News

Real Issues e-bulletin Issue 18 - October 2008

Bringing you the latest news and information about support groups and activities you might be interested in. More information here

Local, regional and national news stories

10 Sea View Road West is officially excellent!

Sunderland City Council's short break service for children and young people with disabilities has been rated "excellent" by CSCI ..... more information can be downloaded here ( 86kb) .

New club for young people!

A new youth club for disabled young people kicks off in Sunderland in September 2006. The club, for young people aged 12 to 25, will meet at the Lambton Street Fellowship Centre from 30 September. Activities include snooker, games and video games in a fully accessible sports area. Outdoor activities and gardening projects are planned. Sessions cost 50p. For more details contact (0191) 567 5227.

Whizz-Kidz Children’s Mobility Centre

Whizz-Kidz provides customised mobility equipment which is not available on the NHS along with training and advice, giving children independence to live a life of freedom at home, school and at play.

The main objective for the mobility centre is to provide a one stop shop for all information and advice regarding children’s mobility needs e.g. assessments and funding advice. We also provide information and product days where children and professionals are invited to try out equipment. 

The mobility centre team is made up of Louise Forrest (Regional Development Officer), Julia Cunningham (Senior Mobility Therapist) and Jenny Crosby (Centre Administrator). 

For more information contact:

Children’s Mobility Centre, Disability North, Castles Farm Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 1PH
Tel: 0191 2136770

Website: www.whizz-kidz.org.uk

‘Making it Happen’ – integrated working in practice. A 2006 guide.

DfES has just published the booklet ‘Making It Happen’ to support services working together by raising awareness of the tools and guidance available.

The booklet focuses on key elements of the Every Child Matters agenda and shows how the separate initiatives work together, focusing on:

• Guidance on information sharing
• Common Assessment Framework
• Lead professional
• Best practice in multi-agency working
• Development of the information sharing index

Download it from the Every Child Matters publications website

Involving children and young people

Guidance, produced by the SEN Regional Partnership in Yorkshire & Humberside in conjunction with Barnardo’s

Involving children and young people; a participation pack ( 495kb) was developed in 2006 by the Yorkshire and Humberside SEN Regional Partnership to support the involvement of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in reviews and meetings.  The pack includes six guiding principles for professionals, with a version of these written as promises to children and young people. There is a guidance section for professionals on implementing the principles, with links to practice in region which supports the principles.

More information

Are you interested in fostering, adopting or offering short break care for Sunderland children?

If you have ever considered fostering, adopting or offering short break care for Sunderland children, read on.  The types of care which you may be able to get involved with are

Adoption - where a child becomes a permanent and full member of your family.

Permanent fostering - for children who need regular face-to-face contact with their parents but do not live with them. These placements continue until young people are adults.

Foster care workers scheme - these are the placements for young people whose behaviour challenges us. This is a fee paid scheme.

Temporary fostering - a scheme where children live with you temporarily while the problems which lead to them being separated from their family are overcome so they can return home, or move to a more permanent home.

Short breaks - this scheme offers families with children (especially those who are disabled) regular planned breaks. This is often one weekend per fortnight or month with additional stays with you during school holiday periods.

Anyone interested in receiving more information can call (0191) 5205555 or our 24 hour answering service (0191) 3823020 or email: fostering@ssd.sunderland.gov.uk

Youth Matters paper launched by Government

The government has launched a strategy for consultation called Youth Matters, which looks at meeting the needs of young people.  The main issues it addresses are engaging young people in positive activities, getting young people involved in volunteering and projects in their community, providing them with good information and guidance, and providing better support for those who have got problems or who have got into trouble.

The Council for Disabled Children have prepared a summary with details of what the strategy says about disabled young people, which can be downloaded here ( 32kb)

Download Youth Matters here ( 565kb)

Something new to do!  Specially adapted tricycles

People's Pedal Power is a new initiative in Sunderland to encourage disabled people and children to start cycling.  The project has adapted tricycles suitable for people with all disabilities and is based at Hetton Lyons Country Park.

For more information contact:

Peoples Pedal Power, 100 Norfolk Street, Sunderland, SR1 1EA

Tel: 0191 567 8107

E-mail: leslieg@myway.com

Free films at the cinema!

Does your disabled child enjoy going to the cinema? This enjoyable outing could now cost you less with The Cinema Exhibitors' Association Card.  This is a card which confirms that the holder (your child) is entitled to one free ticket for the person accompanying them to the cinema.  To apply for the card, your child would need to be in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) or attendance allowance and/or be registered blind. The card is valid for 3 years.

For more information contact

Tel: 0845 123 1295

Fax: 0845 123 1296

Minicom: 0845 123 1297

Website: www.ceacard.co.uk

'Getting a Life' newsletter launched
The Council for Disabled Children has launched a newsletter for professionals working with disabled young people who are approaching the transition to adulthood.  The newsletter is called Getting a Life, and will be issued quarterly.  The first issue looks at the implications of the National Service Framework (NSF), and reviews the work of the Transition Information Network.

To be added to the mailing list contact Lucia Winters at lwinters@ncb.org.uk

Flexible working for parents of disabled children
Did you know that from 6th April 2003 parents of children under 6 or disabled children under 18 have the right to apply to work flexibly, and employers have a duty to consider the request seriously? 

More information can be downloaded here

Parenting a Deaf Child CD-ROM resource - National Deaf Children Society/DFES

This CD-Rom is an interactive parenting guide for parents of deaf children by parents of deaf children. It shows film footage of 30 parents offering advice and tips on raising deaf children. It is sub-titled and sign language interpreted. Although many parenting skills are the same whether children are deaf or hearing, some issues are specific to parenting deaf children. It is available free of charge and was produced with support from the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).

For more information, contact:

Tel: 0808 800 8880 (voice and text)

E-mail: helpline@ndcs.org.uk

Website: www.ndcs.org.uk

Care Co-Ordination Network UK (CCNUK)
Care Co-Ordination Network UK (CCNUK) is an umbrella organisation promoting and supporting care co-ordination or key working for disabled children and their families in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. CCNUK is an independent registered charity based at the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York.

For more information, contact:

CCNUK, Tower House, Fishergate, York, YO10 4UA
Tel: 01904 567303
Fax: 01904 567334
E-mail: info@ccnuk.org.uk
Website: www.ccnuk.org.uk

Archived news stories

To view news stories from 2003 and 2004 please click here ( 29kb)

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