How does Bluebells and Jigsaw Family Hubs cater for children and families with special educational needs and/or disability?
Our Hubs are for families with children under five. In Suffolk we have joined up our Children’s Centres with our Health Visiting service, as we believe this will provide you with the best care and support. The Children's Centre teams are made up of Health Visitors, Staff Nurses, Healthy Child Practitioners and Health & Children's Centre Advisors.
We are committed to promoting and providing high quality learning and play opportunities. We believe in valuing and respecting each individual in a welcoming, accessible and inclusive environment. The centre has an equal opportunity policy which is reviewed as a minimum yearly. We offer a range of universal and targeted support and services which are designed to meet the needs of all users.
Where possible, all our group activities are planned to meet individual children’s needs. We work within the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, and will capture evidence of your child’s progress as she/he attends the centre. Play sessions will offer activities which can be arranged on different heights including floor level and we can adapt sessions to meet individual’s needs. All our toys and equipment are suitable for children aged 0 to 5 years and we have a range of specialist resources, including sensory equipment.
We offer a range of parenting courses to help support parents in managing challenging behaviours. Please see our timetable for full lists of groups and for more information.
How will staff support my child's needs?
Staff are on hand during our activities and can offer help and support as required. One-to-one support is available for families in the home and we will work in partnership with you and other agencies in meeting your families and child’s individual needs. Your child is at the heart of our service, and should you require additional help, we will work with you to help identify any areas of concern, ensuring your child’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of the support. We are trained to use the Common Assessment Framework to ensure that we are able to undertake a good assessment of your child’s needs, recognising and building on their strengths.
Information, advice and guidance is available and we can help to signpost you to other relevant local services and support as required. These can include:
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) which provides information, advice and support to young people and children with SEN or disabilities aged 0-25 and their parents, about education, health and social care
- Suffolk Early Learning Together Service
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Behavioural Support Services
- Specialist Services
When it is time for your child to start attending nursery or school, we can support you the transition period as we know this can be both challenging and an emotional time. Together, we can develop a transition passport which will help ensure that there is a smooth transition for you and your child.
We work closely with other agencies in the community and have links with Stowmarket Opportunity Group, which offers families a range of support services and where children with SEN can access play activities.
What arrangements are in place to ensure that Bluebells and Jigsaw Family Hubs are accessible for children and families with special educational needs and/or disability?
Our Hubs are DDA compliant and are fully accessible from all entrances and exits. The centre at Stanton has a disabled parking space outside the front entrance.
Our outdoor play area consists of some concrete, grass and covered areas. The garden has a mixture of high and low level beds, where children can dig, plant and watch things grow. Within the hubs we have accessible toilets with baby change facilities which include emergency alarms. All the rooms have non slip flooring and carpeted area.
The furniture within the centre is entirely moveable and adaptable allowing us the flexibility of creating and moving spaces if required. All resources and equipment are displayed at child-height, and are fully accessible, allowing children to make independent choices about their play.
What training or experience do the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have?
The Hub is an inclusive setting with staff experienced and trained in early years care and education.
Staff Training undertaken includes:
- ECAT – Every Child a Talker
- Autism Awareness and supporting families
- WelComm – staff are trained to undertake WelComm (Speech & Language) assessments and support parents in helping their child’s language development
- Elklan – training to support staff working with children with speech, language and communication needs
- Makaton
- Relationships build brains
- EYFS
- Build and maintain relationships
- Characteristics of effective learning
- Children, trauma and violence
- Boundaries
- Helping parents who misuse substances
- Solihull
- Incredible years 0-5
Who can I contact for further information?
Debbie Frost – Health & Children’s Centre Manager
