You said, we listened and worked hard together to respond
Having listened carefully to children with SEND and their caregivers, partnership leaders in Reading have made a commitment to work hard to provide the right support at the right time, in the right place, to meet children’s emotional, social and physical health needs, working with families in the co-design of help and support.
Together, we want to build an inclusive Reading, where all of our children can thrive and diversity is embraced, supporting our children to become the independent and fulfilled adults of tomorrow.
Stories bring activity to life and at the bottom of this page we give real examples of feedback and how our actions have made a difference to children’s lives.
Reading Families’ Forum has provided help and support to hundreds of parents and caregivers in Reading, with 1792 caregivers receiving regular updates and information.
Co-production with young people is really important in Reading, including working in partnership with Special United to help improve information and access to local services, as well blogs from every event
The SEND Brokerage service supported 2482 families in 2023 alone.
We have worked as a team to support our SEND children in early years, schools and further education, to introduce a new Reading Inclusion Support in Education (RISE) team, to train and resource our education providers with cutting edge therapeutic, autism and assessment skills and resources (SERTS), to promote the inclusion of every Reading child and to keep learning engaging and interesting. Together, we set high expectations for learning for our SEND children, we work closely with families and personalise learning for each individual child, by identifying the sources of stress in education and trying to reduce them, adapting learning, making a plan together to meet needs and build on each child’s strengths, interests and talents, recognising that diversity makes Reading a vibrant and better place.
In the early years, Reading’s children with SEND achieve above the regional and national average for their development.
Changes to the Speech and Language service with a new helpline has enabled families to get help and support quicker, to avoid having to join a waiting list before receiving help. Early indications are positive.
Co-design of Cressingham's play spaces
Children and young people with disabilities helped lead the design of new outdoor play space and bathroom facilities at Cressingham following an investment of £300,000 from Reading Borough Council. Both Cressingham and Pinecroft, which is offering extended periods of respite for families, were rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
Evidence of our work in action (feedback)
A member of BFfC’s Occupational Therapy team was thanked by a mum for helping guide her through the Disabled Facilities Grant process. She commented that BFfC has a very bright future if her experience was an indication of the company’s social care practices going forward.
One of our family workers received some fantastic feedback from a family. The message said: “We want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The family workers’ team is excellent and provides extraordinary ideas and guidance to individuals with Autism. We would like to give particular thanks to our family worker for her politeness, understanding and smile on her face. It was a pleasure to spend time with her and we will miss her a lot.”
A mum whose child had been visiting Cressingham Short Breaks service thanked the team for all the care and kindness they had showed them over the last few years. She said it had made such a difference to their lives and that she really appreciated it.
Two portage workers were praised for being extremely professional, kind, knowledgeable, compassionate and supportive by a mother of an autistic child. She added that the pair created a safe and inclusive space for all the children and the service they provide is of a high standard and a lifeline for carers of neurodivergent children.
The work of BFfC’s paediatric occupational therapists makes a direct impact on the families they are supporting. One family said a bath seat that had been arranged for their son had been a great success. They also said an additional step for the back door and handrails meant he could now get around with ease.
A mum told one of BFfC’s occupational therapists that his professionalism and dedication had exceeded her expectations and his outstanding work had made a real difference to her son’s life. The parent praised the worker for his quick response, attention to detail and ability to understand her son’s requirements. She said the therapist’s commitment to excellence and genuine care for his patients was truly admirable and that professionals like him make a real difference to the lives of those they serve.
A member of our Children and Young People’s Disability team, who is in their Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), has received an incredible message from a clinical psychologist at Oxford Psychological Medicine Centre regarding one of our young people who was recently discharged from hospital. It reads: “Thank you so much for all your work in coordinating the support for the young person since they left hospital. It’s really refreshing to see that their level of vulnerability has been fully understood by the team. It’s reassuring to know that they are in good hands since discharge.”
A parent said a family worker in the West Cluster Children’s Centre was able to identify that her son had additional needs before either herself or his nursery and her transition work had been incredible. The mum said she never thought she would value the input of a family worker as much as she does.
A family worker in the South Children’s Action Team worked intensively with a mother who had debilitating mental health issues. She helped take her from a reclusive, shy mum to a more proactive member of the community.
The mother’s development has enabled her children to access education, begin to reach their potential and most importantly, enjoy a more fun, spontaneous, loving relationship with her.
An education setting reported how the work of a senior SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) case officer had helped transform a young person they had been working with. They reported that the boy, who had previously been struggling, was now joining in with everything and ready to jump into life at sixth form.
They said the case officer’s hard work, persistence and careful planning ensured the young person remained close to home with his family and ensured resources were used creatively and efficiently.
A Reading mother was overjoyed when her teenage son, who has additional needs, joined her in their garden this summer. A small feat? No, a giant one. It was the first time since they moved into their house 12 years ago. The mum sobbed with joy as they had lunch together in the garden and she described it as one of the happiest moments of her life. She believes the change in her son was down to the positive impact the new tranquil garden at our children’s home, Pinecroft, had on him during his visits to us.
Parents were apprehensive about their son staying overnight at Cressingham short breaks service but after visiting and talking to staff they decided to try it. Staff explained to the parents and son that it was like a sleepover with friends and the teenager went on to really enjoy his visits.
He now packs his bag the night before his stays and has settled in incredibly well. His parents are finding the break from their caring role invaluable as they can recharge their batteries, spend time with their other child and plan evenings.
Families came together at Pinecroft Shared Care Service to celebrate the successful transition of seven young people into the new style provision. The celebrations included outdoor games, a BBQ lunch and an achievement ceremony where all the young people received a personalised medal and certificate. One parent said they had talked to others and they all agreed they could not imagine how any other provision could get anywhere near as good as Pinecroft.
A carer told us about two young girls who were made to feel valued and enjoyed a massive boost to their self-esteem by attending short break sessions with Reading Football Club. She said how valued the all-inclusive activities were for children who struggle in mainstream settings. She added that there was no competition children could come last in, just equal fun activities making them feel great, especially about themselves.
Daily life was a struggle for a Reading family with two children diagnosed with autism but their lives have been transformed after attending the BFfC Living with Autism course.
The father found that he was able to understand his young son so much more easily and reflect on what day-to-day life is like for his children. He said he felt grateful for the opportunity to attend the course and now feels heard and less isolated, knowing other families are experiencing similar struggles.
The course also helped to embed the strategies the Portage team and nursery have suggested. The parents also shared that their other, non-verbal child had put two words together for the first time. She said “love you” to her mother.
Several of Brighter Futures for Children teams supported a family who had two young children with complex special educational needs. The BFfC Portage team supported the parents to play and interact with their children at home while the Early Years SEND advisors worked hard to find two appropriate settings for the children to attend.
Portage continues to support the family at home and both settings are providing high quality SEND support for the children.
A Lego club at Cressingham Short Break Service has proved to be a big hit with children since starting in the spring 2022.
The club was launched to help stimulate children’s imagination by providing them with various Lego pieces and setting them a theme. The young people have loved it and not only have they successfully built amazing objects for each theme, they have created a whole world and story around each one.
Sunnyside nursery at Sun Street Children’s Centre, in east Reading, has been offering 15 hours of childcare for children eligible for two-year-old funding since opening in May 2022.
The team has enjoyed great success but one of the most significant has been a huge improvement in communication skills among the young children.