Children and Young People's Participation

Hello!

Welcome to the second edition of the Inclusive Youth Newsletter.  This newsletter offers the opportunity for young people in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea with special educational needs and/or disabilities to get involved with fun activities and to share ideas with other young people.  You can download a copy here.

Surveys and competitions
Tell us what you think of the newsletter and help us name it, please complete the survey by Thursday 27th August and be in with the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher. There is also a parent/carer/professional survey which can be found here. 
We have also introduced a summer photo competition for students. The best three photo submissions will receive a £10 amazon voucher each and will feature in the newsletter. The deadline for submissions is Thursday 27th August 2020 and submissions should be emailed to me. 

Send us your stories and photos
For this edition, a special thanks goes to Simon for his film review and to College Park School for the student interview with Amin.

News Crew Vacancies
We are looking for young people who would like to be involved in helping to write and contribute to this newsletter on a regular basis. For more information about what this will entail, please email me marianna.lill@rbkc.gov.uk

Thanks and happy reading,
Marianna

Stuck for things to do over the Summer? Check out some ideas below:

• Young Westminster Foundation has a whole booklet of activities for young people in Wesminster. Download or read a copy here. 
• Visit Our City to find out what's going on for young people in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea
  
• Change 4 Life has a Summer campaign with activities for children, young people and their familes. Download their Summer booklet here.

** Watch this space for more ideas **

Apps and Games:

Brain Parade http://www.brainparade.com/products/see-touch-learn-free/
Description: a visual instruction app, including flash cards and picture-choosing games, for children with autism and special needs.

HelpKidzLearn https://www.helpkidzlearn.com/
Description: a collection of games and resources designed for a range of educational needs and stages. It includes provision for school closure.

Sensory App House Ltd https://www.sensoryapphouse.com/
Description: a range of apps are available for pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) or Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). All are interactive and many do not require significant coordination abilities.

Visuals2Go https://www.visuals2go.com/
Description: an all-in-one app created to support people with communication and learning difficulties. For verbal and non-verbal learners.

You can find more online resources for home learning from the Department for Education (DfE) here.

“Participation is having opportunities to be part of decisions that are important to you and may lead to changes”.

Definition created by young people at the SEND Young People’s National Conference, 2019.

• You have the right to be involved in things that matter to you.

• The law says you must have your say.

• It will help us understand the needs and wants of young people in the local area.  

• It will help us improve services and understand what changes need to be made. 

• It will help your communication, confidence and social skills

• You can meet other young people and create a new and supportive friendship network. 

• You can be involved in the council’s decision-making process.

• You can help raise awareness and understanding in the community.

There are a few ways in which you can get involved and have your say:

SEND Voice Newsletter Coming Soon – watch this space!

Email us

With any stories, good news, things you’re doing at home, how you are being creative and passing the time, any favourite helpful websites or games you are playing or any tips and advice for other young people while we are all at home.

Complete the following survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/X3QTCYD

SEND Voice (Young People’s Engagement Group) launching late 2020

This group will meet regularly and will give young people a voice while creating opportunities to be involved in other ways.

Young Auditors will be involved in looking closely at documents and making sure they are fit for purpose and can be understood by young people.

Young Inspectors will look closely at services available to young people with SEND in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea.

Recruits Crew will support in the recruitment of key staff within the council.

Any child or young person:

• aged up to 25 years that wants to share their thoughts and views with us
• living or going to school in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster
• who wants to help drive change for children and young people with SEND
• who wants to learn new skills, meet new people and share their opinions with others

Marianna Lill, SEND Participation Officer for Children and Young People

Email: Marianna.lill@rbkc.gov.uk

Phone or Text: 07967 760 095

Transition

Moving onto secondary school can be an anxious and exciting time, check out Young Minds for some top tips and BBC Bitesize for a collection of videos.

EHC Plans

As part of their work, young people's advisory group EPIC created a factsheet for young people to explain what an Education, Health and Care Plan is and how it works. There is a video explaining what EHC Plans are. Amy, a member of Council for Disabled Children’s youth advisory group FLARE, has created an incredible resource to support children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP).

The Local Offer

As part of their work, young people's advisory group EPIC created a factsheet for young people to inform them about the local offer and how it works.

Post 16

As part of their work, young people's advisory group EPIC created a factsheet for young people to inform them what support is available to young people once they reach 16. 

Advocacy

Youth-led advocacy is about supporting young people to speak up and helping them actively take part in the decisions that affect them. This UNICEF toolkit will give you the skills and information you need to stand up for what is important to you. It also includes advice for engaging politicians and the local media.

Autism

A quick guide from ‘NICE’ for young people and their families about assessment and diagnosis.  Top Tips and practical resources for autistic young people from ‘Ambitious About Autism’. Molehill Mountain is an app to help autistic people understand and self-manage anxiety. You can use Molehill Mountain to explore the causes and symptoms of anxiety.

The CDC has also put together some useful guides about a range of topics. 

Advice and Support

Information, Advice and Support Services (sometimes called IASS) can help you with questions about school, college, training, healthcare and getting the right support and home, school or in the workplace. Watch the video which explains what IASS is. There are IASS services in both and Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. 

Mental Health Support and Counselling

KOOTH counselling is on online counselling service for young people aged 11-25 years.

Young Minds can offer tips, advice and guidance on how to support your mental health.

Childline provides help, advice, support and counselling services to young people.

Mental health is just like physical health, everybody has it, and it’s important to take care of it. Growing up isn’t always easy. Children and young people face a lot of challenges and it can be difficult to cope with everything life throws at you.
Feeling down some of the time is normal, but if you want to talk to someone about your thoughts or feelings, there are plenty of routes you can take. This guide aims to help you find the support and advice for whatever it is you’re going through.

Deaf support

The Buzz website provides support to deaf young people and includes information about corona virus discussing top tips for staying positive, corona virus and depression, managing change and also ways to work from home.

Healthcare

You have rights when making decision and choices about your healthcare. This amazing website has lots of videos of young people talking about their experiences and great information on how to use the NHS and take control of the decisions that affect you.

Legal

The Youth Legal and Resource Centre in Wandsworth has resources about your rights, including fact sheets about various situations.

Jargon

Jargon busters can help when the words you are reading don’t quite make sense or contain a lot of abbreviations. They are like mini dictionaries and explain diffuclt language in a way which is easier to understand.

Health Jargon buster looks at language around healthcare and related services.
Policy Jargon buster looks at language around policy, the SEND reforms and strategic decision-making.

Participation

For more information on the Participation Works Project run by KIDS.

Here at the council, we want to make sure our strategy for participation is clear. It will follow these five principles:

1.      RIGHTS

All children and young people have the right to have a say about things that affect them, receive information they understand and have the support they need to learn, have fun and be safe, healthy and happy.

2.      INFORMATION

Children and young people have the right to information that is accessible, easy to understand and SEND and child friendly. 

3.      CONSULTATION AND FEEDBACK

Children and young people should be able to give their feedback and communicate their feelings in ways which are appropriate to them. We will use various communication methods including through face to face meetings, group and 1 on 1 meetings, emails, phone calls and text messages and through social media.

4.      DECISION MAKING AND PLANNING:

Young people will have opportunities to be involved in decision making processes through engagement, inclusion, consultation and co-production.

5.      EMBEDDING

We will ensure all participation is embedded and overseen through members of the Participation Champions Network, termly reference groups, Child Families Act Executive Board, and anywhere there are other opportunities for young people to be involved.

Vision:

We want to hear from you, act on what you say and then let you know what we have done based on your feedback. We want to make changes to things that are important to you ensuring your time is valued.

Aims:

1. We want to provide services to young people by listening to young people.
2. We want you to tell us what you want and then share this with other people in the council.
3. We will hear what you say and then act upon it making sure we keep you updated on what is happening.