SEN support guide for professionals
Help for all practitioners and providers to identify how conditions can affect children and young people and how to access support with or without a diagnosis.
If you would like to make a suggestion or have a comment about this guide, please email SENDpartnership@lancashire.gov.uk.
6. Level 2 Targeted / Universal Plus support
Some children, young people and families will need support from people who know them well and have established relationships with them to meet some challenges where advice and guidance has not been enough to help the family achieve change or where a child or young person needs additional support to help them to thrive.
Support can be accessed at level 2 with or without a diagnosis and is for when Children and Young People (CYP) have additional needs which require some extra support. CYP and families can access services that are part of Lancashire’s SEND local offer.
There are free training courses and workshops for all practitioners working with children, young people and families across Lancashire.
Schools should continue to use the graduated approach and implement assess, plan, do, review cycles, putting in place strategies that are ordinarily available and found in the Teaching and Learning Toolkit: Ordinarily Available Provision (PDF 1.49 MB). The Toolkit is aimed at all educational providers and settings supporting children and young people aged 0-25 years within Lancashire.
The decision to involve specialists can be taken at any time and should always involve the pupil's parent carers.
Sometimes children may be late to talk and support may be required from Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service (Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust) to help them develop their skills.
Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO)
The designated social care officer (DSCO) provides a point of contact for parent carers, partner agencies and professionals to support queries and concerns relating to Early Help, Social Care and SEND services.
Designated Clinical Officers (DCO)
The Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) Service is a team of 3 health professionals working together across the whole of Lancashire, including Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen. They support parents and professionals and provide a strategic role supporting NHS health services in the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014. The DCO's ensure coordinated and integrated services that reflect the voice of children and young people, the DCO service improves communication and links between health, education, and social care professionals.
Families can also access support from carer support groups.
Where more complex medical needs are suspected or development is delayed a referral can be made by a health practitioner Key roles within children’s health services to a paediatrician for assessment.
Children can lash out, curl up into a ball, rock back and forth, head bang or hide under a table for example – it is important to understand this behaviour is trying to tell us something – it does not mean the child is doing it on purpose or being naughty.
If parent carers or a practitioner feel concerned that the child's emotional behaviour is not improving and impacting on their wellbeing, behaviour, and development, then school can offer additional strategies to help improve emotional regulation, such a key worker to check in with the child during the day, nurture groups and a time out card.
For children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), support can be gained via self-referral to ADHD North West and for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) support can be gained from autism unlocked: Online autism support.
To access a higher level of Emotional Support via Child Action North West (CANW), an Early Help Assessment must be completed, with parental consent and a form Requesting support made to the Early Help Hub. Schools can also access Mental Health Service support via their Primary Mental Health Worker at Healthy Young Minds Information for professionals.
Practice based evidence suggests that anxieties experienced by individuals with autism spectrum disorder put them at increased risk of Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA).
It is essential that schools apply a graduated response to identified EBSA issues and implement Assess-Plan-Do-Review Cycles based on the Lancashire Multi-Agency Flowchart for Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) in the Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) guidance. Schools must also implement the Attend Framework and action plan to assess and support with factors contributing to school non-attendance.
Schools use of punitive and legal actions against non-attendance has also been noted as a barrier to effective intervention. Schools can, however, refer to the School Attendance Support Team which consists of 3 School Attendance Consultants (SACs) and 12 School Attendance Support Workers (SASWs). Schools should contact the business support team (number can be found on the schools portal where the call will be triaged and passed to the appropriate person.
For extra mental health support for family members please click on the link mental health support (Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board).
Some families who have children with additional needs may benefit from some extra help to:
- Improve their child's education
- Improve their parenting skills and/or behaviour management of their child
- Meet a specific health or emotional need
- Improve their material situation
- Respond to a short-term crisis such as bereavement, or parental separation
No Early Help Assessment has to be completed to access support (unless the needs are complex or emotional support from CANW is required) but a form Requesting support can be used to request behaviour management support such as Stepping Stones Triple P or to access SEND activities and groups at CFW Neighbourhood Centres and Family Hubs.
Family Support can be requested direct from Home-Start UK. Every Home-Start volunteer is trained to help them work alongside families to overcome the challenges they are facing. Home-Start work with families to build on their strengths and give them the support that they want and need.
Additional advice and support is available from the SEND information, advice and support Team. Lancashire SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SEND IAS) is a statutory service which is run at ‘arm’s length’ from the Local Authority and provides free, confidential, impartial advice, guidance and support to parents of children with special educational needs and children and young people with SEND.
School holiday and short breaks provision for disabled children can be accessed by registering for Break Time short break activities
Support and an education toolkit is available for children with SEND from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Support for victims of crime (including bullying) can be accessed by referring to Nest Lancashire for young people or Lancashire - Victim Support for adults. DWP Supporting Families Officers can help families find education and Employment via Cost of living support Drug and alcohol support services include We Are With You or Inspire Lancashire