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BCS is working towards gaining the Nurture UK award which aims to support schools in ensuring that every child and young person gets the support they need to have the best possible chance in life.

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The Six Principles of Nurture - NurtureUK

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Nurture as a practice means relating to and coaching children and young people to help them form positive relationships, build resilience and improve their social, emotional and mental health and…

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A summary for parents and carers on the Mainstream Core Standards which explains the guidance given to schools when supporting children with SEND.

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The Local Offer is for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged between 0 and 25 years. The ‘SEND Information Hub’ details support services available to children in our local area.

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A local offer is for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 0 to 25 years. It provides information and support services available to families in their local area.

The name the 'local offer' is a term from the national government. In Kent we call our local offer the 'SEND information hub'.

Every local authority must:

have an online local offer, and make sure alternative versions are available

tell children, young people and families about the local offer

talk with children, young people and families to find out what support they're looking for

find services and activities in their area to support ages 0 to 25 years

find services to support young people towards their independence to adulthood

include transport services available and whether there are any charges.

Download an easy read guide from IASK explaining the local offer (PDF, 459.8 KB).

Jargon buster

We also understand that the language of special educational needs can be difficult to understand, we try and explain any terms as we use them to help you.

Information, Advice and Support Kent (IASK) have put together a jargon buster so you can see all the common words and abbreviations you may come across in one place and refer back to it when you need to.

Feedback about the local offer

Every local authority must get feedback about their local offer. They must show this feedback online and inform the public how they will make improvements.

Find out about our latest improvements and how you can leave feedback.

Our community directory

Our community directory offers support groups, charities, activities and events. The directory receives updates weekly, and is checked to meet the needs of Kent residents.

For anyone who would like to advertise their details, register online today.

If you already have an account, sign up to update your record or reset your password.

Visit our community directory.

View the full terms and conditions of using the community directory.

Accessibility of the SEND information hub

Our website is available for everyone to read and understand. It is compatible with assistive technologies, and meets our accessibility standards.

Visit AbilityNet to find out how to make your internet browsing experience personalised for your needs.

Find out more about the accessibility of our website.

Access to the internet support

If you know of someone who does not have access to the internet, they can use computer facilities at one our libraries.

At our libraries, we also ffer accessible library services and facilities.

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about the send local offer; send; send information hub

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A local offer is for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 0 to 25 years. It provides information and support services available to families in their local area. The name the 'local offer' is a term from the national government.

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Information on what happens when your child is referred to the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) at our local LIFT meetings.

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Accessing support from specialist teachers, school outreach staff and educational psychologists.

Early Years LIFT

When pre-school settings identify concerns about learning issues in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), for an individual child or a group of children, they should first use the Best Practice Guidance to identify what can be done to support the child's access to the Early Years curriculum from within the settings own resources.

If it is considered that additional advice, training or support is needed then the Early Years Local Inclusion Forum Team Request Form (DOCX, 135.4 KB) should be completed. Pre-school settings should discuss the referral with parents, which can be evidenced by completing an EY LIFT Agreement to Engage form (DOC, 207.5 KB).

For further information on Early Years LIFT roles and responsibilities, please view the EY LIFT Process Guidance (PPTX, 636.0 KB).

Further parental guidance on Early Years LIFT is available below:

Schools

1. When schools identify concerns about teaching and learning issues in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), for an individual pupil or a group of pupils, they should first use the Mainstream Core Standards to identify what can be done to support the pupils access to the curriculum and ability to make progress from within the schools own resources.

2. If it is considered that additional advice, training or support is needed then the Local Inclusion Forum Team Request Form (DOCX, 107.9 KB) should be completed and a request made for the issues to be discussed at the next LIFT meeting. Schools should discuss the referral with parents, show what is written in the school's section on the referral form and ask them to complete and sign the Agreement to Engage section at the end of the form. It is very important that parents and carers are encouraged to contribute with their own views on the form. LIFT meetings are held every week in each District. Schools will be allocated a group to attend each term.

3. At the LIFT, the school will have the opportunity to discuss the issue or case in more detail with colleagues from other schools, an Educational Psychologist and representatives from district based specialist outreach providers, including specialist teachers. The aim of the discussion is to find solutions to problems, drawing on the knowledge, experience and expertise of everyone in the group so that schools can make better provision from within their existing resources.

4. Schools can request the presence of a practitioner from the Early Help and Preventative Services to be at the LIFT meeting if they feel their input may be required. The chair of the meeting may also invite them if they feel that their attendance could provide useful to any discussions. View Process Map for Early Help and LIFT (DOCX, 42.9 KB).

5. The most common outcomes from a LIFT discussion are:

Advice, support and ideas from the discussion at the meeting to take back and try

Access to training programmes or the opportunity for bespoke training

Support from another school

Specialist Intervention from a specialist teacher, special school outreach teacher, Educational Psychologist (through the core discretionary offer or commissioning) or other district based SEND provider

A recommendation that the school should consider a referral to Early Help

A recommendation that the school consider seeking advice from appropriate health professionals.

6. This meeting will consider all requests for support for learning (C&L), communication and interaction (C&I), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and physical (PD) / sensory impairment (HI/VI/MSI) needs.

7. When a district professional is allocated to a case, there is an expectation that initial contact will be made with the school within five working days. This is to ensure a minimum amount of time between the meeting and intervention beginning.

8. If there is an unexpected and/or urgent issue that occurs between LIFT meetings (for example, where a child or young person with complex needs joins the school, or a change in circumstances puts a pupil at high risk of exclusion) then schools can request to attend the next available LIFT meeting in their district.

Next Steps

1. Once schools feel that they have implemented and reviewed the impact of all the recommendations made by specialists over an appropriate period of time, they will need to return to LIFT to discuss the next steps.

2. Services that have made recommendations will want to discuss their impact on the progress of the pupil and any potential additional adaptations that could be implemented.

3. If it is felt that there are no more recommendations that can be made or any other specialists that can be accessed through LIFT, the chair will complete a Summary of District LIFT Intervention Sheet (DOC, 95.5 KB)

The school may then wish to consider two options:

If the school has to provide provision at a sustained level over and above that which is usually provided through the school's SEN support to achieve the identified outcomes. They may wish to consider whether they meet the £6,000 threshold and are entitled to high needs funding

Or the school may wish to consider a request for Statutory Assessment. However, they will needs to be aware that if they decide to make a request for Statutory Assessment they will be required to provide evidence in accordance with the duties of the SEN Code of Practice 2015. Omission of evidence can result in a refusal to assess or a delay in an assessment.

View LIFT Process Map (DOCX, 68.8 KB)

Guidance on evidence needed from schools is available below:

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Accessing support from specialist teachers, school outreach staff and educational psychologists. When pre-school settings identify concerns about learning issues in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), for an individual child or a group of children, they should first use the Best Practice Guidance to identify what can be done to support the child's access to the Early Years curriculum from within the settings own resources.

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Information on the parent’s role in developing language and communication skills.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Communication starts in the very early days of your child's life. From looking at others, to communicating their needs through vocalisations such as crying and babbling to later using words and having conversations.

The pre-school years are an important stage in a child's language development. It ensures the foundations are in place for later learning, literacy and forming relationships. Children will learn to communicate, understand and use language at different rates and stages. There are many different areas and skills that need to develop for a child's language to grow.

The key roots / foundations include their attention and listening, their desire to communicate and their play (as shown below) as "the roots of the tree". As this becomes established and develops so does understanding of language "trunk of the tree". Once a child understands words they are likely to start using words / sentences "branches of the tree". The finer details (e.g. speech sounds) "leaves of the tree" develop as their language develops . Below are strategies that support the different areas of language development.

Parents play a key role in supporting their child's language and communication skills in everyday life. Children learn about the world through their experiences and interests particularly within their play. The evidence highlights the importance of joining our children in their play and following their interests to provide them with opportunities to develop their ability to understand and use words and later sentences.

Language workshop - Let's get talking workshop: Helping your child's language development

If your child has been seen by a member of the team you would have been advised to access our online training resource, we ask that parents /carers access this prior to therapy commencing.

Communication workshop - Let's get communicating workshop: Helping your child's communication to develop

If your child has been seen by a member of the team you would have been advised to access our online training resource, we ask that parents /carers access this prior to therapy commencing.

Early Interaction workshop: Helping your child's interaction skills

If your child has been seen by a member of the team you would have been advised to access our online training resource, we ask that parents/carers access this prior to therapy commencing.

Strategies and advice

There are many ways to support language development. Watch our key top tips video for further information.

Using visual support can help children's understanding and communication as their language is developing. Watch our video on using visual support.

If following assessment it has been decided that your child would benefit from therapy to support their language and communication, you may be wondering what to expect. The following video explains what happens in your first therapy session (specifically early years language and communication).

Useful websites

National Literacy TrustHas resources and information for parents, early years settings and schools to promote language and literacy development.

ICANFor information relating to speech, language and communication needs.

AFASICThis website supports parents and represents children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Talking Point
Talking Point gives parents/carers and practitioners the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.

The Communication TrustA group of over 50 not for profit organisations working together to support people who work with children and young people with language and communication needs.

NAPLICAn organisation for teachers, SLT's and other professionals aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of children and young people with language and communication needs.

Hungry Little Minds
A website from The Department for Education. It is a new campaign that gives ideas / videos of activities to boost children's communication, language and literacy development from ages 0-5.

Tiny Happy People (from BBC)
Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child's communication skills. Explore our simple activities and play ideas and find out about their amazing early development.

We also have our own Born to Move app. The app supports you and your child on the amazing journey from pregnancy, all the way to starting school.

Training

The Children's Therapies Team support language and communication development at a range of levels. This includes training the wider workforce to working alongside parents and settings as detailed below.

1. Specialist level
SLT parent workshops
SLT Training /support for ICAN Language Learners

2. Targeted level
C&L Targeted Level Training (New)
Early Talk Boost
Language for Learning in the Foundation Stage

3. Universal level
Prime Importance of Communication and Language
Language for Learning in the Foundation Stage

Professionals can book can book on Prime Importance of Language via CPD online www.theeducationpeople.org and for Language for Learning via their local specialist teaching and learning service.

Parent workshops to support language and communication development are offered by the SLT department for families known to the service.

Referral

Children develop language and communication at different rates. The charts below as well as the referral page provide information regarding typical / expected development and when to consider referral.

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Communication starts in the very early days of your child's life. From looking at others, to communicating their needs through vocalisations such as crying and babbling to later using words and having conversations. The pre-school years are an important stage in a child's language development.

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Two children in every classroom will have undiagnosed Developmental Language Disorder. As well as constant teacher monitoring, all of our pupils are screened using Language Link in their Reception Year. In this short video children and adults talk about their experiences of having Developmental Language Disorder.

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The definition of disability and categories of need are explained further in our SEND Policy and Information Report on our school website.

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Some of our pupils may be eligible for a High Needs Funding application. This is a complex process involving a series of ‘assess, plan, do, and review’ cycles to monitor the level of provision necessary for all children to thrive. Find information on the process here.

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High Needs Funding (HNF) information, contact details, advice and more for both School age and Post 16 (Further Education).

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More information on how we track the achievement of pupils with SEND using assess, plan, do, review (APDR) cycles is available in our SEND Policy and Information Report on our school website.

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The SEND Code of Practice is a Government document detailing how schools should respond to pupils who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

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Information Support and Advice Kent (IASK)

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Information Support and Advice Kent (IASK)

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IASK provide free, impartial and confidential information, advice and support about special educational needs and disabilities for parents and carers.

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Telephone Helpline open Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm

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We work in partnership with our member families, to ensure all our activities meet their needs

We work across west Kent (mainly Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells) with disabled children and young people with additional needs aged from birth to 25 and their families.

Support disabled children - we run provide a range of clubs for different age groups from age 0 through to age 25. FIND OUT MORE.

Support parents - we help parents feel supported through our family support work, training, support groups and workshops. FIND OUT MORE.

Support the whole family - we help our families enjoy quality time together as well as having the opportunity to meet other families who are facing similar challenges. FIND OUT MORE.

Who we help

We work with families who have children with additional needs or disabilities, such as Autism, ADHD or Down's Syndrome. We do not require a confirmed diagnosis for children to access our activities.

We are a membership organisation and for a small annual fee families are able to access discounted entry to our events. Becoming a member is simple, you can access our form via our website or by calling us in the office. We are regularly in contact with our members and we look forward to meeting new families.

If you are a professional working with a family please do contact us if you think our services would be of benefit, we regularly work in partnership with Social Care professionals to enhance the support provided to a family.

Support for disabled children

Parents told us that their children struggled to make friends and lacked independence. We have set up a range of clubs for different age groups from age 0 through to age 25. The younger children play and have fun, the older young people are encouraged to learn life skills and support each other.

Where ever possible we ask children and young people to help plan the activities we run in our clubs. We provide a number of regular clubs including -

During the school holidays we run activity sessions for children aged 8 - 18, we call these sessions Space 2 Be Me Time. They offer parents a few hours of respite during the school holidays and time for the children to have fun.

With the exception of our SAMs club children are encouraged to attend without their parents. Of course, if your child is new to the group you can come along to the first couple of sessions.

Support for parents

Receiving (or waiting for) a diagnosis of a disability is isolating for a family. The common word we hear is "fight", parents or carers often have to fight for everything for their disabled child and we are there to help them feel supported. We do this via family support work, training, support groups and workshops, helping parents to feel less isolated, learn strategies to support their children and build a peer support network.

Support for the whole family

Family time is often neglected and siblings feel left out. Siblings come to some of our clubs and holiday clubs and we run at least one family activity a month to local attractions, enabling our families to enjoy quality time together as well as the opportunity to meet other families who are facing similar challenges.

Are we missing something?

We respond to what our members tell us they need or want. If enough members ask for something we can then evidence in funding applications the need for a new service, club or activity.

If you can think of something we are missing, get in touch with us today and let us know.

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Space 2 Be Me work in partnership with their member families, to ensure all their activities meet their needs. Find out more.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Autism (also called ASC) is a lifelong condition that affects how a person relates to other people and communicates with them. Autistic people will experience the world differently. These differences can bring challenges as well as unique strengths.

More information can be found at www.autism.org.uk (The National Autistic Society)
Things you may notice:
Social communication

Differences in how they use and understand verbal and non verbal communication (including use of eye contact/face watching; tone of voice, facial expressions and gestures)

Many have a literal understanding of language

Some may not speak, some may have limited speech, some will have good language skills but find it hard to know what people expect them to do in conversation.

Social interaction

May be in their own world

May not always notice someone is talking to them.

Differences in 'reading people' and showing emotions

May like to spend time alone

May have friends but find it hard to maintain them successfully

Routine or repetitive thinking and behaviours

May like to organise things

May have a strong desire for rules, routine and for things staying the same

May have very intense interests or like to collect things

Sensory sensitivities

May be over sensitive or under sensitive to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light, colours, temperature or pain e.g. may not like unexpected loud noises, may only wear certain clothes, may only eat particular foods, may not tell you when they are hurt or unwell.

Strategies and approaches

Understanding ASC and helping to change the way we interact with someone with autism will support them to reach their potential.

Watch this short clip by the National Autistic Society for more information about ASC.

Referral

A diagnosis of autism is given by a specialist social communication team who will obtain information from home, nursery or school setting and any other professionals involved. Parents/carers will be invited to complete a detailed case history and an assessment of your child will be carried out.

For children aged 0 - 11 years a referral to the Community Paediatrics Team.

For children aged 11 years +

*The exception to this is currently in East Kent where all children from 8 years are seen by the Child and Young People's Mental Health Team.

Assessment
Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA)
We have had to change the way we carry out diagnostic assessment for autism due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This is because we cannot do an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) with a facemask or face shield on. There are too many things that will change a child's behaviour, so the results will not be reliable.

We will instead be carrying out a Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) assessment which has been adapted from the ADOS and another autism assessment called the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC) led by Catherine Lord who is also one of the designers of the ADOS.

The BOSA assessment uses some of the ADOS materials with the permission of Western Psychological Publishing. The BOSA assessment includes:

It provides opportunities for a parent to engage in social interactions with their child through games and conversation, creating a context in which symptoms of autism can be observed

The parent delivers a set format of activities with their child which are observed by the clinician

In order to do this effectively the clinician will give parents clear instructions so that they can be well prepared for the assessment

If the parent is unsure during the assessment, the clinician is able to coach the parent

This observation could be from the next room with an observation window or in the room with observers wearing PPE and socially distanced

The observation will be filmed and video consent will be needed.

The observation lasts 12 to 14 minutes

The team involved in observing the BOSA are all ADOS trained and have experience in administration of the ADOS

So far BOSA has been well received by parents, carers and children.

Like the ADOS, the BOSA is only part of multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment which also includes a detailed case history and wider assessment by the Community Paediatrician.

The BOSA is a welcome development for those involved in autism assessment because it means in the UK, and indeed internationally, multi-disciplinary assessment for autism can recommence whilst still adhering to national guidance for personal protective equipment and social distancing during Coronavirus.
Thank you to our East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust colleagues for sharing this YouTube clip to help explain further.
Training

Settings can access a range of training course which are advertised on KELSI.

The following film produced by the Welsh Government and Cardiff University to help professionals identify the signs of autism. This research publication also provides information for the signposting posters on the film's web page. Reference : Carrington, S.J. Leekam, S.R. et al. 2015. Signposting for diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder using the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 9, pp. 45-52. ( 10.1016/j.rasd.2014.10.003).

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Autism (also called ASC) is a lifelong condition that affects how a person relates to other people and communicates with them. Autistic people will experience the world differently. These differences can bring challenges as well as unique strengths. More information can be found at www.autism.org.uk (The National Autistic Society) Things you may notice: Social communication [...]

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Approximately 3 in 1,000 babies are born with permanent hearing loss[i] Children can have different types of hearing loss as detailed below:- Sensorineural-hearing loss in the inner ear. This usually means that the cochlea in the inner ear is not working effectively. Sensorineural deafness is perman…

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Hearing impairment

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Information about the children’s communication charity ICAN.

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SLCN & DLD SLCN Speech, Language and Communication Needs Events There are many ways that you can help to raise funds Afasic Helpline

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This page contains some useful information on the development of speech sounds in children and some clips of speech and language therapists giving practical advice on ways to help your child’s speech to develop at home.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Useful resources

Take a look at the following pages for more information on:

Strategies and advice

There are many ways to support speech development. These include

Phase out dummies and bottles as soon as possible

Be face to face when you talk

Encourage the child to look at you

Slow down your own speech

Focus on what your child says rather than how it's said

Model back the correct sounds but don't expect your child to repeat it, e.g. If your child says "tat" you could say "that's right, it's a cat"

Confirm what you DO understand

Acknowledge your child's feeling e.g. if they are frustrated

Avoid overcorrecting

Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure they can see how the sound and words are formed

Ensure your child is face watching when an adult says a word as this will ensure he can see how the sound and words are formed.

Speech workshop - Talking clearly: Helping your child's speech sound development

If your child has been seen by a member of the team you would have been advised to access our online training resource, we ask that parents /carers access this prior to therapy commencing.

Useful film clips
Top tips Sounds fun Supporting Phonological Awareness Minimal pairs - A therapy approach for children with a phonological delay or disorder Cued Articulation A guide to generalising speech sounds
Useful websites

National Literacy Trust
Has resources and information for parents, early years settings and schools to promote language and literacy development.

ICAN
For information relating to speech, language and communication needs.

AFASIC
This website supports parents and represents children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Talking Point
Talking Point gives parents/carers and practitioners the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.

Training

The Children's Therapies Team support speech development at a range of levels this includes

Parent workshops

Pre-school / School years Key worker / TA workshops

Cued articulation training

Depending on your locality, these can be booked by either contact your local service or via the online shop.

Parent workshops to support speech sound development are offered by the SLT department for families known to the service.

Referral

Some speech sound errors are seen in typical speech sound development . If your child is making one or more of the typical error patterns after the age at which they are typically no longer seen, then their speech sound development is delayed and they would benefit from support from home and nursery/school.

Some children would benefit from help from the Speech and Language Therapy service and we would encourage you to consider a referral to our team if your child is doing any of the following:

Making any of the errors on the Speech Development advice sheet at least 18months after the age at which it is typically no longer seen.

Making mistakes which are not described on the Speech Development advice sheet (e.g. difficulties with vowels, missing consonant sounds off from the beginning or middle of words).

Saying words differently each time they try to say them.

Not able to make speech sounds in isolation at least one year after they should have developed (see Speech Sounds Developmental Norm Chart).

If your child is at nursery or school, discuss your concerns with them and agree together whether a referral is needed.

For Early years settings you can use the KCHFT Speech screen tool to help to decide if a referral is required. One hard copy of this screen is available to all settings for free. Alternatively please refer to below.

For school-aged children referrals should include a recent Speech Link assessment and evidence of two terms' worth of support in school.

The following speech sound development chart may also help in considering a child's speech development.

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Speech sounds are the sounds we use in words. If we use the right sounds in the right order then people can understand what we are saying. It can take a long time to learn how to make the right sounds. We think of speech sounds being different from the alphabet, they are the "pure" [...]

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Learning to talk, like learning to walk, is never completely smooth and does not happen straight away. Young children often stop, pause, start again and stumble over words when they are learning to talk. Between the ages of two and five, it is normal for a child to repeat words and phrases, and hesitate with "ums" and "ers", especially when they are thinking about what they are going to say next.

For some children learning to talk can be a bit more difficult and their words can appear to get stuck. Approximately five percent of children experience stammering while they are learning to talk. However, the majority of these children will go on to be fluent speakers. Stammering is when

Sounds or syllables may be repeated e.g. mu mum mummy

Sounds may be stretched out to make the word longer e.g. fffffffffffish

A word becomes stuck and doesn't come out at all (this can sometimes be harder to notice)

It's not known exactly why a child stammers but evidence indicates that a combination of factors are involved. There is no evidence that parents cause stammering. However, there are lots of things that parents can do to support their child's fluency. Please see our Top Tips video below and leaflets for some ideas.

There are certain factors which make a child more vulnerable to stammering. You may want to consider referring your child to speech and language therapy if they:

Have been stammering for over 1 year.

Have a stammer that has been getting worse.

Have a family history of stammering.

Have moments of stammering that appear to be very tense.

Are aware or concerned about their speech.

Give up on what they're trying to say, or avoid speaking in certain situations.

Have other speech, language or communication difficulties.

Strategies and approaches

There are many ways to support fluency. Watch our key top tips video for further information.

Useful websites

Referral

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding if to refer for stammering if one or more of the following apply we recommend that you refer (however you can always contact us for advice);

The child's parents are very anxious or concerned about their stammer

The child is aware/upset by their stammer

The child's stammer has lasted for over 1 year, and seems to be getting worse rather than improving

The child's stammer is significantly disrupting their flow of speech, and/or appears to be tense

The child's stammer is beginning to impact on their confidence/willingness to speak in certain situations.

To refer your child to receive support for Stammering please use the Children's Therapies Service referral form.

Workshops

If you have been advised to access our online training resource please watch the video for your child's age e.g. if your child is 5 years old please watch the Under 8's stammering Workshop.

Or if your child is 12 years old please watch the Over 8's workshop.

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Learning to talk, like learning to walk, is never completely smooth and does not happen straight away. Young children often stop, pause, start again and stumble over words when they are learning to talk. Between the ages of two and five, it is normal for a child to repeat words and phrases, and hesitate with [...]

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Kent School Health is available to support children, young people and their families.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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From time to time we all struggle with our emotional health and wellbeing. For some children and young people it can be difficult to manage and understand their feelings. Young people might experience a wide variety of difficulties including low mood, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating or might be avoiding school.

Call the Single Point of Access number on 0800 0113 474 between 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and choose option one.
If a child or young person needs urgent help please call 0800 0113 474 or text the word KENT to 85258.
The School Health Team may support you and your child directly or refer you to another provider if appropriate. Our team works closely with the Kent Children and Young People's Mental Health Service.

We also offer the following services:

ChatHealth

ChatHealth is a text service for 11-19 year-olds. Young people can text with a member of our team about any physical or emotional health concerns they have. This service is available Monday to Friday, 9am on 07520 618850.

This service is confidential and anonymous.

Children and Young People's Counselling Service

We can offer up to six counselling sessions for young people aged 11-19. These sessions can help a young person gain understanding and develop strategies to help them feel better. For primary school-aged children, we can offer the child six sessions with a counsellor, or if more appropriate, we can offer parents six weekly sessions with advice on practical, easy to use strategies to support your child.

These sessions can be offered via video link, phone or in person. If you wish to access this support or find out more please complete our online referral form or call 0800 0113 474.

Supporting a child at home

The Kent Resilience Hub is aimed at parents of children aged between 10 and 16. It has a range of helpful articles, tools and resources for parents and carers, so that you can increase understanding and find tools and approaches to help build your child's resilience.

Good Mental Health Matters is another site that provides great resources to help parents support their whole families emotional health.

Resources for children and young people:

Kent Youth Health provides health information and advice directly to young people.

Kooth is a fantastic free online mental health and wellbeing service for young people aged 10 to 25. It's a place to get advice, information and support 24/7. Watch their video to understand how Kooth can support your child with their mental health and wellbeing.

Access Moodspark.org.uk to learn about mental health and find tips and resources to keep emotionally healthy.

Good Health Matters is a great website which can help support a child or young person to make small changes to support their mental health.

Contact us

Getting in touch is easy:

0800 0113 474
nem-tr.kentchildrenandyoungpeoplehealthservices@nhs.net

Complete our online referral form.

We take referrals directly from:

children and young people

parents or carers

schools, colleges and higher education colleges

other health care professionals or partner organisations

voluntary agencies.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19): Information about our service Kent School Health is available to support children, young people and their families. You can call the Single Point of Access (SPA) on 0800 0113 474. You can also read our questions and answers for parents. Keep up-to-date with the latest information, read our page on Coronavirus.

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Guide for parents of supporting children who have ADHD

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ADHD Support For Your Child | Parents Advice Guide

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If your child is struggling to manage their ADHD, read our tips on what you can do to support them, how to get a diagnosis and where to find help.

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Some of our pupils in Early Years are beginning to learn Cued Articulation; a set of hand cues to help children know which part of the mouth and throat sounds are made from.

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Cued Articulation, Jane Passy - summary of all sounds and handsigns

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Specialist Teaching and Learning Service

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Specialist Teaching and Learning Service

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Nexus is a special school for children and young people with profound, severe and complex needs, many of whom are on the Autistic Spectrum based in Tonbridge, Kent.

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Useful links to key information such as urgent help, advice and guidance, Autism Services Directory, branches and our online community.

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Supporting a child who has anxiety or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 

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Supporting a child who has anxiety or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 

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PSP: 253 Helping Kids with Anxiety Reframe Anxious Thoughts Anxious thoughts grow, build momentum and turn into an avalanche of overwhelm. But what if kids with anxiety were taught how to stop the mental chaos before it grew out of control? What if they were able to reframe their fears and calm their mind? When kids have anxiety, one of the most powerful tools at [...]

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Anxious Toddlers to Anxious Teens: Parenting Survival for All Ages

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PSP: 253 Helping Kids with Anxiety Reframe Anxious Thoughts Anxious thoughts grow, build momentum and turn into an avalanche of overwhelm. But what if kids with anxiety were taught how to stop the mental chaos before it grew out of control? What if they were able to reframe their fears and calm their mind?

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Too many children in the UK are not getting the support they need to grow up safe and happy. We're here to put this right.

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Supporting children to deal with challenges they may face, such as, domestic abuse and online safety.

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SALUS, previously known as Kent Safe Schools, offers a range of innovative services in Kent to benefit children, young people, their families and schools.

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Slideaway is a wonderful charity who can work with our pupils and their families who experience bereavement.

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Slide Away offers a bereavement support service to children and young people in West Kent...

Slide Away offers support to children and young people in West Kent who have been bereaved of a family member or friend. We also support children and young people who have a parent or sibling with a life limiting illness.

Abigail's Footsteps

Slide Away is working with Abigail's Footsteps to ensure that there is support for siblings who are affected by a stillbirth or neonatal death. Abigail's Footsteps will fund places at one of Slide Away's two-day workshops for children in West Kent.

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Slide Away offers support to children and young people in West Kent who have been bereaved of a family member or friend. We also support children and young people who have a parent or sibling with a life limiting illness.

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The Three Ds: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Developmental Coordination Disorder. 

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The Three Ds: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Developmental Coordination Disorder. 

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All teachers at Bishop Chavasse School have been trained by an Educational Psychologist on strategies to support pupils who have literacy difficulties or Dyslexia.

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STLS video short  Introduction to the 3 Ds

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Support from the Occupational Therapy Team around Sensory Processing

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Support from the Occupational Therapy Team around Sensory Processing

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When children have Sensory Processing difficulties it can make it hard for them to happily join in with everyday activities. They may react differently to smells, sound, textures and touch. Follow the link for the new self-referral process if you require support with Sensory Processing difficulties.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Sensory processing

Sensory processing is the way that our brain sorts out sensory information so we understand the world and can manage our everyday life.

For most children the development of their sensory processing (sometimes called integration) occurs as part of our normal development and they learn to respond appropriately to sounds, smells, movement etc.

We all have some sensory processing differences. For example, some of us like very strong tastes and smells and others avoid them. Some people enjoy roller coaster rides whilst others would avoid even a merry-go-round. As long as we can manage to take part in the things we want and need to do these sensory processing differences don't matter or need support.

For some children their sensory development is delayed or disordered, and they struggle to take part in everyday childhood occupations. For example, they are so distressed by noise they can't go to a friend's party or they hit out when someone brushes up against them as they experience it as painful.

e-Learning

A 30 minute talk by an Occupational Therapist about sensory processing and how differences in sensory processing can impact your child's behaviour at home and school. There is some e-learning at the end of the talk for you to have a go at if you'd like to.

Useful websites and apps

Growing hands on kids
A site with ideas videos and information to support a child's development. Some useful information videos.

OT Plan
Website with activities to support a child's development. Choose by skill and activity.

Pinterest
Lots of fun sensory activity ideas for home.

Sensory Smarts
Website related to book 'Raising a Sensory Smart Child' - free advice and resources on website.

The Inspired Treehouse
Sensory ideas to help children pay attention.

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Sensory processing | Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Sensory processing Sensory processing is the way that our brain sorts out sensory information so we understand the world and can manage our everyday life. For most children the development of their sensory processing (sometimes called integration) occurs as part of our normal development and they learn to respond appropriately to sounds, smells, movement etc.

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Children's Therapies Advice Line

An advice Line was opened in September 2022 to parents and professionals who would like advice from an Speech and Language Therapist, a Physiotherapist or an Occupational Therapist about any child not currently known to the Kent Children’s Therapies service.

Clinicians are able to provide you with advice, sign-posting to further information, or they may recommend a referral for a fuller assessment.

The Advice Line is open on 0300 123 7004, Monday to Friday, between the following hours:

·         Speech and Language Therapy – 10.00-12.30 and 13.30-15.30

·         Occupational Therapy/Physiotherapy – 9.30-12.00 OR 14.00-16.30

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Webinar developed by Kent Educational Psychology Service with a focus on Anxiety Based School Avoidance.

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Kent Handbook for Families (ADHD and Autism)

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Kent Handbook for Families (ADHD and Autism)

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Support for separated or divorced parents

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Support for separated or divorced parents

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Cygnet Course for parents of children who have ASC/ASD

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Cygnet Course for parents of children who have ASC/ASD

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Supporting young people to cope better with the pressures of everyday life.

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Supporting 10-16 year olds to cope better with the pressures of everyday life.

Here at the Kent Resilience Hub we wanted to create a resource that helps young people, parents and carers and professionals to understand emotional growth and resilience.

Sometimes it can be hard to know how best to support a child or young person in difficult times. We have tried to help by finding the best and most reliable information, articles, tools and resources relating to resilience and emotional wellbeing. One place where you can increase your understanding and awareness, find approaches and tools or navigate your way to appropriate support and services.

Sometimes it can be hard to know how best to support a child or young person in difficult times. We have tried to help by finding the best and most reliable information, articles, tools and resources relating to resilience and emotional wellbeing. One place where you can increase your understanding and awareness, find approaches and tools or navigate your way to appropriate support and services.

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Here at the Kent Resilience Hub we wanted to create a resource that helps young people, parents and carers and professionals to understand emotional growth and resilience. Sometimes it can be hard to know how best to support a child or young person in difficult times.

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Information, resources and training for parents.

All staff at Bishop Chavasse School have now completed the Autism Education Trust Professional Development Programme Training on 'Schools Making Sense of Autism'.

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Parent Guide for Working Together with Your Child's School

Elective Home Education in England

The impact of Covid-19 on home education guidelines and useful links to relevant legislation.

Top Tips, Strategies and Resources for Parents

A collection of 10 practical strategies and additional tips to support parents of autistic children and young people.

A guide to help parents navigate equality law, rights and entitlements when their autistic child is excluded or at risk of exclusion from school

This resource outlines the legal duties the Equality Act 2010 places on your child's school in relation to the exclusion of disabled pupils.

The examples given relate specifically to autistic pupils and are intended to help you and your child's school avoid disability discrimination claims, where possible.

Exclusions

Advice and support on exclusions, explore the Autism Education Trust Exclusions resources

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Are you a parent or care of an autistic child or young person looking for guidance and advice? Explore our Parent Resources.

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Parent Reflection Teams promotional flyer[9657]

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More information on how we use the Waves of Intervention Model to ensure that we meet all pupils' needs can be found in our SEND Policy and Information Report on our school website.

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Kent Educational Psychology Service Parent Consultation Line 

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Kent Educational Psychology Service Parent Consultation Line 

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Parents are able to access a free 30 minute phone/ video consultation with an Educational Psychologist.

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Chill Zone at Woodlands Children's Centre

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Chill Zone at Woodlands Children's Centre

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Paediatric physiotherapy advice and services to support with hypermobility and movement and co-ordination development.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Children’s TherapiesThe Pod Physiotherapy Paediatric (children and young peoples) physiotherapy is the physical treatment, of childhood diseases and conditions that may impact on development and well being. Community paediatric physiotherapists provide specialist assessment and a range of therapeuti…

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General advice to support your child with:
- dressing and undressing
- meal times
- movement and co-ordination
- pre-writing and writing

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Her Majesty, the Queen's funeral on Monday, 19 September is a bank holiday. All urgent care services, or services that would normally operate on a weekend or a bank holiday, such as, district nursing and rapid response, will continue.

Planned appointments for other services will be rescheduled. If this affects you, you will be contacted by the service and informed of the cancellation. The service will contact you again to rearrange your appointment. Catch-up clinics are being planned to keep waiting times to a minimum. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Please contact the service if you need any further assistance.

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Children's TherapiesThe Pod Occupational therapy Some children may struggle with getting dressed and ready for school, using cutlery, joining in with ball games or using playground equipment in the way their friends do. Our aim is to support children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with participating in everyday activities or occupations.