£37 million fund for families with complex needs
Earlier this week the Government announced a £37 million fund for children with special educational needs and disabilities in England.
Families with children that have complex needs and disabilities will receive grants for vital equipment to make their lives easier while implementing social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, including computers, specialist equipment and educational toys.
Below is some key information about the grant to share with your families who may be eligible:
- There are a whole range of things that the grant will fund but typically they are looking for applications for disabled or critically ill children who are staying at home more than usual due to the pandemic. Funding will be allocated for equipment, goods, services such as household items, education equipment or specialist equipment.
- Evidence of family income (being in receipt of tax credits, universal credits or other welfare benefits) is required with the application which should provide evidence that additional needs impact on the family and that conditions are long term (likely to last more than 12 months) or life limiting. View the full eligibility criteria here.
- Grants are usually worth £400-£500 per family but can vary on need.
- Professionals can also make an application on behalf of a family.
- Below is a really helpful film explaining the eligibility criteria
Families in Warwickshire who require support in making an application should speak to their social worker or support worker, if they have one or they can contact the Family Information Service for support:
Email: fis@warwickshire.gov.uk
Phone: 01926 742274
Competition and resources for Child Safety Week 1-7 June
Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service is running a competition for #ChildSafetyWeek which starts on 1 June. They would love as many children as possible to take part to highlight the importance of safety, especially now that many of us are spending lots more time at home with our loved ones.
All of the information is on the poster below - create a rhyme about safety and there's a chance of winning your very own Blaze the Bear!
The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), who run Child Safety Week every year, has put together a safety pack for parents highlighting some easy ways that they can help keep their children safe at home and hopefully avoid any trips to A&E. Please do share this with your families via your newsletters, social media and website if you can.
View the CAPT 'Keeping children safe during lock down and beyond' pack here.
(Click the image below for a full size and downloadable version of the poster)
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service launch Ellie the Fire Dog stories!
Following the successful launch of the education hub earlier this month, Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) is now launching a bedtime story activity programme for young children, to help them learn about fire safety in a fun and engaging way.
The books, read by members of WFRS, including the Chief Fire Officer, Kieran Amos, are from the Ellie the Fire Dog series. The stories have been produced specifically by West Midlands Fire Service to help children learn about key safety messages in an engaging way, including how to make a 999 call, the importance of having smoke alarms in your home and what the role of a firefighter entails.
After each story, children can complete an activity set by the Fire Prevention Team to help with their understanding of the key messages within each book. This could be anything from drawing a picture to discussing the activity with their family and friends.
The series of six stories begins with a 'Special Day for Ellie' and ends with ‘What an Awful Noise’.
Watch all of the 'Ellie the Fire Dog' series and access the activities here.
Fire Service also launches interactive education hub
Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service has also launched an online education hub to enable them to deliver safety lessons to children while they are off school. Read more about the education hub and how to access this here.
Coventry and Warwickshire Children’s Rights Service
The Children's Rights Service, run by Barnardo's, is still available to access throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The service offers advocacy to children who are Looked After by Coventry or Warwickshire local authorities (LA) and also children who are Children in Need or homeless at 16-17 years old.
The aim of the service is to ensure that the voice of the child is heard by those responsible for making decisions around their care. Barnardo's accept referrals over the phone from anyone who has the child's consent to do so, or directly from the young person themselves.
More information is available on the Children's Rights Service here.
Reading resources for mental health and wellbeing
Warwickshire Libraries has been shining a light on Mental Health Awareness Week this week, with this year's campaign focus being on Kindness.
To support Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwickshire Libraries has dedicated Mental Health reading collections with expert endorsed Reading Well book lists from The Reading Agency which can help you look after your mental health particularly at this time.
Many are available as eBook or eAudio download from the BorrowBox collection.