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Social Care Support

A teacher talking to parents about their child's communication. The child is sat on the floor playing with some toys.

Introduction

Parents and carers are best placed to understand and meet the Social Care needs of their children and young people. However, there may be times when extra support is needed to help with this. This might be the case particularly when needs are more complex or change over time.

Social Care services can provide information, advice and support. They may also work with families to explore what help is most appropriate. The aim is to support children and young people to be safe, achieve their potential and feel included in their communities.

Social Care Roles in East Sussex include:

Consider moving all the DCO and DSCO info here, instead of the ES SEND Services page.

Short Breaks and Respite

Short breaks, also known as respite, are a range of services that support children, young people and their families. These allow children and young people some time away from their families, while enjoying new experiences.

Short breaks are provided for children and young people (0-18) with SEND.

We would encourage you to explore our universal and targeted short breaks offer. These are services that do not require you to have an allocated Social Care worker. You can contact these services directly and discuss support for your young person. 

We recommend you contact the short breaks providers directly to find out more information and to ensure that they have spaces. Some providers operate waiting lists if there is no immediate access to the service.

i-go

We also offer i-go as part of our universal services.

i-go is our additional needs register and free discount card for children and young people aged 0-25, who have additional needs.

To become a member, cardholders need to receive education or live within East Sussex. To learn more about i-go and the different offers and events available, please visit the i-go website.

Holiday Food and Fun (HAF)

A range of activities and food is available during the main 3 school holidays at our Holiday food and fun clubs. It’s a great opportunity for children and young people to enjoy a range of fun things to do. During the Easter, summer and Christmas school holidays, local clubs offer activities for children and young people of all ages. There is a balanced meal to enjoy too. 

Activities may include:

Activities will differ from club to club.

The Local Authority offers additional places for children with SEND. You can find out more about HAF on the main East Sussex County Council website:

Points of Contact

Family Advice Line

The Family Advice Line can offer advice on:

You can contact them by:

Family Hubs and Youth Hubs

Family and Youth Hubs offer a chance for parents and young people to meet with others, across East Sussex. These hubs offer opportunities to share experiences with other parents and young people. They all offer SEN-specific groups.

Families with children with SEND can access:

Please note, your child does not need a diagnosis for attendance.

We also offer further in-person support. For more information, talk to the staff at your local family hub or to your Health Visitor:

Family and Friend Support

Families often find that support from people they already know and trust when challenges arise. This may include relatives, friends or members of their community. Talking to those close to you may provide practical help, advice or emotional support are a good starting point.

Families of children with SEND sometimes need practical support. This might include help around benefits, work, housing, or adaptations to the home.

We have a page that covers lots of support for families of children and young people with SEND.

To find out more, visit our Support for You and Your Family web page.

Amaze SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service)

Amaze SENDIASS are a local charity. They offer free, independent, and impartial advice for all matters relating to SEND. Contact Amaze SENDIASS by:

Visit the Amaze SENDIASS web page.

Care for the Carers

Care for the Carers are a local, independent charity. They support and represent unpaid carers in East Sussex.

Their team can provide free practical and emotional advice. This is either face to face, by telephone, or online. They can put you in touch with other carers, and help you navigate the range of local services available. They also run support groups, training and events across the county. They are for those interested in speaking up on important issues, or having some time out to relax and meet new people.

Visit the Care for the Carers website.

Carers Card

The East Sussex Carers Card is available if you care for someone who lives in East Sussex.

The card provides discounts for carers at businesses across East Sussex.

The card shows you are a carer and someone relies on you in emergencies.

East Sussex Parenting Team

The East Sussex Parenting Team offer online groups and workshops. Some courses include support for children with SEN. You can find out more on the Family Hubs website:

Specialist Social Care Support

You may have explored the above support and emain of the view that there is an ongoing need for support. If this is the case, you can contact the Single Point of Access (SPoA) for a further screening conversation.

A colleague in SPoA will speak with you about your childs needs and consider whether or not the above support services have been explored. Before calling please do consider our universal and targeted offer.

The information we collect will help to inform us as to whether there is a need for support from social care services. This support may be in the form of:

You can contact SPoA by:

You can also find out more by visiting the NHS website:

Children's Disability Service (CDS)

The Local Authority has a duty to undertake an assessment of need, where identified as necessary to consider support options. Not all children need support from our Children’s Disability Service (CDS). Those allocated to our duty and assessment or family and youth support social work teams will receive an equal level of support.

The Children’s Disability Service (CDS) helps children who have:

The child may also have physical disabilities.

We assess children up to 18 years old, and their families, for social care support:

 Find out more about the Children's Disability Service on 1Space.

Specialist Support

It might be assessed that a specialist level of support is required. This may look like:

This would follow a social work assessment and support. If this is agreed, your allocated social worker will support you in understanding the options and expectations. If support at this level is allocated you will remain open to Social Care, who have a responsibility for overseeing this support.

Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms

We explain some of the terms used on this website on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.

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