SEND support in Family Hubs

There are Family Hubs across the district, ready to welcome all families with children and young people who have a special education need and disability (SEND) or who are neurodivergent. They can support at every stage of life, from pregnancy, to having a baby, through to family life and right up until your child is aged 25.

Our hubs bring together lots of services to provide a network of support for families. Below you can hear about just some of the ways in which our hubs can support families with SEND. 

All of our main family hubs are accessible, family friendly spaces. They all have:

• disabled parking bays
• ramped/sloped access
• an accessible toilet
• a hearing assistance system

Many of our hubs have a sensory room or a sensory space, and we are working hard to provide even more! The sensory spaces are completely free to use and can be booked either for an individual or for a group, whatever suits you and your child(ren).

Take a look Family Hubs - latest timetables and book your place now.

Here are just some of the health services who can provide support to you from a family hub:

Midwives
The infant feeding team
Health visitors
School nurse
Locala (sexual health)

Although families with SEND children are welcome at any of of our groups and activities, we do also provide specialist groups and these are highlighted in orange on our Family Hub timetables.

Depending on the hub and the local community, you will find the following support:

• SENDIASS
• SEND cook and eat sessions
• SEND parent/carer coffee mornings
• SEND marketplace events 
• SEND play sessions
• Special space youth groups

The SEND support team offer portage support for pre-school children with additional support needs
and their families. This includes home visits and group sessions that take place in many of our family hubs.

The team also provide a range of bespoke programmes and workshops designed to guide, support, and empower families who have children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). These are delivered in groups with other families but both virtually and face to face.

You can also access a range of online programmes that are easily accessed on a phone or a device. 

All of this support and more can be found on the Parenting programme pathway.

If you need any support to access courses online, please see the information below regarding digital support in the family hubs.

If you need help to get online, whether you need to complete a form, undertake an online course or to do some research, our main family hubs have support available. You will be able to access:

• a laptop and accessories such as headphones and a large print keyboard
• free wifi
• printing facilities
• at dedicated times we will have digital champions who can help people who are less confident

Our friendly, approachable staff are trained to support families dependent on their level of need.

Family Navigators

Our friendly family navigators are always happy to show you around the Family Hub and introduce you to all the fantastic things we have going on for families in your area. If you need any extra support, they are there to listen and signpost you to services that can help.

Visit our Family Hubs pages to find a family navigator in your area.

Early Help Coordinators

Our Early Help Coordinators support professionals who are working with families who need some extra support for their family. EHC's have a wealth of information about support services and they work with schools, nurseries, health visitors to ensure that they are able to provide the right support for families.  

If you feel you and your family might need some extra support, you can ask someone in your life that you trust about Early Help services. This could be a teacher, SENCO, GP, Health Visitor, nursery practitioner, or any other practitioner supporting you. 

Family Support Workers

If your child has lots of issues or has very complex issues affecting them, they may require more intensive and focused support. Our Family Support workers provide key support directly to families for up to 6 months depending on the needs.

If you feel you may need more in-depth and ongoing support, you can contact the Early Help Gateway by calling 0800 953 0966 who will be able to discuss next steps with you.