OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY INFORMATION EVENT
Where and When!
The event is being held on Friday 7th February 2025, at The Civic Centre, Trowbridge from 10.00am - 2.00pm (arrival and registration is from 9.30am).
Here is what you can look forward to on the day...
Information Stands from over 40 different services!
We are expecting over 40 services and providers to attend and promote information about the services and support they offer. This will be in our popular Market Place, where you will be able to walk amongst the information stands, talk to providers and find out more about what may be on offer to support your child or young person. See pages 5 to 9 for a flavour of what we have instore already - more providers are booking stands all the time, so expect to see more on the day than we can promote in this advance booklet.
FREE Tea, Coffee & Cakes for attendees!
There will be a refreshment area open throughout the event, so that all attendees can take a rare opportunity to sit with a free cup of tea or coffee and cake while chatting with other parent carers, helping you to realise that you are not alone and enabling you to meet other people who understand what it is like to be a parent carer.
OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY INFORMATION EVENT
Opening Presentation - Information/Service Update
Becoming a regular feature of our Information Events, the Welcome, housekeeping and overview of the day will be followed by a short information/update presentation.
At this event, the information/update presentation will talk about the Neurodevelopmental Pathway and the Needs-Led Approach. The Neurodevelopmental Pathway is an assessment only service for children and young people who are showing possible signs of autism and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Needs Led Approach has been developed with families, children/young people and education settings to: -
• help understand more about a person’s strengths and needs
• help understand how to help
A Needs Led Approach will usually be completed with home and school together, ensuring the views and experiences of families rightly inform the process. It is hoped that this approach will help everyone to understand whether an assessment will meet the needs that have been identified.
Information Workshop Session!
There will be an Information Workshop that will be repeated twice in the day. This will be delivered by colleagues at Wiltshire Council who will explain what the ‘Local Offer’ in Wiltshire is and how to use it to access and understand some of the SEND information, structures and support available in Wiltshire.
(Limited spaces available - first come first served)
MARKET PLACE STANDS
Organisation Information
Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC)
PAPYRUS
Prevention of Young Suicide
Signposting and support for parent carers of young people aged 0 - 25.
PAPYRUS aims to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by breaking down the stigma around suicide & equipping people with the skills to recognise & respond to suicidal behaviour. HOPELINE247 is the charity’s confidential helpline service providing practical advice & support to young people with thoughts of suicide & anyone concerned about a young person who may have thoughts of suicide.
0 - 25
Under 35s
Wiltshire Dyslexia Association
Wiltshire Council
Integrated Front Door Young Carers Service
Last year, Marlborough and District Dyslexia Association (MDDA) merged with Wiltshire Dyslexia Association (WDA). Keeping the name Wiltshire Dyslexia Association. Whilst working closely with the local authority, they are an independent charity offering support to dyslexics, their families and professionals involved with them.
Here at the Integrated Front Door we receive referrals from professionals and families about children who are seen to have a caring role in the home for a sibling or parent. We as Young Carer Assessors will assess the children's role with conversation and visits to determine the need and if they require support through groupwork or activities to help them. We can also signpost families to other relevant support that may be needed.
All ages
5 - 18 SEND
To provide the best and the highest quality social care for the vulnerable in
Wiltshire CouncilEarly Years Team
Early Years Inclusion Advisor - Their role is to support Early Years setting with inclusive practice and individual child SEND support, this includes supporting a range of specific needs identified by the setting.
5 - 25
0 - 5
MARKET PLACE STANDS
Organisation Information
Shaw Trust Palmer Gardens Daytime activities for over 18 year olds. Activities in Horticulture, Crafts, Hospitality and Retail based at Palmer Gardens garden centre. 18+
Wiltshire Local Offer The first place to look for SEND support & services 0 to 25. 0 - 25
SAS MENTORING
SAS Mentoring is a service that specialises in 1-2-1 support, tutoring, work experience, physical and emotional development, as well as community integration and preparation for working life. A large focus of their work is helping young people who have social, emotional and mental health needs and EBSA, as well as all those struggling to find their own place within the community. They specialise in building relationships with our young people and providing opportunities to experience regular successes. 5 - 25
See Me Be Help and support in looking for work post 18. 18+
Wiltshire Health and Care
Continence Service
Medequip Assistive Technology
Wiltshire Continence Service provides adult clinical services across Wiltshire. Continence Nurse Specialists provide specialist clinical assessment, advice and treatment for patients with bladder, bowel or pelvic floor dysfunction and also continence issues.
Wiltshire Portage
18+
Medequip is a specialist logistical business that provides innovative solutions in the Health and Social Care sector. All ages
Wiltshire Portage is a registered charity and independent organisation providing a free home-visiting, specialist educational service for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Their service reaches over 87 families across the towns and villages of Wiltshire (excluding Swindon) for children from birth to school entry, operating during term time for 38 weeks a year. Their aim is to work with families and their young children to provide unique learning opportunities through holistic play and a step by step individualised programme to help them develop a quality of life and experience in which they can learn together, play together, participate and be included in their community.
0 - 4
MARKET PLACE STANDS
Carer Friendly Wiltshire brings together a range of online resources to assist you in your caring role. If you’re caring for someone in Wiltshire, you can register for a Carers ID Card, access online support groups, access their Benefits Calculator to see what you may be entitled to and self-refer for help from local services.
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity
Independent Living Centre
College is a post 16 specialist
They support the whole family including parents, carers, the unwell child, brothers, sisters and grandparents. Support is hugely varied and depends on the needs of the family. It can include: listening to a family’s fears and anxieties, helping to explain illnesses, diagnoses and treatments, keeping a seriously ill child company during hospital stays, driving families to medical appointments to help save time and money, organising fun activities to help sick children and their brothers and sisters, support through bereavement and grief.
Wiltshire SENDIASS is a free, impartial and confidential, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) information, advice, and support service for young people with SEND and their parents/carers. They support young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and their parents and carers, by signposting to local services, providing knowledge on education, health and care processes locally as well as their rights in relation to the law. They help to empower families by providing information and advice to support them to make informed choices and have their voices heard.
They offer free and impartial Occupational Therapy appointments in their large assessment centre, so clients can see and try equipment and receive professional advice about what items will help them to remain independent in their homes.
MARKET PLACE STANDS
Family and Community Learning
Wiltshire Trading Standards
They offer a number of courses both online and face to face. Courses offer support for parent/carers with their own and their children's wellbeing and learning.
Trading Standards are responsible for enforcing over 200 pieces of legislation, covering a wide range of business sectors and practices. They are a local government service that works to protect consumers from illegal trading practices and support the growth of legitimate businesses.
Carers Together Wiltshire
Elizabeth House Social Centre
They support carers in Wiltshire, including young carers and parent carers.
Day services and children's Short Breaks service for all those with a disability. They offer a relaxed and friendly environment for people to gain confidence and provide individuals the opportunity to have choice, creativity and responsibility.
Wiltshire Council OPAL Team
OPAL details the support that should be expected ordinarily by all children and young people in educational settings (early years, schools and colleges).
Thera South West Supports adults with a learning disability in their own homes & in their local community across the south west of England.
Wiltshire Council - Kinship & Fostering Service They are actively looking to recruit foster carers in Wiltshire to provide a safe and loving home to our Wiltshire Children in Care. 0 - 18
HCRG Care Group: Wellbeing Service
HCRG Care Group: Wiltshire Children’s Services
The Wiltshire Children and Families Wellbeing Service provides a service that is ‘Universal in reach – Personalised in response’, which caters for the needs of all children, young people, and families (CYPF) in Wiltshire, whilst also targeting resource at those with the highest need to maximise their impact.
Representatives from HCRG Care Group will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding Wiltshire Community Children’s Services 0 - 18
MARKET PLACE STANDS
Organisation Information
Sport and Physical Activity
Carer Money Matters (offered by Carer Support Wiltshire)
Wiltshire Council’s Sport and Physical Activity Team develop inclusive, accessible opportunities for children, young people and adults with SEND.
Carer Money Matters can help you understand, and get, the financial support you’re entitled to. They offer free advice on energy saving and energy debt, and they can help you get on the Priority Services Register with your supplier. They can also advise you on practical ways to reduce your energy bills that work for your individual circumstances. Their Financial Wellbeing Officers can talk to you about other money matters too, whether it’s for you or the people you care for. They can also advise if you’re thinking about how to balance work and caring, and can support with things like interview practise, job searching and getting your CV into shape.
Age
All ages
Bristol Autism Support for Autism Central
As the local hub for Autism Central, they provide in-person and online/telephone support for the parents and carers of autistic children. They also run online information sessions and support blocks.
Parent Carers
WHY DON’T YOU HOLD THIS EVENT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF WILTSHIRE?
We are sometimes asked by parent carers why we hold our big information events in just one location. In the past, this has typically been Devizes or Trowbridge.
We recognise that holding our large information events in one location may mean some parent carers having to travel to attend and we apologise for any inconvenience. We take the decision to hold large information events in one location, as centrally located in Wiltshire as possible, for a number of reasons:-
• it costs on average at least £2,500 to host one of these events and we simply don't have the financial resources to repeat these events across the county; even events on a smaller scale, as the cost would not be sufficiently less.
• these events require the commitment from a large number of professionals and we would be unable to secure their time for several events.
• we sometimes have to pay for external keynote speakers and facilitators who typically charge in the region of £350 to £450 per day; repeating these events would significantly increase these costs.
We realise the Civic Centre isn’t as centrally located in Wiltshire as The Corn Exchange; this venue was booked some time ago prior to the Corn Exchange becoming available again for events.
People who have attended previous WPCC events at the Civic Centre have told us in their evaluations that parking was better, the venue was brighter and more modern, and the layout of the venue meant it felt more accessible. The Civic Centre is a 10 minute walk from Trowbridge train station which has regular trains from towns including, Salisbury, Warminster, Westbury and Chippenham. There is a large multi-storey car park adjacent to The Civic Centre, offering some free parking places. There is also a large long-stay pay and display car park which is two minutes from the venue.
We thank you for your understanding, and as always, we will pay parent carers' travel, car parking and childcare expenses.
WHY IS THE EVENT NOT IN THE EVENING OR AT THE WEEKEND?
One or two parent carers have asked why WPCC information events take place during the day and do not take place or are repeated in the evening or at the weekend; the WPCC Steering Group has considered and discussed this, and it has also been discussed with WPCC staff.
The WPCC Steering Group has made the decision not to hold or repeat its information events in the evening or at weekends. This is to respect the demands on WPCC staff and volunteers, most of whom are parent carers and would not be able to commit additional time due to their caring responsibilities. Additionally, it is unlikely that many professional colleagues would be able to commit additional time on top of their normal working day, and many are also carers. Venues often cost more in the evening and at weekends and this would have a significant impact on what the WPCC could offer. Repeating events of this scale would not be financially feasible for the WPCC.
We are sorry if this is inconvenient to some parent carers. We would encourage parent carers who wish to attend our information events to speak to their employer as many are open to considering the needs of carers. Carers’ UK explains on its website that people have the right to request flexible working if you are an employee with 26 weeks (six months) continuous employment at the time you make an application.
Your employer might also be agreeable to you attending one of the WPCC information events for just an hour.
Some parent carers attend our events in a professional capacity in representation of their work place. This creates an opportunity of benefiting the place where the parent carer works as they not only represent their place of work by attending and networking with others, but also take information back to their work place to share with colleagues.
IF YOUR PLANS OR AVAILABILITY CHANGE
We often have a number of people book to attend our events who don’t attend on the day. Some attendees kindly let us know if they are going to be unable to make it; we are very grateful to them and we appreciate the unexpected can happen.
Catering for large numbers of people who don’t make it on the day and don’t let us know they are unable to attend, is both wasteful and expensive and we want to do all we can to avoid this.
We appreciate that sometimes things happen that make it impossible to let us know, but we politely ask that if you have booked and you know you are not going to be able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can amend our catering numbers.
Thank you
WHAT DID PEOPLE SAY ABOUT OUR LAST EVENT?
“Got to meet a host of key services and found out information that I didn't already know”
“So much information. Everyone was really friendly and engaging”
“Everybody was very welcoming and gave me lots information”
“Lots of info in one place. Everybody chatty, helpful and approachable. Enough information but not overwhelming”
“Just a big thank you for arranging such an informative event. It was really good to talk face to face with providers and experts!”
“Another absolutely awesome event. Thank you. So great to be able to find out about so many options and services in one place”
“Really useful and a welcoming, friendly environment fostered by the workshop lead encouraged participation - great session, thank you”
“Great layout, lots of relevant stalls, great to meet providers and ask lots of questions rather than just scroll through a website”
We hope you have found this Pre-Event Information Pack helpful and informative.
Please remember to book early, as places are limited.
Booking closes at 5pm on Friday 31st January 2025
To book your place to attend the event, simply click: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SENDISFeb25
We very much look forward to you joining us on Friday 7th February 2025 at The Civic Centre, Trowbridge.
If you find nearer the time that you are unable to attend, please let us know so that your place can be offered to someone else.
This also helps us not to over-cater and thereby not waste food or spend more of our funding on this event than necessary.