Welcome to Wandsworth s November Ebulletin 2017 We are Contact, the charity for families with disabled children. We understand that life with a disabled child brings unique challenges, and we exist to help families feel valued, supported, confident and informed. To make that happen, we work in three closely linked ways. We support families with the best possible guidance and information. We bring families together in local groups and online, to support each other by sharing experiences and advice. And we help families to campaign, volunteer, fundraise and shape local services to improve life for themselves and others. Contact are based at the Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road SW17 0LA. Our office number is 020 8947 5260 and you can email the office at Wandsworth.Office@contact.org.uk Contents 1. Contact Launch Party 2. Christmas Party and Pantomime 3. Workshops: Money Matters & Education Health & Care Plans 4. Spotlight on Positive Parent Action 5. CAMHS workshops & Wandsworth Young Minds Matter Event 1
1. Contact Launch Party As you know, we are now known as Contact and are no longer Contact a Family. We are having a party to celebrate this change and would love for you to come and join us. This event is being run by our Steering Group Parents and Contact staff will be there to support and answer your questions. We will be having a Raffle with prizes donated from local businesses, Tombola, Cake Sale and Flower Stand. A fun event for you in the run up to Christmas! When: Thursday 7 December Where: Siward Road, 1 Siward Road London SW17 0LA. Time: 10.30am 1.30pm All families are welcome. Please contact us to let us know you are coming: 020 8947 5260 / Wandsworth.Office@contact.org.uk 2
2. The Christmas Party and Wimbledon Pantomime Christmas Party We still have spaces available for our Christmas Party. Come and have a boogie with Jodie from Bellarinas who will be running a fancy dress disco party. There will also be a visit from Santa Claus, our extra special guest! For children aged 0-8 years. When: Saturday 09 December Where: Siward Road, 1 Siward Road London SW17 0LA. Time: 2.00pm 5.00pm Cost: Please bring a wrapped gift for your child Deadline to apply: Friday 17 November 2017 Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime The countries most outspoken publican Al Murray and West End, television and Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe will lead the cast of this year s GIANT pantomime. Follow Jack, his hapless brother, his mother Dame Trot and climb a beanstalk of gigantic proportions to cloudland in the spectacular family pantomime. When: Sunday 14 January 2018 Where: New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, SW19 1QG Time: Arrive 12.45pm Show starts at 1.00pm (approx. running time 3 hours) Cost: 8.00 per person Deadline to apply: Friday 17 November 2017 (Priority will be given to families who have not been to the panto before) Please see back page for application form for Events please apply by emailing: Wandsworth.Office@contact.org.uk 3
3. Workshops Money Matters As a parent of a child who has additional needs, you are often entitled to a number of benefits and other financial help. Contact produces a checklist of the entitlements to benefits and other financial help you may be able to get if you are the parent of a disabled child. Alaina Dingwall will go through the checklist in more detail to ensure you are claiming what you're entitled to. When: Thursday 9 November & Friday 1 December Where: Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road London SW17 0LA Time: 10.00am 12.00pm Education Health and Care Plans Meagan Leggett is running these sessions covering EHCP process for requesting a new EHCP assessment, conversions from statements to EHC Plans and what happens during the EHC Needs Assessment Process. When: 15 November Time: 1.00pm 3.00pm When: 22 November Time: 6.00pm 8.00pm Where: Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road London SW17 0LA To book a place at one of our workshops contact: 020 8947 5260 / Wandsworth.office@contact.org.uk Drop Ins Drop in sessions give the opportunity to meet up with other families in similar situations. Family workers are there to offer support, information and advice on any matters relevant to looking after a child with additional needs, Please come along! Battersea Tudor.Smith@contact.org.uk 07920 655208 8 15 22 & 29 November/ 6 13 December Time: 1.30pm- 3.30pm Where: Chesterton Children s Centre, Dagnall Street, Battersea, SW11 5DT Roehampton Carol.Bennett@contact.org.uk 07920 655074 9 November / 30 November / 7 December Time: 9:30am - 11:30am Where: Eastwood Children s Centre, 166 Roehampton Lane, SW15 4HR Tooting Alaina.Dingwall@contact.org.uk 07908 826927 Available Monday-Friday 9:00-4.30pm 24 November / 15 December Time: 10:00am 12:00pm Where: Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road SW17 0LA 4
4. Spotlight on Positive Parent Action We are Wandsworth s forum for parents and carers. Our aim is to represent all families in the Borough of Wandsworth who have a child or young person with a disability or special need. We meet monthly during school term time on the first Tuesday of every month and undertake activities that are aimed to enable parent/carers to make the most of local services. Anyone with a child or young person with a disability and/or a special educational need are welcome to be part of our forum. Please remember there is no commitment too big or small - all are welcome! We are currently looking at SEN transport and gathering parent/carer experiences via a survey with Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6nlkqhw Please do complete our survey, if you haven t done so already, to enable us to collect as many views as possible. We will then present these finding to the local authority and the service providers with the hope of improving SEN transport services in Wandsworth. Please feel free to contact us or attend a PPA meeting if you or your child/ young person are currently being affected by any local issues which you feel the forum could bring forward to the local authority. Also, if you would like us to deliver any workshops which you feel would help empower parent/carers please let us know. We look forward to meeting lots of new parents/carers in Wandsworth at our up and coming workshops, coffee mornings and events. Monthly meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at: The Early Years Centre, 1 Siward Road, Earlsfield, SW17 0LA For more details please email Erica Spink: Positiveparentaction@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 020 8947 5260. 5
5. CAMHS workshops & Wandsworth Young Minds Matter Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Well-being Evening seminars for parents and professionals Access and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) will be running a series of FREE evening seminars for parents and professionals, to share information and tips and facilitate a discussion about a range of topics related to well-being and child and adolescent mental health. Each seminar will be delivered by two clinicians who work in our service. The seminar programme this term includes: Monday 6 th November- Understanding and Managing Self-harm Thursday 16 th November Understanding and reducing conflict Wednesday 22 nd November Understanding anger in adolescents Wednesday 29 th November- Managing Exam Anxiety and Stress Monday 4 th December- Understanding behaviour in school Practicalities All seminars will be held at 6pm - 7.30pm. The seminars will be held in Springfield Hospital, Tooting. Details will be provided once a place is confirmed. Booking The seminars are open to parents and professionals of school- aged children and young people living in Wandsworth and the surrounding area. Places are limited, so early registration is recommended. We will notify you via email to confirm your place. Please register via email on: camhsworkshops@swlstg-tr.nhs.uk *Please let us know which seminars you would like to attend when you email us. As spaces are limited, we ask that you contact us if you are unable to attend so others have the opportunity. Wandsworth Young Minds Matters Event FREE interactive event on the importance of mental health and wellbeing of children and young people as the key to educational achievement When: Wednesday 15th November Time: 9:30am - 3pm Where: Wandsworth Civic Suite SW18 2PU Contact to book a place: Elaine Arnold 020 7801 0135 serefo.info@gmail.com Sarah Rackham 020 7223 2845 sarah@klsettlement.org.uk 6
Contact Wandsworth Event Application Form Event Date Time Cost No of Adults No of Children Ages of Children Christmas party Sat 9 Dec 2.00pm 5.00pm Please bring a wrapped gift for your children. Jack & the Beanstalk Pantomime Sun 14 Jan 1.00pm 8 per person Adult s Full name: Children s full Home Telephone Number: names: Address: Email Address: Mobile Telephone Number: PLEASE PRINT YOUR NAME: SIGN AND DATE: PHOTO CONSENT FOR EVENTS please sign: We like to include photos taken at our events in our newsletters and other publications please tick here if you are happy with this we will always ask your permission before including any images in our marketing materials. *Priority is given to families who have not been to any trips before. Theatre trips are very popular so priority is given to families who have not been before and then we operate a waiting list. We have limited funding so we want to make sure everyone gets a chance to attend! *If you apply for an event and are allocated a space then please try to pay by the payment deadline. If you are unable to make the payment by the deadline please call us on 020 8947 5260. An extension for paying can be arranged but only if you call us before the deadline. *If you have not paid us by the deadline or have not called us to let us know when you will pay by then we will automatically offer the tickets to another family on the waiting list you will not be sent a reminder. Charity registered in England and Wales (284912) and Scotland (SC039169) 7