Summer Term 17th June 2011

Present:

Wakefield - LC, SC, KC

York - SP, MG

Bradford - JC

Darlington - AG

North Yorks - C B-T

Barnsley - AK

Apologies - R , AW

Agenda
Food technology equipment
Casework discussion
Wakefield Handwriting Pathway
York independent Living and Transport (YILT)
Back Exchange 'Moving and Handling for Children'
Asthma UK York and Humberside regional project
Speakers and topics for next year

Food Technology Kits

Wakefield have a box of items which are lent to schools. MG has a list of items they use and is happy to circulate it to the group. A discussion took place about boards, peelers and pan holders. LC to contact the William Merritt Centre in Leeds to see if they have any recommendations.

** MG to provide food technology equipment for circulation

Casework discussion

Colleagues in Barnsley and North Yorks asked for the groups help with two children with complex needs which resulted in a discussion on the merits of predictive packages (Co-Writer and Penfriend), DragonDictate, eye gaze and the Grid 2.

** North Yorks to provide Pupil, Parent and School evaluation questionnaires for circulation

** Darlington to provide questionnaires

Handwriting Pathways

LC shared the Wakefield pathway and SP described how the North Yorkshire 'Supporting Children and Young People with Co-ordination Difficulties' folder was being used in York. The work in Wakefield has identified three groups those with cognitive impairment, those with co-ordination difficulties and those who fit in to an ASD/Dyslexia category where organisation and specific learning difficulties also impacts on recording. The identification and interventions with these children will need to be school based due to poor staffing levels in the team. To that end a clear pathway of assessment, interventions and resources has been compiled which incorporates existing publications ('Fine Motoring' by Easy Learn and 'Ready to Write' by Philip and Tacey)for a 12 week hand writing intervention. Two assessments are also available to the schools to use for handwriting and ICT, both linked to the RELEAS handwriting booklets.

York are directing their schools to the North Yorkshire Co-ordination folder and only offering support once the schools have run a two term programme from the folder.

There is a wide discrepancy in funding arrangements with Bradford and Wakefield looking at a high financial input from schools. Darlington currently ask schools for the first £250, York have a discretionary amount of £300 and North Yorks ask for £100 contributions. There is also a wide range of ways of requesting equipment.

** Wakefield to provide specialist equipment funding requests detailing the consequences of non provision for circulation

** Wakefield to provide DRAFT ICT and Handwriting assessments

York Independent Living and Transport

YILT has one several national prizes and is a self funded scheme to encourage independent travel by Children and Young people who have previously relied on taxi services. The two workers wages are funded by the savings the LA make on travel costs

** YILT brochures circulated at the meeting.

Back Exchange 'Moving and Handling Children'

AG shared the booklet from the Back Exchange (cost £15) which gives some excellent strategies and guidance to consider when faced with an unexpected problem.

Autism Education Trust

Some excellent resources on http://autismeducationtrust.org.uk/en-gb/resources/tools%20for%teachers.aspx

Presentation by Sonja Buckle Asthma UK

Sonja Buckle detailed the work going on in the Yorkshire and Humberside region to encourage schools to recognise the seriousness of asthma as a condition and to ensure that the September peak of admissions due to children not taking their medication over the summer, reduces. Sonja brought some excellent resources to share.

** Asthma UK resources and project information to be circulated by email

General discussions

• People are to be identified by their initials from now on as names have appeared on google searches



• Cricksoft booked for the November meeting



• Epilepsy Action to be contacted to give information

Lyn Clarke 21.06.11

Agenda item next meeting 17.06.11

I forgot to add the Wakefield hand writing pathway to the list for 17th June.

Spring Meeting 18.03.11

NNATPIP Meeting 18.03.11
Heath View Centre Wakefield

Present
Wakefield – LC, KC, AW
Barnsley – AK
Nth Yorks - C B-T
York – SP, MG
Darlington – AG
Hull – JB, RG
Bradford – JW, DC

Apologies
Durham – GS
Bury – AM

1. Accessible textiles - Wakefield
AW shared the work she has done on adapting textiles for the PD pupils at Featherstone. She then went on to show the adapted sanding blocks for technology and the foam ‘kicking foot’ for PE.
Colleagues suggested looking at the Davis sports catalogue and then at REMAP www.remap.org.uk who will produce one off bespoke solutions for disabled children.
Rob when on to describe ‘Project Adapted’ Doug Williamson at Nottingham Trent University. www.ntu.ac.uk/adapted_sports
York have a kit and leaflet they give out for food technology – agreed to all share resources for this at next meeting.

2. Eligibility criteria – North Yorks
Caroline shared the draft criteria she has adapted from SENSIP. She would welcome comments, suggestions and additions. This gives her a banding score to judge whether her involvement is necessary and the evidence to give out to parents and schools.
Suggestions from the meeting were that social and emotional issues could be a useful addition but it needed to retain flexibility. Andrea sad something similar had given her the evidence to retain her position in the autumn. It leads on from Yorks ‘Who, What, When’ shared at the last meeting. A discussion on the different banding used by LAs followed and the difficulty of controlling referral rates. Amy has a similar audit for support assistants for use in classrooms.
Agreed to circulate:
Wakefield referral form, Amy’s classroom support assessment, Caroline’s eligibility criteria and York’s W,W,When? document

3. Motor Co-ordination file – North Yorks
Caroline kindly took a list of those people who would like additional copies and we asked for our thanks to be conveyed to Jan Chapman.

4. Independent Working – York
Mary described their ‘DIY Guide, A Solution Focused approach to developing independence’ which includes a TA self audit. This is a draft document, please read it and email additions to Mary. A discussion followed on online training from ‘Ability net’ and the ISAAC training www.aacinstitute.org/welcometoaacissp.html for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Suggested that an audit signed by the TA and the teacher would be good to encourage joint responsibility. A pupil audit giving feedback from their perspective would be good too. It could also be incorporated in to an IEP review. Amy mentioned there is a really useful form in the ‘Fit to Learn’ booklet.

5. ‘Listen to Me’ DVD - York
Copies of the DVD circulated.

6. Reading with symbols – York
Mary showed us a DVD clip of symbol system being used with a commercial reading scheme to teach reading and check the accuracy with a non verbal pupil. Symbols are taught to the pupil, then the symbol with the spoken word and then symbol with the written word. The ESA speaks the words as the child reads the book by pointing to the symbols on a board. The ESA speaks incorrect words and the child self corrects. This has proved useful for checking the accuracy of plurals and word endings. It is now possible to Accurately check progress.

7. Feedback on Inclusive sports – Hull
Rob described the work he has been doing on developing body strength and the course run by Doug Williamson from Nottingham Trent University on adapting sporting activities for all children. (web address above). Doug has a checklist of techniques to make sports more accessible.
Suggested that we invite Heather Angilley to a future meeting and that Rob’s email is shared with her. There is a great gap at the end of ‘Fit to Learn’ and age appropriate activities for year 5/6/7 children are an issue.

8. 1Voice West Yorkshire
Up and running – the first open meeting is on 30.03.11 4:30 – 6pm for parents and then a social event on 16.07.11
Lyn to email details to jess.haslam@york.gov.uk

9 Transport Guide – York
Draft guide shared. This covers drivers and escorts to make their roles clearer. It may also be used for commissioning in the future. Companies will not be commissioned unless there is a recognised travel plan for pupils that the pupils themselves have contributed to.

AOB
• Discussion on the Green Paper – Lyn to circulate notes.

Next meeting
• Food tech kits - everybody
• Hemiplegia presentation – outside speaker
• YILT (York Independent Living and Transport) - Mary
• ‘Back exchange – Moving and Handling children’ - Andrea

Autumn Meeting November 5 2010

Present:
Wakefield - Lyn Clarke, Katie Curnin, Amy Wilson
York - Sue Perutz, Mary Griffiths
Barnsley - Anne Killick
North Yorks - Caroline Barnes-Tee
Bradford - Julie Williams, Deborah Craig
Hull - Jean Bean
Darlington - Andrea Griffiths

Apologies
Durham - Gurby

Agenda
1. AAC funding and tracking
Discussion of how AAC equipment is funded and tracked and which LAs have specialist equipment budgets. Wakefield have been using Access Initiative funding up until now; York have a budget of £3,000. In most LAs Speech and Language therapists take the lead but most teams have difficulty reporting on outcomes. From Wakefield's experience it is better to catalogue the equipment and loan it to the family, this prevents equipment lost to the LA when it is no longer needed by a particular individual. There have been issues in LAs where the funding stream for provision has not been clear and equipment has either been disposed of or given to another agency to reuse. Darlington currently have 15 trainee SALTs. Wakefield have approached charities for funding individual children but hold a 'stock' of reused AAC aids for loan.
All agreed that statements will need very specific wording and advice in the future. Jean mentioned the recent Cumbrian Statement costed to provide for 2:1 support for a child. We then discussed the different banding systems for provision and the likely changes to statements in the near future.
* Documents circulated - York's form, Wakefield CALL pathway, involvement form and loan form.
* York to provide details of Charity streams.

2. Portable Hoists
Darlington are routinely using portable, folding hoists so that they can be used in a variety of situations and for trips. Caroline mentioned that 'Yorkshire Care' will hire them out at a daily rate for trips.

3. Funding and Statements
* Wakefield Matrix and descriptors to be shared
* York forms 1, 2 and 3 to be shared
* An example of Wakefield's table on the front of an Annual Review report to be shared
* Mary has offered to show the 'Pupil Centred Review DVD' at the next meeting
Statements will need to include progress made over the year and the Coalition Government will be introducing major changes in the near future.

4. Funding issues and the Spending Review
Darlington are facing significant cuts to their early years provision with reductions to 3 out of 11 nursery Nurses/TA's with the rest facing redundancy. These will now be based at Children's Centres. Advisory teacher work will be statutory only and Moving and Handling work will continue. Several people mentioned the good work coming from the Deaf organisations in lobbying and challenging government on SEN issues ans said it was a shame there was no National lobby group for PD pupils in the same way. The DDA provides some safeguards, the Single Equality Act is on its way and the should be an Accessibility Plan for each school but this did not always mean that some schools considered there disabled pupils properly. Andrea mentioned there is no legal toileting regulations covering children as far as she has been able to find out, they are covered by adult regulations which are not always appropriate.

5. Academies and Service Level Agreements
York, Wakefield and Bradford are providing statutory services only, but have no definitive SLAs in place. Bradford cost out their teachers at £60 per hour, significantly less than they are likely to charge in Wakefield. This lead on to a discussion on across LA service provision and the buying in of services.

6. School Transport issues
York have a three tiered provision, taxi, taxi plus escort and petrol. Susan Coulter is looking at a policy 'Home to School Transport for disabled children with additional needs'. We will be able to look at this at the next meeting.
Wakefield's 'Home to School transport for wheelchairs and buggies 2009' was circulated. Training for drivers and escorts is usually a requirement in the contract.

7. Motor Coordination folders North Yorkshire
'Supporting Children and Young People with Coordination Difficulties' folders have been produced by North Yorks (Jan Chapman has taken a lead)and the work continues that in the RELEAS booklets. The folders were circulated for the group to look at. York will be attending training and may be able to report back at the next meeting.
* Sue Perutz to contact Jan Chapman re costs for other LAs and training available.

8. 'Clever Fingers' Hull early coordination resources
'Clever Fingers' links in with the North York folders in the sense that it was designed to tackle the early problems of coordination before they became an issue leading a greater need for fine motor and handwriting assessments. Each Primary school in the Hull area has been provided with a kit at a cost of approximately £300. The Kit was funded by the LA. The activities in the kit tell schools what to do and what to look for with the idea that schools improve their skills on assessment and interventions. A similar kit was supplied to the North East Lincolnshire primary school a few years ago.


9. 'A-Z of catching'
Now complete and ready to use. This entails 26 activities for early gross motor activities designed by advisory teachers and Paediatric Therapists. The activities are grouped in to areas to improve such problems as Visual Motor Integration, Proprioception, Motor planning, Spatial Awareness etc. The new Head of SENSS is keen for this to be marketed.

10 Independent Working
Mary Griffiths is working on this over the next few months
Amy Wilson has advice to teaching assistants which she is able to share.
* Mary to report on Progress at the next meeting
* Amy to provide information to circulate via email.

Date of the next meeting March 18 2011
Agenda
HemiHelp presentation
Report on North Yorks Motor Coordination training
York - Home School Transport document
York - Report on Independent Working
York - Pupil Centred Review video/DVD
York - Reading with symbols
Hull - Feedback from Inclusive Sports training
Wakefield - Accessible material for textiles

NNATPIP Regional meeting 18.06.10 Wakefield MDC

1. Present:
Wakefield - Lyn Clarke, Sue Cammidge, Katie Curnin
Bradford – Julie Williams, Deborah Craig
Darlington - Andrea Griffiths
Hull - Jean Bean
York - Sue Perutz
Nth Yorks - Caroline Barnes-Tee
Barnsley - Sue Eyres
Durham - Gurby Sandhu
Apologies:
Bury - Margaret Graham, Ann Morris

2. Next Years meeting dates:
Venue - Heath View Centre
Dates - 05.11.10 18.03.11 17.06.11
Apologies for it always being a Friday but unfortunately that is when the room is available

3. Suggestions for next year’s guest speakers include
Ability World
AAC day
Epilepsy Action
HemiHelp
CBit
Down Right Special – Lisa Bentley
WESAIL
Bernadoes

4. Presentation by Roger Dakin (Smile Rehab) and Rob Gregory (My Tobii)
roger@smilerehab.com
rob.gregory@tobii.com
Roger welcomed an introduction to a wider audience and explained that his solutions were based on user perspectives and had evolved from his work with a range of people and their disabilities. Roger has previously worked with the CALL Centre and QED. He has developed the SMART chair (described as a ‘flight simulator for wheelchairs’) over the last 20 years and has worked towards integrated, holistic solutions. 75% of his clients have CP. Roger’s mounting systems use lightweight but very strong frames that can be used on static chairs as well as wheelchairs.
Equipment + mounting + child - should be equivalent to – the recommended limit for static chairs.
Smile Rehab mounting systems use German engineering ‘that works’. It is a universal mounting system which should grow with the child and can accommodate integrated wireless devices to allow the wheelchair and computer or AAC aid to work from the same controls. Wheelchair Services reach statutory requirements but are trying to move in to education.
Rob Gregory demonstrated the C12 eye gaze system and the hot swappable battery system. My Tobii devices use Smile Rehab mounts and both Roger and Rob are happy to come out to clients. They are happy to be contacted by email (details above). We will try and organize a NNATPIP communication day for 17.06.11 which Rob is happy to support.

5. Afternoon session
MOVE – not able to discuss as this has not gone ahead

ICT assessments - Wakefield have a simple Initial information form and Levels 1-3 skills sheets to be circulated by email. Please adapt, improve and share!

‘Fit to Learn’ - won a national award with Medipex who are now taking over the marketing. Medipex would like to provide the initial programme followed by a DVD and on line assessment before the rest of the programme is provided. Tracy Locking will be clearer about the programme for training at the next meeting and this can go on the agenda.

‘Clever Fingers’- this is a fine motor activity pack which has gone out to 70 local primary schools. The kit contains an extensive number of practical activities and background information which should allow teachers to assess whether or not children need referring on for formal assessment. The kits are expensive to provide and Jean will demonstrate one at the next meeting. Hull use ‘Leaps and Bounds’ for gross motor.

Ceiling hoists - a discussion took place on the maintenance arrangements for hoists between the LAs. Hull has developed a testing and maintenance pack for schools to remind them of their legal obligations. Jean is happy for this to be circulated and will check with her line manager if other LAs can use and adapt it.

Involvement criteria
- Wakefield shared the Matrix table and descriptors and the Access team described how this was incorporated in to Annual review and assessment reports.

Parental M&H training
- Darlington are successfully targeting their parents, Wakefield have failed to raise enough interest.

‘Detach’ - supporting the costs of after school clubs, Sue Eyres to circulate details. This led on to a discussion on funding from Aim Higher, Bernadoes and the Family Fund and how it was accessed by different LAs.




Lyn Clarke 22.06.10

Confirmed agenda for 18.06.10

Morning session
Welcome, lunch list
10:30 - 12:00 Roger Dakin, Smile REHAB

Afternoon session
MOVE - North Yorkshire
ICT Assessments - North Yorkshire, Bradford, Wakefield
CALL Project a year on - Wakefield
Involvement Criteria - York and the Wakefield Matrix

Summer Meeting June 18 2010

Just to confirm that Roger Dakin from Smile Rehab will be attending the meeting.