Memberships of Oldham Parent Carer Forum have grown from 45 families to over 4200 local families and remains a pan-disability forum representing all additional needs and disabilities.

Oldham Parent Carer Forum is a member of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums.

What do Parent Carer Forums do?….

Share Information:

We are here to provide access to information that enables you to access the support you need from the right people at the right time. We also share up to date information and participation opportunities at a local, regional and national level to keep you informed on matters relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Consult: 

This means we bring together parent and carers of children and young people with additional needs who live in or access service in Oldham to find out what is important to them. Your views, wishes and feelings are represented by your forum representatives to shape services and influence policy and practice.

Co-produce:

This means that we can become involved in all aspects of designing, commissioning, delivering and reviewing services as an equal partner

• A rolling programme of themed training workshops which aim to inform and equip parents and carers with a better understanding of their children’s needs, and strategies to help support their children’s areas of difficulty.

• Information marketplace events, designed to enable parents and carers to quickly and easily access information and advice from a range of services and providers.

• One-to-one follow up sessions offered where needed, following attendance at workshops, to further support parents and carers develop their understanding.

• Signposting to other appropriate support services.

• Support and advice from service co-ordinators in person, over the phone, or via email.

This project has been created due to the success of the national Autism in Schools (AiS) project.

The PINS project is testing a new model for supporting good outcomes in mainstream schools for Neurodiverse students and strengthening parent carer and school partnerships.

The PINS project will: 

• Provide support at a whole school level, with more effective working between education, health and parent carers, through partnerships with local parent carer forums.

• To support mainstream schools to be inclusive places that are able to meet the needs of neurodiverse students.

• To be needs led rather than diagnosis led support and cover the full range of neurodiversity which also covers children without a formal diagnosis.

• Strengthen partnerships between parents and schools.

• Develop schools’ confidence and expertise in supporting neurodiversity within their classrooms.

• Improve the school environment to address low level needs and allow neurodiverse children to successfully engage in learning.

• Develop an inclusive culture that improves the efficacy of other interventions.

The delivery of support will be in schools in September 2024 until March 25. 

Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.

For example, a child who is extra sensitive might find normal noises painfully loud or be bothered by the feeling of certain fabrics against their skin. Meanwhile, a child who doesn’t react much to sensory input might not notice when their name is called, seek out big movements like jumping and spinning, or crave lots of physical pressure like tight hugs.

Every child with SPD experiences it differently, but with support and strategies tailored to their needs, they can better manage these sensory challenges.

Key points:

• Social Interaction: Some people may find social cues or conversations challenging.

• Behaviours and Interests: They might engage in repetitive actions or have intense, focused interests.

• Sensory Sensitivities: They could be highly sensitive to lights, sounds, or textures, or seem less affected by certain sensory inputs.

• Strengths: Many have unique abilities, like attention to detail, strong memory, or creativity.

Autism is a different way of thinking and experiencing life.

• language & communication

• social interaction

• flexibility of thinking

• sensory differences

We also offer “top tips” on how you can help support your child’s difficulties in these areas.

Many children/young people with autism attend mainstream schools and some require very low levels of support, if any. Other children/young people may require higher levels of support to help them in one or more areas for example:

• cognition and learning

• communication and social skills

• emotional and mental wellbeing

• sensory/physical needs.

The Education workshop covers what educational establishments are legally required to do, your rights as a parent/carer, and the processes involved in obtaining the appropriate levels of support.

In the communication workshop, we look at a range of difficulties that are commonly seen in children/young people with autism, including:

• verbal communication (both spoken communication and comprehension of language)

• non-verbal communication

• social communication.

Whilst children/young people with more profound difficulties may require some input from speech and language therapy (SALT), we offer SALT-approved strategies that can be used at home to help support difficulties in communication.

In addition, it can be very difficult for children to recognise their own emotions, and/or to express their emotions to another person in an appropriate way.

The emotions workshop discusses why children might have these difficulties, and offers ideas of activities and strategies to use with children and young people to help them develop their emotional awareness and wellbeing.

Whilst people often think of challenging behaviours as aggressive actions or ‘meltdowns’, it is important to recognise that other, less outwardly expressions of frustration are equally concerning too. For example, the child that, when in crisis, becomes withdrawn, passive, and at risk of internalising negative emotions may also need some support to find healthier ways of coping.

If the diagnosis wasn’t recent, you can still access the workshops. Either ring our service direct or contact the practitioner who you received the diagnosis from and ask them to make a referral to our workshop service. You can also make a referral through:

• Early Help Service

• School Nurse/SENCO

• GP

• Social Care/Social Worker

  
  

Contact us to request a referral form.

If you have any questions or are unclear on anything, then give us a ring and we’ll guide you through it:

Telephone: 0161 503 1551
Email: workshops@point-send.co.uk

Some common signs include:

• Understanding Others: They might have difficulty interpreting facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice.

• Conversation Skills: They may struggle with taking turns, staying on topic, or picking up on humour or sarcasm.

• Adapting to Situations: They might find it hard to change how they communicate depending on the situation, like speaking differently to a teacher versus a sibling.

  
  

With the right support, such as speech and language therapy, children with SCD can develop skills to navigate social situations more confidently. Patience, encouragement, and understanding from loved ones can make a huge difference in helping them connect and thrive.

Key facts:

• Motor Skills: Children with dyspraxia may struggle with gross motor skills (e.g., running, jumping, riding a bike) and fine motor skills (e.g., handwriting, using cutlery, fastening buttons).

• Everyday Tasks: It can make routine activities like dressing, eating, or organising belongings more challenging.

• Cognitive Impact: Some may have difficulty with planning, memory, or processing multiple steps in a task.

Riding The Rapids is a 10 week programme to help parents develop strategies to support their autistic child and young person, children and young people with significant Learning Disabilities, and those on the pathway for Autism assessment.

POINT and Partners across Oldham are co-delivering these sessions.

This course aims to support parents/carers understanding of their child/young person, reduce distress, support parents/carers to make environmental changes, and support parents/carers and children and young people's emotional wellbeing. Parents/carers gain skills to take on their journey with them, and the quality of life for the family should be improved after completing this course.

To find out more, please contact the Neurodiversity Hub

Telephone Number - 0161 503 1549

Email - ndservice@point-send.co.uk

Referral Process: You can either be referred by a professional or self-refer through an application form.

• If you are a professional (e.g. GP, organisation, etc) referring a client, please contact us to send you the referral form.

• If you are self-referring, please click here.

More information:

You can contact us through email (oldhampeersupport@togmind.org) or call us at
0161 330 9223.

Home - Kooth

Home - Qwell

To register for this programme please use the link below:

SilverCloud. Making Space For Healthy Minds

SilverCloud. Making Space For Healthy Minds

You can search a range of activities, information, advice and support opportunities so why not take a look and REMEMBER if you can’t find what you are looking for, use the feedback link on the website as it is always being reviewed to ensure Oldham families have access to appropriate services for children and young people with SEND.

Resources, webinars, seminars and a range of information available.

Our hub offers a wide range of support including Riding the Rapids Training, access to our neurodiversity navigators for support and guidance, as well as other programmes of support.

You can contact the navigator team via a dedicated email address:

ndservice@point-send.co.uk

The Zones of Regulation is a simple and practical approach to help children understand their feelings and learn how to manage them. It groups emotions and energy levels into four coloured zones, making it easier for children to recognise how they are feeling and what they might need.

It is important to remember that all zones are normal. Every child (and adult) moves through them during the day. The aim is not to stay in the Green Zone at all times, but to help children recognise their feelings and learn healthy ways to manage them.

In this section below you will find some examples of the colours and what they mean, with additional information and supportive strategies.

• Sad

• Tired

• Poorly

• Bored

• Shy

When children are in the Blue Zone, they may need rest, reassurance, movement, or something that helps lift their energy.

• Calm

• Happy

• Focused

• Proud

• OK

In the Green Zone, children are usually ready to learn, play and interact positively with others.

• Frustrated

• Worried

• Excited

• Silly

• Nervous

In the Yellow Zone, children may need gentle support and simple calming strategies to prevent their feelings from becoming overwhelming.

• Very angry

• Extremely upset

• Overwhelmed

• Shouting or crying

• Feeling out of control

When children are in the Red Zone, they need calm, supportive adults to help them feel safe and guide them back to a calmer state.

Growing up has never been more challenging and having an unhappy child is unbearably difficult for parents. Knowing how to respond to difficulties, emotions and building resilience is complicated, and the way adults respond matters.

Raise Resilience guides parents through a series of six online sessions.

Packed full of tips, skills, knowledge, tools and resources that teach children how to face challenges with confidence, use their strengths to problem solve, develop empathy, understand emotions and build the mental resilience to live well in the context of an ever-changing world.

To register to attend the workshops which have a catch up offer click the link below:

FREE for parents in Oldham

• Starts Tuesday 2nd June

• Six, 1-hour sessions, 8-9pm

• Join live or catch up on-demand

• Downloadable activities to use with children

Webinar Registration - Zoom