Specialist Autism Support Service
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Specialist Autism Support Service Bath and North East Somerset local authority have commissioned an extended and enhanced Specialist Autism Support Service (formerly known as the ASD Support Service) from September 2020. As part of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Education Strategy 2020 – 2023, the needs of children and young people with autism spectrum disorder and their families are a key priority so that ‘Children and young people with ASD will be able to sustain their school placements and are supported to achieve and thrive.’ The Government is also committed to publishing a National Autism Strategy and has directed Local Authorities to include children and young people in their Annual Review of Services and Support for People with Autism, which has led to the priority in B&NES to establish an Autism Strategy and Pathway across children and adults. Within the Specialist Autism Support Service, we take account of the following themes, not only in how we support children and young people on the autism spectrum, their families and educational settings, but also in how we work with other professionals, organisations and the wider community: • Providing earlier support for children and young people, particularly following new diagnosis and when supporting schools to put in autism strategies, make reasonable adjustments and seek specialist advice • Improving access to information and resources for all families in B&NES • Increasing availability of specialist services provided by health, such as Occupational Therapy, for children and autistic young people experiencing challenges due to sensory issues and anxiety • Developing consistency across educational settings in their ability to meet the needs of autistic children and young people • Providing specialist support for complex cases and at points of high needs, for example to prevent placement breakdown • Ensuring greater coordination between services to reduce duplication and make the best use of valuable but finite resources
Transcript of Specialist Autism Support Service
Specialist Autism Support Service
Bath and North East Somerset local authority have commissioned an extended and enhanced Specialist Autism Support Service (formerly known as the ASD Support Service) from September 2020. As part of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Education Strategy 2020 – 2023, the needs of children and young people with autism spectrum disorder and their families are a key priority so that ‘Children and young people with ASD will be able to sustain their school placements and are supported to achieve and thrive.’ The Government is also committed to publishing a National Autism Strategy and has directed Local Authorities to include children and young people in their Annual Review of Services and Support for People with Autism, which has led to the priority in B&NES to establish an Autism Strategy and Pathway across children and adults. Within the Specialist Autism Support Service, we take account of the following themes, not only in how we support children and young people on the autism spectrum, their families and educational settings, but also in how we work with other professionals, organisations and the wider community:
• Providing earlier support for children and young people, particularly following new diagnosis and when supporting schools to put in autism strategies, make reasonable adjustments and seek specialist advice
• Improving access to information and resources for all families in B&NES
• Increasing availability of specialist services provided by health, such as Occupational Therapy, for children and autistic young people experiencing challenges due to sensory issues and anxiety
• Developing consistency across educational settings in their ability to meet the needs of autistic children and young people
• Providing specialist support for complex cases and at points of high needs, for example to prevent placement breakdown
• Ensuring greater coordination between services to reduce duplication and make the best use of valuable but finite resources
• To develop understanding in school staff of autism and how to take a more personalised approach
Who the service is for: The service has previously been for children with a confirmed diagnosis of autism between the ages of 0 – 18, however now supports the following children and young adults up to the age of 25, with a B&NES home address:
• Autistic children and young people attending B&NES early years settings, schools and academies and FE with or without an EHCP (up to age 18 years)
• Children and young people with B&NES home address, attending education providers outside B&NES who have an EHCP
• Autistic young adults with B&NES home address and EHCP aged between 18 and 25 • Parents, carers and families of the autistic children and young adults above • Professionals working with the autistic children and young adults above
When is the service available:
• The service is available all year round excluding Bank Holidays, with a telephone helpline available on Wednesday mornings throughout the year:
A member of the team will always be available to provide support to professionals, parents, carers and families.
What does the service offer:
• We provide advice and support with practical strategies and resources for providers, professionals and families
• We collaborate with other agencies and provide sign posting where required
• We provide transition advice and support when requested
• We offer training and continuing professional development for professionals using AET training modules (www.autismeducationtrust.org)
• We offer training and continuing professional development for professionals using open or bespoke training options (www.tbmpts.com) to include:
§ Universal Classroom Strategies in the Early Years/Primary § Universal Classroom Strategies for Secondary/Post 16 § Understanding Girls with ASD § Social Scripts § Developing Social and Friendship Skills § Managing Anxiety and Anger § Sensory Processing
• We offer training opportunities for parents and families, including:
§ Managing Anxiety and Anger § Anxiety in the Home § Understanding Girls with ASD § Strategies in the home for younger children with ASD § Strategies in the home for teenagers with ASD § Social Scripts
We also deliver the following training programmes for parents, which are delivered over a number of weeks (face to face and online):
• Barnados Cygnet programme (Core) - For parents of children aged 4 - 18 • Barnados Cygnet programme – Siblings • Barnados Cygnet programme – Sex, Relationships and Puberty • SPACE programme – For parents of very young children
All of our training for families is detailed on the Rainbow Resource autism pages (www.rainbowresource.org.uk) Using B&NES Graduated Approach We are committed to supporting providers to develop a Graduated Approach to meet the needs of autistic children and young people and will provide CPD and advice on provision/strategies that can be implemented at Universal Level. We have also developed a specialist guide for practitioners, which is in addition to our core training offer for professionals, families and other stakeholders within B&NES. We work closely with B&NES settings to provide support at SEN/Targeted support level where needed, which includes assessing needs and providing recommendations, support with understanding diagnosis, contributing to the EHCP process and attendance at subsequent annual reviews and multi-agency meetings. We will also provide direct, time limited support for some autistic individuals at specialist level where there is a significantly increased need for intensive support. We will be working closely with other services and organisations across B&NES, such as Health incorporating Speech and Language Therapists, Health Visitors, School Nurses and Paediatricians. We will also be continuing to work with the Local Authority, Social Care and Parents/Carers. This is a key outcome and an active contribution to the multi-agency, B&NES-wide autism strategy.
Who is in the team? The Lead for the Specialist Autism Support Service is Rebecca Tranter, who leads the following:
• 5 specialist teachers within the team, who all have mainstream and special school experience including working with autistic children and young people.
• 3 specialist curriculum support technicians, who all have considerable experience of working with autistic children and young people and are also trained as parent support workers.
• 1 service administrator, who has worked for the service for a number of years.
• 1 part time autism and anxiety practitioner who will work directly with a caseload of autistic children and young people using evidenced based approaches on a lime limited basis. They will also contribute to the CPD offer and in particular liaise with Child Health and CAMHS.
• 1 part time occupational therapist who will be able to provide sensory processing assessments, provide advice and run CPD events.
The SASS Team
Lead for Specialist Autism Support Service
Rebecca Tranter
Service Administrator
Sharon Hall
Specialist Occupational Therapist Jo Thorn (Joined in February 2020)
Specialist Practitioner for ASD and Additional Anxiety Start date to be confirmed
Specialist Teachers
Laura Chard
Specialising in Primary
Sarah Keelty
Specialising in Secondary
Carol Jones
Specialising in KS4 and Further Education
Paul Ford
Specialising in FE and young adults
Specialist Curriculum Support Technicians
Conrad Hein-Hartmann
Specialising in Secondary and Parent Support
Hannah Hobbs
Specialising in EYFS, Primary and Parent Support
Hayley Brimble
Specialising in Nursery/ Pre-School and Parent Support
How can we access the team? The service is based at Fosse Way School:
Email: [email protected]
Postal address: Fosse Way School, Longfellow Road, Radstock, BA3 3AL
Tel: 01761 412198 Ext 2
There is a referral form to be used to refer individuals to the service, alongside a training request form for use when requesting organisational training or CPD, in addition to courses which can be individually booked through www.tbmpts.com.
Additional Resources Please see our Specialist Guide for Education Settings, which is designed to support practitioners to implement effective autism strategies at Universal Level and develop a Graduated Approach:
Download from the Fosse Way website: http://www.fossewayschool.co.uk/professional/asd-support/ Download from the Rainbow Resource website: https://www.rainbowresource.org.uk Or ask a SASS team member for a copy: [email protected]
