Professionals area

This section provides professionals with quick access to key SEND resources, training opportunities, and collaborative tools to support effective practice across North Lincolnshire.

North Lincolnshire Council SEND Space - A SharePoint site to support SENDCos

  • The SharePoint site has been developed to support SENDCos at all stages in their career, including those who are experienced and new to role.
  • It will help them have access to all information they need to do their role effectively, all in one place.
  • Information will be regularly updated, so all referrals and resources will be the most up to date versions.
  • It will provide opportunities for them to stay up to date with SEND news in North Lincolnshire as we will include regular updates.
  • It will allow SENDCos to have access to training dates/materials.
  • It includes a facility for them to give feedback on training that is coming up and provide feedback for training they have attended.
  • It will signpost them to useful documentation/ CPD at local and national level (e.g. Nasen, EEF, SEN Code).
  • It will provide an interactive forum, where they can ask questions and support one another.
  • To access the SENDCo SharePoint you will need to be invited by an admin. Please contact Gemma.Sargent@northlincs.gov.uk to request access.

Local Training and Development

Governor Training Resources

The Department for Education states that, "there should also be a member of the board or a committee with specific oversight of the school's arrangements for SEND."

Intent

Ensuring the ongoing achievement and success of learners with SEND is a collective responsibility of the Governing Body, but this may be predominantly reflected by the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Governor. The SEND link governor is the School/Academy Council's champion for successful inclusion for young people with SEND. He or she will support and challenge the school/academy to ensure that no child is treated less favourably, denied opportunity, or left behind because they have additional needs.

The school/academy's SEND governors help to ensure their academy fulfils their aim of providing for children with SEND and comply with all statutory requirements. They will raise awareness of SEND and inclusion matters at School/Academy Council meetings and give information on practices within the academy. The SEND governor will also report to the School/Academy Council annually.

Implementation

School/Academy's responsibilities to appoint a SEND Governor

  • To check that the school/academy is complying with legal responsibilities e.g. Trust/LA policies
  • To ask the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) to report on the steps being taken to ensure compliance
  • To challenge leaders to ensure that SEND remains high on the academy/school's agenda.

SEND Governor's Responsibilities (see Appendix 1)

  • To act as the champion for children with SEND and ensure that the school/academy is fulfilling its duties to children with SEND, by reviewing SEND provision including staff, funding and other resourcing
  • To undertake required training, including school-specific induction with the SENCo
  • To meet the SENDCo Autumn, Spring and Summer terms as a minimum
  • To ask questions relating to SEND provision at School/Academy/Council meetings
  • Work with the SENDCo to produce a SEND Annual Report to Governors
  • To confirm that the school’s duties have been fulfilled (Appendix 1).

The SEND governor is expected to attend any specific training appropriate to their needs. Individual school/academies may choose to offer the relevant.

Impact

Learners with SEND achieve success through an inclusive and ambitious educational environment, whereby they are fully supported to make the highest level of progress possible and are equipped with the knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in life.

Early years inclusion audit tool

Workforce Mental Health Training

Why does the workforce need training on mental health?

  • Mental health is a cornerstone in the development of resilience
  • Crucially important to children and young people as they are growing up
  • Reduce the stigma of mental health and start the conversation
  • Current stats – 1 in 10 young people have a diagnosable mental health problem
  • ½ of adults with lifetime mental illness (excluding dementia) first experience the symptoms before the age of 14 (Kim-Cohen et al 2003)
  • We agree with the Government that the mental health of children and young people is “everybody’s business”
  • Future In Mind and 5 year plan
  • Prevalence of difficulties amongst our children means that prevention, mental health promotion and early intervention are highly significant
  • To intervene effectively it is vital for frontline staff to be able to reduce stigma, effectively identify and support those at risk of developing mental health difficulties. It is also important to know when to discuss and seek support from specialist services.
  • These courses are designed to support the workforce feel more confident when identifying and supporting young people with mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties

Visit the Services for Education website for available courses.

Contact details

Children's Multi Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (MARS)

Safeguarding children, young people and their families

The Children’s Multi-Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (MARS) Board has a joint and equal duty to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area.

In North Lincolnshire, the safeguarding partner organisations and the lead representatives are:

  • North Lincolnshire Council – Chief Executive
  • Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board – Executive Director of Nursing and Quality
  • Humberside Police – Chief Constable.

The Children’s MARS Board website contains further information, advice and guidance for children, young people and families and professionals who work with them.

Definition of Safeguarding

Nothing is more important than children’s welfare. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support. This requires individuals, agencies, and organisations to be clear about their own and each other’s roles and responsibilities, and how they work together. The Children’s MARS Board have a duty to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally including education providers and childcare settings, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

  • providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
  • protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
  • preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
  • ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

For further information, see Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

Safeguarding Children – Children’s MARS Training Courses

The Children’s Multi Agency Resilience and Safeguarding Board (CMARS) offers an extensive range of safeguarding training to people working with:

  • children
  • young people
  • and their families

Take a look at the Children’s MARS training programme. To book your place on a course, please complete and return the Course Booking Form to mars@northlincs.gov.uk or to the Multi Agency Innovation Hub, Church Square House, 30-40 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6NL

For more information, please contact the Multi Agency Innovation Hub on mars@northlincs.gov.uk.

Workbooks

Children's MARS also have a number of useful workbooks on their website. These include safeguarding awareness, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation.

Services for Education

Continuing Professional Development

North Lincolnshire Continuing Professional Development and Training opportunities are available through the courses team.

North Lincolnshire Council offers a range of courses and training opportunities for teachers and professionals. The courses and training opportunities cover a range of universal, specialist and targeted areas including SEND. Colleagues wishing to look at these courses should visit the North Lincolnshire Services for Education website where they can download the full brochure on the right or if they wish to search for particular courses, they can use the search filters on the left. Bookings can also be made on the website for schools and settings with accounts.

Other Local Training and Development

National CPD / Training

CDC e-Learning modules for Health Practitioners and CCG

E Learning for North Lincolnshire Council staff

An e-learning module on the SEND reforms and the local offer is on Learning Lincs. It is available for all North Lincolnshire Council employees and is free of charge. There is a clear expectation that any council employee who works with children and young people with special educational needs and /or disabilities from the ages of 0-25 will complete this module.

The module:

  • Is an introduction to how the SEND reforms are being implemented in North Lincolnshire
  • Describes the principles underlying the SEND reforms
  • Explains new ways of working

To access this e-learning module you will need to log into your Learning Lincs account. Use the search button on the top right side with SEND to find the module.

If you are a professional who works with children and young people with SEND in North Lincolnshire, but do not have access to a Learning Lincs account, please contact us on learning.solutions@northlincs.gov.uk and we will arrange access to the course.

E Learning for Social Care Staff

An e-learning module has been designed by the council for disabled children as part of the CDC regional social care training offer. This can be used as:

  • an introduction to the role of social care in the send reforms;
  • a refresher on the role of social care in the send reforms;

E Learning for Health Practitioners

An e-learning series has been created by the council for disabled children to support health practitioners and Clinical Commissioner Group understand the new duties set out in the Children and Families Act and the implications.

The 8 modules cover the following areas:

  1. Introduction
  2. Outcomes
  3. Education, Health and Care plans
  4. Local Offer
  5. Information and data sharing
  6. Transition
  7. Participation
  8. Working in partnership

Further information can be accessed on the Council for Disabled Children’s (CDC) Website.

Disability Matters

Disability Matters have produced a suite of e-learning materials covering a range of topics which are free to use.

The topics included are:

  • Understanding Disability
  • Person to Person
  • Family and Society
  • Decision Making and Growing Up
  • Behaviour and Emotions
  • Health and well-being

Each one of these topics are further broken down into a range of sub-topics. You can access these materials as a guest user or create an online account which means you can access the group training resources, as well as learning packages that are recommended specifically for you.

The e-learning materials are available on the Disability Matters website here.

SEND Early Years Resources

About the handbook

This handbook supports providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage within the private, voluntary, and independent sector, as well as practitioners within maintained school (particularly those working with children of nursery age).

For more information please use our Early Years SEND and Inclusion Handbook.

SEND Gateway

The SEND Gateway is an online portal offering education professionals free, easy access to high quality information, resources and training for meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Developed by Nasen, the UK’s leading professional association for SEND, the Gateway provides an opportunity for the education workforce to develop new skills and understanding, navigate recent and upcoming reforms to SEN and access resources and training materials from the UK’s leading voluntary community sector (VCS) organisations supporting children and young people with SEN in the age range 0 – 25.

Other National CPD / Training