Kirklees Virtual Autism Show Weds 29 April

Posted on April 27, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Message From Kirklees Council:

Welcome to Kirklees’ seventh annual autism show.

“This will be our first virtual event since the outbreak of COVID-19 and will be shown live on 29 April between 10.30am and 3pm.

Due to the Coronavirus Covid-19 it is not possible to hold a physical event this year; however, we are still committed to supporting autistic people and carers and to showcase the support available in Kirklees – the show must go on! Therefore, this year our event will be virtual!

There will be 3 live webinars. More details will be added to this page as they become available. You will be able to ask questions and take part in the webinars.

  • 10:30‐11:30 ‐ Autism and social opportunities
  • 12:00‐13:00 ‐ How Kirklees Libraries can help autistic people
  • 13:30‐14:30 ‐ Involvement ‐ getting your voice heard

If you can’t take part in the webinars at the time of live session, don’t worry they will be recorded and added to this page for you to watch later.

We will also be sharing information from each of the organisations who would have had a stall at the event. You can get in touch with any of the organisations to find out more information.

To join in visit www.kirklees.gov.uk/autismshow on 29th April

We hope you enjoy the show

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Where you can get help in Kirklees

Posted on April 2, 2020 by PCAN Admin

For our wonderful families out there in the community, we have collected some useful information which we hope will help you and your families in these unprecedented times, The PCAN Team

Kirklees Council Covid-19 Community Response

We (Kirklees Council) are working alongside our citizens and local organisations to make sure that together we can all support our neighbours and communities over the coming weeks. We’re working especially closely with our voluntary sector partners. Together we’re offering a co-ordinated Community Response. This will help us all to make sure that people can easily request help when needed. We’re also offering support for local groups and organisations to make sure that we can all help each other in our local places.

If you need support, or if you can offer support, please get in touch. We are with you.

Request support via the online form here

Call on 01484226919

If you would like to offer help, please complete the form here

Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership

Offering immediate help and information to anyone in Kirklees about benefits, housing, food provision, and accessing medication queries.

Please contact if you are concerned about your well-being, feeling socially isolated or at risk of domestic abuse. 07562252940 8 am to 8 pm 7 days a week. Messaging available via Facebook

Carers Count – as always, there to offer support and advice to people who are caring for someone. Tel: 0300 012 0231
info@carerscount.org.uk Lots of useful info on their Facebook page as well.

COVID-19 Mutual Aid Groups

These are Facebook groups all over the country set up by local individuals and groups to help people in the community and are valuable source of information for what’s going on in your area and where you can get help and support locally.

Please click here to find the groups in your area (this takes you to a map, click on your area, then scroll down below the map for the list of groups and the links to them. If you are keen to help, you can also volunteer through most of these groups.

Food Banks:

Batley Food Bank Click on the link to find out how to access the foodbank

The Welcome Centre While they remain open, they are doing deliveries now, no collections. Please visit the site for more details

Fusion Giving Foodbank, Empire House, Wakefield Rd, Dewsbury WF12 8DJ

Tel: 01924454770. Currently still open but with varying opening hours.

Holme Valley Food bank. Open at the date of this post. Please check their website for location and opening hours.

Or call Kirklees Local Welfare Provision on ‪01484 414782‬ for help/advice

Mental Health and Wellbeing

A list of helplines are published on the South West Yorkshire Partnership website. Please click here. The page includes phone numbers for the Samaritans, Saneline, Rethink, Mencap LD helpline and more.

For under 18s, you can still contact Northorpe Hall (Chews Service). Their contact details are: Telephone: 01924 492183
E-mail: info@northorpehall.co.uk

Or you can submit a form by email here (Scroll down the page)

If you need their help, please read their Coronavirus information here

The latest Chews newsletter can be found here.

Other MH resources include:

Young Minds – What to do if you’re anxious about coronavirus https://youngminds.org.uk/…/what-to-do-if-you-re-anxious-a…/

Papyrus – Advice for young people at risk of suicide
‪0800 068 4141 (UK only)‬
Opening times https://papyrus-uk.org/

IAPT – Provide a choice of services for people experiencing common mental health problems such as depression, stress, panic and obsessive compulsive disorders.
‪01484 434625/6‬
www.swyt.co/kirkleesiapt

SHOUT – Shout is a 24/7 UK crisis text service available for times when people feel they need immediate support. If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support, text Shout to 85258

(If your life is in imminent danger, please call 999)

The Well-Bean Cafe Kirklees: A safe and confidential service offering mental health support to anyone in crisis living in Kirklees. Currently operating as a phone service only, the numbers are:

Fri-Mon: 07741900395 Tues-Thurs: 07867028755

To access the service, please ring from 6 pm to make a referral

Domestic Abuse

Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership: 24 hour helpline 08000527222

Womensaid – Safety advice for Coronavirus Cover your tracks online

I need Help

If you would like us to add something to this page, please email us at info@pcankirklees.org

The information above was correct at the time of publication

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School and College guidance for parents and carers

Posted on March 20, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Here is some information from the Department for Education about schools – who can still attend, which schools will be open, what happens if you are a key worker, transport etc,

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

To be clear on what the Department of Education means by “vulnerable children”, please follow this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people

It basically includes those children who have a social worker and children and young people up to the age of 25 with EHC Plans.

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List of key workers

Posted on March 20, 2020 by PCAN Admin

List in full
Health and social care
This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach. Key public services
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
Local and national government
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies. Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines). Public safety and national security
This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass. Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

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Coronavirus information

Posted on March 13, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Please visit the Kirklees Council website for information on local restrictions. There is an orange banner across the top. Click on that and it will take to the various parts of the information and support.

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Future Planning Event 25 March, Brian Jackson Centre- cancelled

Posted on March 13, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Carers Count and Kirklees Council are holding an event to help you plan if you have an adult with additional needs still living at home with you.

There will be representatives from Carers Count, Client Financial Affairs, the Benefits Team, Community Enablement Team and the assessments teams, along with PCAN and LD Carers Voice.

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Help for Families event 23rd June

Posted on March 13, 2020 by PCAN Admin

A free drop-in information event for parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs aged 0 – 19 following on from the successful event held last September. Come along and talk to professionals and other parents about support, activities and opportunities for your children in the local area.

The event takes place on:

Tuesday 23rd June 9.30 am to 2 pm

at

The Textile Centre of Excellence,

off Leeds Road, Huddersfield HD2 1YE

Find out about: Help and support services, leisure activities, support groups, education, health and more. Workshops will running on the day – these are to be confirmed but should include information about EHC Plans, sleep clinic, information about behaviour support.

Put the date in your diary! Tell your friends!

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Kirklees Autism Show

Posted on March 13, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Annual Kirklees Autism Show – see details below:

You can book a place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kirklees-autism-show-2020-public-event-tickets-78178823967

Stallholders at the event are here:

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Tell Kirklees Council about your experiences with the SEND System

Posted on March 13, 2020 by PCAN Admin

Kirklees Council would like to know more about your experience of support within education and to work together to identify ideas and opportunities for the future

Kirklees Council and PCAN have previously worked with a number of parents, carers and families who have children and young people with additional needs to understand their experiences of the SEND system and local services.  Previous work has included the high needs review, what early help looks like in Kirklees and the current behaviour survey.

Kirklees Council is working on improvements to the local system, but recognises that there are still gaps in its knowledge.  As a result, Kirklees Council is now undertaking further work to understand more about your experiences of the SEND system with a focus on:

  • Education including support for children/young people with SEN support and with EHCPs across mainstream and special education settings;
  • Fixed term and permanent exclusions;
  • Early years education;
  • Transitions to school/between schools/school to college

Kirklees Council would like to work together with parents and carers to identify ideas and opportunities to improve the support offered to children and young people aged up to 25.

Kirklees Council is working in partnership with a public sector consultancy called IMPOWER, as well as working with PCAN, to deliver and facilitate these sessions.  The experiences, ideas and opportunities identified within the workshop will be brought together with other work the Council are undertaking to help shape local support to improve the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs.

If you would like to join the parent carer workshops there are two session being held, (you need only attend one session):

  • Monday 30th March at 9:30am – 11.30 am in the Reception Room at Huddersfield Town Hall.

Or

  • Thursday 2nd April at 6:30pm – 8.30 pm at Northorpe Hall

Please book a place by registering through the Eventbrite link:

If your teenager or young person would like to share their views, they are welcome to come along. We are hoping people will tell us about good experiences, not just things that haven’t worked so that good practice can be shared.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.  If you don’t have access to internet, please call Rachel from IMPOWER on 07580 047 656 to book your place.

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Support for families of children with ASC in Kirklees

Posted on November 15, 2019 by PCAN Admin

Information provided by Northorpe Hall who have a new Family Support Worker.

The family support offer will include:

Information

  • Directories and signposting to what is available locally

Support

  • Consultation one to one 1hr sessions (via email, telephone and face to face)

(Please email Colette.Hampson@northorpehall.co.uk until the booking system on the website is up and running)

  • Parent information sessions

(Cygnet parenting support programme for parents of children on the autistic spectrum aged 5-18.)

This programme is designed for parents and carers of children and young people with an autistic spectrum condition. The programme is designed to:

  • increase parents understanding of autistic spectrum conditions
  • help parents develop their knowledge on how a child on the autistic spectrum experiences the world and what drives their behaviour
  • guide parents through practical strategies they can use with children
  • direct parents to relevant ASC resources
  • give parents the opportunity to meet with other parents who have had similar experiences and to gain support and learn from each other

Cygnet programme is delivered over six, two and a half – three hour sessions which sequentially work towards behaviour management and covers a number of topics 

  • Autism & diagnosis
  • Communication
  • Sensory Issues
  • Understanding behaviour
  • Managing behaviour
  • Choice of topic decided by parents/carers

There are already a range of workshops run by Northorpe Hall. These include:

Autism awareness

Workshops aimed at raising awareness and better understanding of Autism. Take the opportunity to see what autism is from the perspective of autistic people through videos and information presented by the ASC family worker, meet others and share your experiences in a relaxed environment.

Supporting yourself as a carer

Looking at self-care when you care for someone else, how does caring affect us, how can we improve our own wellbeing, what works and where can we find help.

Sensory development and sensory differences relating to autism

This session will be an Introduction to sensory development, help gain understanding of our different senses, recognise sensory preferences and to Investigate/take “a closer look” at challenges and who/how can we help with challenges?

You can book a place on these workshops here

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