Donations and fundraising

                                            Charity number (1055945)

              The Special Educational Needs Families Support Group

Would like to thank the people that are kindly making donations of good quality toys- games – teaching aids -bedding - furniture- clothing- toiletries - essential items also vouchers to local families that are going through very difficult times!

The charities volunteers have been able to distribute them over the weekends and will continue to do so throughout the coming months.

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Each family and child truly appreciate your support.

Also thank you to the individuals and groups of people that are organising fundraising activities to help local families- purchase school uniforms- shoes and food vouchers

An extra special big THANK to Suzanne and Edward who donated some of their own precious toys? 

The Dolly and two cars are now in there “forever homes” The children that now have them are living in a grim hostel. The toys are being very much loved and played with

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Don't hesitate to contact Ann if you would like information at:

                                                                                                                                                                                    office@senfsg.com

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Please follow the link for the application for to apply for help and assistance

https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/benefits-and-council-tax/benefits/trafford-assist.aspx

Warm Home Discount

Its that time of year again when you should be thinking of applying for your warm home energy discount. These are supplied individually by your current energy supplier. You can apply via there websites. Some are not open yet but you can leave your contact details so that they can send a reminder to you when the grants are open. 

The Warm Home Discount scheme for the winter 2020-2021 season should have been applied to your bill by 31 March 2021.

If you are eligible for the Warm Home Discount as part of the core group, you should have received a letter in the post between October and December 2020. This letter will confirm that your Warm Home Discount will be deducted from your electricity bill and may ask you to call a helpline to confirm your details.

If you didn’t receive your letter by December 2020 and think that you may be eligible, then contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme team on 0800 731 0214, available Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Broader group

If you think you might be eligible as part of the non-core group, you must make a claim for the Warm Home Discount.

Start by finding out if your supplier offers the discount (see below). You can make a claim for Warm Home Discount on your supplier's website or by calling them.

Broader group applications through an energy supplier are usually open from October and the discount will be applied to your bill by 31 March 2021. Contact your current energy supplier to find out more.

Which energy suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount?

Previously, any supplier with more than 250,000 customers had to offer the Warm Home Discount scheme to the core eligible group. As of 2020, this was extended to suppliers with more than 150,000 customers. Some smaller suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount to their cusotmers voluntarily.

The following suppliers offer the Warm Home Discount in the 2020-2021 season:

• Affect Energy (Octopus Energy)

• Atlantic (SSE)

• Avro

• Boost

• Bristol Energy — core group only

• British Gas

• Bulb

• Co-op Energy (Octopus Energy)

• E Gas and Electricity

• Ecotricity — core group only

• EDF

• E.ON

• Green Energy — core group only

• Green Star Energy (Shell Energy)

• Great North Energy — core group only

• London Power (Octopus Energy)

• M&S Energy (Octopus Energy)

• npower

• npower Select

• Octopus Energy

• OVO Energy

• Powershop

• Pure Planet

• Qwest Energy (Octopus Energy)

• Roar Power (Octopus Energy)

• Sainsbury's Energy

• Scottish Hydro (SSE)

• ScottishPower

• Shell Energy (formerly First Utility)

• So Energy

• Southern Electric (SSE)

• Spark Energy

• SSE

• SWALEC (SSE)

• Symbio Energy

• Utilita

• Utility Point — core group only

• Utility Warehouse

Volunteers required

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We are recruiting enthusiastic people to join our network off part time volunteers within the charity.

Requirements

Ability to work within a team.

Able to work flexible timetables.

IT skills

Able to travel.

Essential requirements

Must be reliable.

Have clear communication skills.

Agree to enhanced criminal record cheques.

Provide three references.

Take part in internal external training.

Please send your CV’s to office@senfsg.com

All parliamentary group on SEND Report 2021

Manchester university study has stated that 

Parents can be taught to help treat autism: Children show 'extraordinary' improvement in communicating when technique is used

• 152 children with severe autism took part in a study published yesterday

• Parents taught to listen to cues from their children and foster interaction

• By ages eight to ten, they were 27 per cent less likely to have sever autism

• Some had improved so much that condition was not obvious to observer 

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Please find the link to this story, if you feel strongly about this then perhaps you could contact Manchester University directly to share your experiences and issues you have by living with a young person with autism.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/~/article-3872980/index.html#i-57bf335842f3acd8

Today the Disability Unit has launched a public survey to gather views and experiences for the National Strategy of Disabled People.

Please follow the link Below to complete the survey. 

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National Strategy for Disabled People survey - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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UK Disability Survey - Disability Unit - Citizen Space 

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This is an important survey to gather the opionions of Disabled people across the country.

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Schools in England forced to cut support for SEND Children

Schools in England forced to cut support for SEND pupils

A third of English schools have been forced to cut support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) according to a new survey of headteachers.

Almost all (97%) said that funding for SEND pupils was inadequate, and 95% said funding was also insufficient for those on education, health and care plans with greater needs.

Four-fifths told the National Association of Head Teachers that they had been forced to buy extra services, including speech and language therapy, educational psychologists and mental health support, which before austerity policy was brought in, would have been provided by local councils, often more cost-effectively.

One head said she had to “balance the needs of one child against the needs of a class of children”.

Over a third said they would have to make further cuts this academic year.

NAHT General Secretary Paul Whiteman, said: “The crisis in funding for pupils with special educational needs is clear for all to see and is putting significant pressure on school budgets.”

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Research into local SEND tribunals

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Research by the Special needs Jungle (SNJ) has shown that local authorities have spent nearly quarter of a billion pounds fighting parents at SEND tribunals since 2014.

The research has been undertaken as her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals service releases its set of annual figures about the work of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities first tier Tribunal service (SENDIST) - a tribunal where individual families can appeal against a range of local authority SEND decisions concerning their Childs education, health and care plans EHCP's.

Families can also go to the SENDIST to Appeal against particular types of disability discrimination.

SNJ estimates that local authorities collectively allocated around £60 million or their resources towards defending SENDIST Appeals in 2020-21

SENDIST Panels upheld local authority decisions in 168 of 4,285 hearings in 2020-21 - in an LA success rate of 3.6% - the worst on record.

Across the seven full academic years since the SEND reforms became law, SENDIST panel hearings have upheld just 7%

if local authority decisions Dr UK Head of Policy Fazilet Hadi said: We totally agree with the SNJ when it says that families are not winning at tribunal families are having to endure the brutal drawn out, labour intensive process to fight for what they are legally entitled to - the same right to an appropriate education that families of children without SEND are given as standard. The figures speak for themselves. The SEND process is not fit for purpose and needs an urgent overhaul, where the needs of the children and their families are put front and centre, and the fight that so many parents have to put up is consigned to history.