessments have school done to find out about my child's difficulties?

Have school referred my child to any specialist services?

Can I see my child's Individual Education Plan (IEP)? (Your school may have a different name for this.)

What can I do to work with school and help at home?

What will the next steps be if my child needs more help?

During the meeting

Make sure everyone introduces themselves and you are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

If anyone is going to take notes, ask for a copy or take your own notes.

Action points should be recorded and agreed before the meeting ends.

If anything is said which you do not understand, ask for an explanation.

Share your concerns and what you see as your child's main difficulties.

Share what support and approaches you have found to help.

Tell school about any changes or events at home that could be affecting your child's learning.

Ask questions to gain a better understanding of the situation.

Acknowledge the school view and any support they are offering.

Ask what you can do at home to help.

At the end of the meeting, make sure you know what will happen next.

If your concerns have not all been discussed, ask how this might be followed up - phone call, email or a further meeting?

Agree a date to check on progress and ask for the name of someone you can contact in the future.

After the meeting

Following the meeting, you should know:

Who is going to do what and when.

How the action points are going to be reviewed.

How any other issues are going to be followed up.

Who to contact if you have any questions.

If, after the given timescales, the situation has not improved:

It may be that the strategies in place have not been tried for long enough.

It may be that strategies are not successful and that something else needs to be tried.

It may be that agreed actions have not happened.

If you are unhappy, speak to the Headteacher. Then, if you still feel unhappy, the school must have a Complaints Policy for if you want to take things further.
Maintaining a positive relationship with school
The relationship between a parent or carer and school can sometimes be tested, for example where there is disagreement about your child's rate of progress or the support they are receiving. It is helpful to talk to school as soon as possible so that you can be reassured about what is happening. It could be that the planned support was not working and school have made some changes that they have not told you about, or maybe there is a temporary staffing issue due to illness. Sometimes staff are working on one of the agreed actions and intend to work on another action later, so as not to overwhelm a child.

SEND Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)

Cambridgeshire County Council has created a resource for education settings called the ' SEND Ordinarily Available Provision Toolkit ', which launched in January 2023 on the Learn Together website.

Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) can be defined as the provision made for children and young people whose special educational needs can be met from the resources generally available to the education setting. This will apply to all children and young people without an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), but children and young people with an EHCP will also benefit from this type of provision in addition to that written in their plan.

The toolkit is not designed as a checklist, and education settings will not be expected to implement everything within it, but to work with parents or carers to identify appropriate actions from the comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of support.

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Cambridgeshire Online | What is an EHC Plan and when should it be considered?

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Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) are required for some children and young people between the ages of 0 to 25 years. Children and young people with EHC Plans have significant and long-term complex needs that cannot be met by the usual Special Educational Needs...

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The Local Offer is a key part of the support available to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It provides information about the services, support, and activities available in Cambridgeshire. This includes details about education, health, social care, and other services that are designed to help children with SEND.

The Local Offer helps parents and carers understand what support they can access, how to apply for it, and who to contact. It aims to make it easier for families to find out what’s available, ensuring that children with SEND can get the right help and opportunities they need to succeed.

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Cambridgeshire Online | About the Local Offer

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On this page you will find out about Cambridgeshire’s Local Offer for children and young people 0-25 years with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) and those in alternative provisions and settings. This information is relevant to parent carers, children, young people, and all those…

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NAS Cambridge | Cambridge branch of the National Autistic Society

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NAS Cambridge is run entirely by volunteers with lived experience of autism. We provide support through our regular social club and carers group, and by offering information and signposting to autistic people of all ages and their families and carers in the Cambridgeshire area.