SEND Services in Devon
Face-to-face support and advice for all families with children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)
Find a SEND support service near you
Let’s Talk, Read & Play
Are you concerned about your child's speech and language development? Is your child on the speech and language waiting list? Then come along to the Family Hub and join our Let’s Talk, Read & Play group for tips and ideas to encourage your child’s communication.
Let's Talk, Read & Play is a rolling programme for families with a child with speech and language difficulties.
Please complete our request for contact form if this is a service you are interested or call the family hub nearest you.
Devon has had a multi-agency approach to support children’s speech and language development, with Family Hubs, Early Years, Speech & Language specialists and Public Health Nursing (PHN) focussing on this. The screening process used for children aged 2yrs – 2yrs 11 months is ELIM (Early Language Identification Measure). This screening process will be used during a child’s 2-year Development Review.
Children will be screened on their use of 50 identified words, using the ELIM-Word list (kentcht.nhs.uk), those scoring 18 or over are deemed to be developmentally appropriate. Those scoring 17 and under, will be offered additional support, depending on whether they are accessing an Early Years setting. If attending an Early Years setting, then the setting will support the child, or they can access a group, provided by the Family Hub. If not attending an Early Years setting, then the child can either be referred into the Family Hub or be offered 1:1 support from the PHN practitioner.
Once identified as requiring additional support for their speech and language, the child will be invited to attend the 5-week programme at the Family Hub. Each week there is a focus strategy, which is role modelled by the staff in the group, as well as discussed with the parent carer. There will also be core strategies that run throughout the 5 weeks, these include: comment rather than question and use of simple repetitive language. There will be focussed play activities on offer, to encourage conversations and speech between children and their parents. We celebrate any ‘wow’ moments that parents share from the week, this could be using more speech, or more facial interactions, but are development achievements for the child.
At the end of the 5 weeks, parents are provided with some additional resources, websites, Facebook pages, etc to access for ideas and support. If no change has been observed, a referral to Speech & Language services is made, if not already completed.
Step-by-Step
This support group is for parents and children who have additional needs that require extra help and support to their pathway of developmental progression. This group often gives parents the vital opportunity to create a peer support networks which share strategies, sign posting and emotional comfort reducing isolation and offers families with a child with developmental delay, diagnosed conditions and developmental concerns to meet together in a safe environment.
The group works with families in order to support their child’s development in early years provider, school and at home and empowers parents to be confident in their child’s needs and understand each other. The group offers a variety of accessible and inclusive activities differentiated for the individual children’s needs within the group and offers a welcoming, safe, enabling and supportive environment for children to play, grow, explore and experiment.
To access this group, please complete our request for contact form.
Step by step groups are a stepping stone into becoming independent within the community.
The group offers the opportunity for children to be a part of a social group without judgement and regardless of their delay or disability, helping them to be healthy, competent, confident and skilful communicators.
Each week the group is themed. Examples of these themes are:
- Messy play/Sensory fun- cornflour, playdough, painting, pasta, texture trays e.g. leaves and cones sand and shells, compost, sensory suitcase/dark den
- Water/sand play- boats, filling and pouring, water painting, trucks
- Let’s pretend- may include doll play, home corner, trains and cars
- Dressing up time- dressing up, materials and costumes, hats, bags
- Reaching feeling holding- textures, baby gym, treasure baskets
- Talking and listening- mirrors, peek a boo, books, singing, bubbles, turn taking activities
- Lets get physical/sitters standers walkers - parachute, balls, bean bags, ride-ons, cause and effect toys
- Playing together- turn taking activities, groups activities, sharing books
- Movers and shakers - cause and effect activities, making shakers, dancing, find the hidden sound use a toy that you wind up and see if the children can find the sound and musical toys.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) offer from Devon
Information from Devon County Council about support
DiAS (Devon, Information, Advice and Support)
A confidential, impartial, free service that supports children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their parents and carers.
Link to the DiAS contact form:
Parent Carer Forum Devon
For Parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within Devon local authority. Our aim is to make sure that services provided by education, health and care meet the needs of children with SEND and their families.
Short Breaks
We will be developing a new short breaks program for families in Devon.
A short break gives disabled children or young people opportunities to have fun doing things they enjoy, make friends and spend quality time with other young people in new environments and develop skills.
We will be offering family activity days to understand what activities children and young people want.
Devon Parent and Carers Voice will be central to shaping services for the future. We will be working collaboratively with our incredible community and voluntary partners to increase access to community services.
We know that short breaks benefit both the children and their families. Children with disabilities or additional needs benefit from new interests, relationships and activities, while parents and siblings can catch up with ‘everyday activities’ (sleep, cleaning, shopping), attend to their own physical and psychological wellbeing, and maintain and develop social networks and other important family relationships.
If you would like a conversation regarding your child’s possible eligibility for support through short breaks, please take a look at Devon County Council’s information on short breaks.
Short breaks - Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)
Further information about the Family Hubs short breaks offer will follow shortly. This is a new developing service.
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