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We are delighted to announce that Parent Carers Cornwall (PCC) has been awarded Lottery funding to deliver a three-year training programme of workshops to parent/carers.
Autism In Schools
The Autism in Schools programme was initially rolled out in the Northeast of the country just before Covid struck. It was originally devised to help reduce the amount of school exclusions for those young people who are Neurodivergent.
Parent Carers Cornwall is leading on this in Cornwall, we have held meetings with different sectors and spoken to carers and young people and from looking at data we initially rolled out phase one to secondary schools in Cornwall. We are currently rolling out phase two, to primary schools. Training will be for school staff as we evidenced many parents felt staff do not understand their child’s needs. It will be a whole school approach and not just for teaching staff. There are also workshops for parents and young people who attend the schools who sign up. Letters went out to all schools in Cornwall and contact was made with those that expressed an interest.
The first roll out of the programme we had nine Secondary schools involved who received training from the Autism Education Trust for staff and parents. Aspires delivered workshops for young people in phase one and Young People Cornwall will deliver the workshops for the young people in phase two.
Lottery funding to deliver a three-year project:
Our project will provide, free of charge, vital training to parents and carers of children with special educational needs (SEND) to give them the knowledge, confidence and skills to support the health and wellbeing of the child and young person Therefore, this training and support will be of direct benefit to the children. This intervention will reduce the impact on statutory services whilst empowering the families of those children with SEND it would empower them with the knowledge and skills to help support their children/ young people. This could reduce the need to gain advice and support from statutory services. Hence putting less pressure on them when services are hitting capacity.
Our proposed courses will enable parents and carers to access non-statutory training. The courses will offer a supportive network of parents of children/young people with Special Educational Needs
These workshops/training days will enable parents a chance to meet, support and share experiences in a relaxed, informal environment. Evidence has shown that meeting other families can help stop isolation which could lead to depression and mental health issues.
An example of some of the workshops we will deliver to parent/carers.
- Positive Behaviour Support
- Growing & Changing - Relationships & Sex Education
- Circles of Support
- PDA
These are just a few of the courses we will be delivering through the workshops. Details of the training/workshops will be promoted through our website, social media pages, newsletters and other volunteer organisations channels.
Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools
Parent Carer Cornwall will be the parent organisation supporting this programme.
INTRODUCTION Meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in mainstream schools improves outcomes for children with SEND, along with improving parental confidence as envisaged in the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan (2023).
WHAT IS PINS?
Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is a programme funded by the Shared Outcomes Fund, and delivered between the Department for Education (DfE), NHS England (NHSE) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), with the aim of bringing health and education specialists and expert parent carers into mainstream primary settings to: · · · · · help shape whole school SEND provision provide early interventions at a school level upskill school staff support and strengthen partnerships between schools and parent carers support and strengthen partnerships between Parent Carer organisations and ICBs The aim is that the programme will leave a sustainable impact, building a legacy of closer collaboration between schools, parent carers, education and health. Project teams will work collaboratively across professional boundaries, developing the capacity of schools to facilitate the best possible outcomes for children and young people who are neurodiverse. This will reframe the focus of specialist input to how a supportive learning environment and well-equipped school can improve the outcomes for neurodiverse children. The PINS project will test an innovative model for the effective, efficient deployment of the specialist workforce, and strengthening of parent carer and school partnerships in mainstream education settings. The focus of the programme is supporting neurodiverse pupils, who represent a fast-growing group among the children most likely to benefit from a more inclusive mainstream environment.
WHY WE THINK THIS APPROACH WORKS. This is an ambitious project which builds on the learning from the NHSE led Autism in Schools project, where a co-produced approach based on a strong partnership between health, education and parent carer organisations led to innovative work in local schools and more effective support for autistic children and young people. The PINS project broadens the scope of the Autism in Schools model, to support a wider cohort of neurodiverse children in primary schools. The programme aims to provide support at a whole school level, with more effective working between education, health and parent carers, through partnerships with local parent carer organisations. The offer of support to each school will be informed by parent carer views, and the programme will facilitate ongoing engagement between parent carers and school leadership teams. The parent care rpartnership approach with schools is a particularly crucial part of the PINS project.