Contact in Wandsworth

01/09/2023

Dear All
From today Brent Wandsworth Westminster Mind (BWW Mind) will deliver the Family Support service on behalf of Wandsworth Council. The new service will be called SEND in Mind and the office phone number will remain the same, 0208 947 5260.
Please see more information below on SEND in Mind and their referral form, you can self-refer if you would like to access their support.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a big Thank You to you all. To our colleagues around the borough both voluntary and council services who we have worked with over the years, it has been a pleasure getting to know your services and you as individuals, we have worked well together to support the families we have worked with across the borough.
To our families, it has been both a privilege and honour to have met you as parents, your whole families at our events. We have supported with many issues over the years, along with the numerous form filling and supporting information. Thank you for sharing your issues with us and for being open and honest with the information, some of which has been quite complex.
We would also like to acknowledge and thank the Wimbledon Foundation for supporting financially with our Family Events over the years and particularly this summer, Disability Sports Coach UK who supported and delivered our Sports Inclusion Days over the years and the local Co-op again for their financial support towards Family Events and Wandsworth Council for additional funding during the pandemic towards Tablets and Shopping Vouchers for families.
We would also like to thank Wandsworth Council for being committed to Family Support and funding our service over the years. While we are not delivering the Family Support programme on behalf of the council, we are really pleased that their commitment continues and we do wish SEND in Mind every success as the new provider of the Family Support service.
While our office here will close Contact will still have a presence in the borough. We will still be supporting SEND Parent Carer Forum in Wandsworth, please see information below and their contact details.

SEND Parent Carers in Wandsworth

SEND Parent Carers in Wandsworth, your local Parent Carer Forum. Run by, and for, Parents and Carers of children or young people in Wandsworth with SEND. We are here to help all Parents and Carers in Wandsworth to have a voice.

If you would like to get involved, please email us and there is more information about what we do on our website.
[email protected]
www.sendpcwandsworth.org.uk


SEND in Mind
Service starts today Friday 1 September 2023
Details of how they can help and a form so you can self-refer are all found through the link below.
https://www.bwwmind.org.uk/send-in-mind/

Finally, we wish you all well for the future and hopefully our paths will cross again, for now ‘Au Revoir’.

Contact Wandsworth Team

Are you a parent or carer of a child with additional needs? Are you struggling or do you feel unheard? Do you live in Wandsworth?

11/07/2023

Tuesday 11th July

19:00 – 20:00 – Autism Hub (London & The Midlands) - Supporting Children with Anxiety - Support for Parents of Children with Anxiety Autism Hub (London & Midlands) Tickets, Tue 11 Jul 2023 at 19:00 | Eventbrite



Wednesday 12th July

10:30 – 11:30 – Autism Hub (London & The Midlands) - Supporting Children with Anxiety - Support for Parents of Children with Anxiety Autism Hub (London & Midlands) Tickets, Wed 12 Jul 2023 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

30/06/2023

London Session – Tuesday 4th July Introduction to Autism - for parent carers in London | Autism Central

The session will look at: What is autism Different profiles The autism spectrum Supportive strategies

23/06/2023

Free online workshop for families wanting to find out more about autism and employment

We’re inviting London parent carers of autistic children - no diagnosis required - to join our free online workshop about Autism and employment on Tuesday 27 June between 2-3pm.

This workshop will help you understand some of the challenges autistic people face when looking for work. You’ll hear more about social communication barriers, stigmas, and misconceptions. And you’ll also discover some tips and strategies to help you support your autistic child and young person on their journey to meaningful employment.

Don’t miss out and book your free place today:

Join our Autism & Employment workshop. This workshop has been developed to help understand some of the challenges Autistic people face when looking for employment opportunities.

09/06/2023

Facebook

Are you a family member, informal carer or personal assistant of an autistic person, who would like to learn more about autism? We’re now offering group and individual sessions on autism education, information and guidance. To find out more about this new programme please visit:

Sometimes, talking to people who share similar experiences to yours means you’re more likely to feel understood and get the help you need. That’s why we’ve set up our peer education programme for parents, carers and personal assistants of autistic people.

06/06/2023

https://contact.org.uk/about-contact/news-and-views/recognising-and-supporting-carers-this-carers-week/

5-11 June is Carers Week – a week that shines a spotlight on the vital role unpaid carers play in our communities.

01/06/2023

Wandsworth Information Advice & Support Service (WIASS) is looking to recruit a full-time Information, Advice & Support Officer (Parent lead) to join our amazing team and help play an important role in developing our outreach offer to parents within Wandsworth. For more information about this role, please use the link below

Jobs and careers with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils

19/04/2023

https://contact.org.uk/about-contact/news-and-views/government-announces-cost-of-living-payment-dates/

Information on dates in 2023/24 for Government cost of Living Payments for Low-income-families

The government has confirmed the dates it will make cost of living support payments to low-income households throughout 2023/24.

08/03/2023

Free Money Matters workshops for parents who speak Soomaalida (Somali), العربية (Arabic) or Polish (Polski)
We’re holding 3 FREE Money Matters workshops next week for parent carers whose first languages are either Arabic, Polish or Somali.
Join our free Money Matters workshop where a translator will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about benefits and the benefits system:
Soomaalida (Somali): 13 March, 10-11:30am
• Find out more and book your free place
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-ku-saabsan-lacagta-tickets-560375206327

العربية (Arabic): 14 March, 10-11:30am
• Find out more and book your free place
• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/560438475567.

Polski (Polish): 17 March, 10-11:30am
• Find out more and book your free place
• https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/bezpatne-warsztaty-dla-rodzicow-pieniadze-sie-licza-tickets-574461739527

Our Money Matters workshop will help make sure you get the benefits and other financial support you and your disabled child and family are entitled to.
It will give you an overview of benefits, the main benefit for disabled children, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carers Allowance, grants available as well as where to find discounts on utilities, leisure and discounts for parent carers.

W marcu organizujemy warsztaty “Pieniądze się liczą” po polsku. Warsztaty przeznaczone są dla rodziców dzieci niepełnosprawnych.

02/03/2023

Watch our 3 short videos to help you understand more about Disability Living Allowance – the main benefit for children under 16 with a disability or condition. Watch all 3 in English, العربية, Polski and Soomaalida.
https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/benefits-financial-help/benefits-and-tax-credits/disability-living-allowance/dla-videos/
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is there to help you pay for the extra costs of caring for a child under 16 with a disability or condition. If you’re confused about how to apply for it or if your child qualifies for it watch these 3 short videos explaining more about DLA and make sure you don’t miss out on this life-changing benefit. All 3 videos are available in English, العربية, Polski and Soomaalida.

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/benefits-financial-help/benefits-and-tax-credits/disability-living-allowance/dla-videos/

What is Disability Living Allowance for children?
Czym jest zasiłek Disability Living Allowance (DLA) dla niepełnosprawnych dzieci? Waa maxay Disability Living Allowance (DLA) ee carruurtu? ماهو بدل معيشة الإعاقة للأطفال؟

Make sure you find out about this important benefit for your family by watching our 3 short videos available in English, Polski, العربية and Soomaalida.

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/benefits-financial-help/benefits-and-tax-credits/disability-living-allowance/dla-videos/

Filling out the Disability Living Allowance form for your child can take a long time. Watch our
Short video available in English, Arabic, Polish and full of tips to help make sure you get DLA - a vital benefit to help you with the extra costs of caring for a child with a disability or condition:

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/benefits-financial-help/benefits-and-tax-credits/disability-living-allowance/dla-videos/

Check out our new London Hub on our website with everything you need if you’re based in the Capital, including information on our local offices in Ealing, Lambeth, Lewisham and Wandsworth:

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/london-hub/

26/09/2022

An Invitation to all parents/carers of a child or young person with SEND aged 0-25 years old

Wandsworth’s SEND Local Offer Team invite you to join us for
COFFEE - CAKES - CHAT

Please drop in any time between 10.00am and 1pm on 5th October 2022 at Siward Road Centre, off Garratt Lane, Tooting SW17 0LA
Refreshments will be available and you will also have a chance to win one of two £25 shopping vouchers with a FREE entry prize draw for each parent/carer attending!!
Get up to date information about Wandsworth’s SEND Local Offer and what support and services there are that can help you and your family. Representatives from the following services will be there to tell you about what support they offer:
Contact
Enhanced Childrens Centre (Early Years 0-5)
Preparing for Adulthood Service
Wandsworth Autism Advisory Service (WASS)
Wandsworth Carers Centre
Wandsworth Information Advisory Support Service (WIASS)
There will also be members of Wandsworth’s new SEND Parent Carer Forum present and they will have details of how you can become a member and how your views and experiences can feed back into the shaping of future SEND support services in Wandsworth.
The SEND Local Offer Team would also like to hear your views and experiences about current services and your suggestions about future workshops/events that would be of interest to you. You can also find out more about the benefits of our WAND and WAND+ Cards and how you can make an application for your child/young person.
Our SEND Local Offer Team of Parent Champion volunteers will also be there. They will be happy to talk to anyone thinking of engaging in a rewarding voluntary role signposting other parents/carers of children/young people with SEND to services and provisions in Wandsworth.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN COMING, PLEASE BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET THROUGH EVENTBRITE . Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/send-parentcarer-drop-in-wednesday-5th-october-2022-tickets-423209369617?utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery
(Younger children are welcome to come with you, but there are no childcare facilities available)

09/09/2022

We are saddened to hear of the death of her Majesty the Queen yesterday and send condolences to her family at this difficult time. Queen Elizabeth II was a passionate patron of hundreds of charities, helping to change the lives of millions in the UK through her work with these organisations.
We send our best wishes to all who are affected by this sad news.