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

Many of our hubs have a sensory room/sensory space, and we're 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 at our 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
• SEND Toilet Training via parent/carer workshops, both at our hubs and online. See upcoming workshops on our What's On page.

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 play sessions

• SEND Marketplace events

• And Breathe Now parent-led support groups

• Special space youth groups

Taking place monthly at different venues across the district. Come along and speak to specialist services that can provide advice and support with:

• Autism

• ADHD

• Sleep issues

• Speech and language development 

• Information on Education

• Relationship issues

The sessions are planned for the last Monday of the month as follows:

• 30th November, 1.00-3.00 pm at Barkerend Family Hub, 365 Barkerend Road, BD3 8QX

• 21st December, 9.30 am-12.30 pm at Farcliffe Family Hub, 56 Toller Lane, BD8 8QH

Support from a parent-volunteer with lived experience of the SEND system - help with paperwork, forms and admin over a cuppa and a chat. Future sessions will include other topics. See below for a list of when these sessions are taking place:

• Thursday 12th November 10.00am-12.00pm at Barkerend Family Hub

• Thursday 10th December 10.00am-12.00pm at Cafe West

This is a friendly support group for families, carers and professionals of children and young people with SEND.

You'll be able to:

• Meet and connect - these are friendly, relaxed coffee mornings

• Share experiences - a safe space to chat, listen and be heard

• Get support - from people who understand

• Get practical advice - tips, resources and signposting available

• Speak to an advocate - an experienced advocate is available to offer guidance and support and help you navigate SEND systems

• Feel less alone - Take a break, have a cuppa and be part of a welcoming community

Everyone is welcome - Parents, grandparents, family members and professionals.

Click the link below to show dates, times and locations. You might want to check a particular session is still running if you're making a special trip; to do this you can check the And Breathe Now Facebook page or call Gemma on 07957573139.

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 a course or simply do some research, our main family hubs have digital 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.