Hart & Rushmoor Branch

We have a member, who has only recently discovered our branch, running the London Marathon on 25th April in aid of the National Autistic Society.

Jennie's eldest son has Asperger’s Syndrome and she has started a blog about her training and life raising a child on the autistic spectrum in an attempt to educate family and friends about what life was really like for them.

To find out more, go to http://jennie2010.blogspot.com - please comment on there as she needs all the encouragement she can get to spur her on!

If you would like to sponsor Jennie, it can be easily done online at http://www.justgiving.com/jennie-donnelly

‘A for Film’ is a new club for all families with special needs children

- siblings and parents are very welcome. The ethos is very simple; the lights will be up a little, the sound slightly down and all young people can clap their hands, shout, express themselves and move around as much as they need.

These sessions will be on alternate Sundays, starting on 28th February 2010,

at The Vue Cinema in The Atrium, Camberley

Doors open at 9am to buy popcorn & refreshments and the film start at 9.30am

Cost: 95p per ticket

All special needs children must be accompanied by an adult

Just turn up on the day and pay.

Open to all families with a special needs child!

For more details contact Nikki at AforFilm@live.co.uk or call/text 07764 200 446

(Please ensure that we have your e-mail address so we can keep you informed of future screenings and the progress of the film club)

Come along to the West End Centre to listen, learn and discover more about autism. Hampshire Autisitc Society are spreading the word, so come along if you can.

On Tuesday 2nd March 10am -11.30 at the West End Centre, Aldershot.

To book your places, please phone 01252 330040 or e-mail westendcentre@hants.gov.uk

The NAS have produced a handy guide to Christmas for parents and carers of children with autism - although every child and family are different, the guide provides ideas of things that might just help - from advice about how to handle guests, to giving out presents.

Click here to go to the NAS Christmas page where you can also watch a video clip of how one family deals with the festivities.

CARER’S RIGHTS DAY

FOR CARERS IN RUSHMOOR & HART

Date: Friday December 4th 2009

Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm

Venue: The West End Centre,

48 Queen's Rd, Aldershot, GU11 3JD

(Free Car Park directly behind West End Centre

accessed via William Farthing Close.)

_______________________________________________________________________

The agenda for the session:

10.00 - Arrival and Coffee

10.15 - Welcome

Kandy Redwood – Carers Support Worker – HCC Adult Services

Catherine Wheeler – Carers Support Worker –

Princess Royal Trust for Carers (PRTC)

10.30 - Heather Wood (PRCT)

Emergency Plans for Carers

10.45 - Herrington & Carmichael, Solicitors

Legal Matters

11.30 -  Enham: Direct Payments & Direct Payments for Carers

12.00 - Cittizen’s Advice Bureau –

Financial Benefits for Carers

12.30 - The Warm Front Team

12.45 - Refreshments

1.00 - Close

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

RSVP by one of the following methods:-

1. Email kandy.redwood@hants.gov.uk

2. Telephone Kandy Redwood on 01252 796223 or

Catherine Wheeler on 07825 589 738

They need to know your name, address, phone number

and an e-mail address if you have one.

Parents and Carers in the North and East of Hampshire are needed to join this steering group!

Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) is a government initiated transformation programme to improve and expand the services local authorities provide to disabled children and their families and/or carers.

Hampshire County Council has contracted Barnardo's and The Rose Road Association to provide a service which supports parents and carers by developing information and participation networks.

Barnardo's will be covering the South East (Fareham, Gosport and Havant) and the North & East (Basingstoke & Deane, Hart District, East Hampshire and Rushmoor) areas of Hampshire.

The Rose Road Association is covering the Western (New Forest, Test Valley, Eastleigh and Winchester) area of Hampshire.

The aim of the Information and Participation Service, ParentVoice, is to create, develop and implement a new service for families of disabled children in North, East and South East Hampshire which improves their information and participation in shaping services in their area.

The key objectives of the service include:

• To establish a single point of contact for information and advice.
• To plan a model of activities, events and training that enables families to participate and influence service delivery.
• To link with the other services within Hampshire.
• To develop active parent involvement in the management committee of the programme and to develop a business plan for the programme.
• To report to a cross-agency steering group.

The ParentVoice website is www.ParentVoice.info

The ParentVoice office for North East Hants will be in Elmwood Parade, Basingstoke but they will run outreach projects in Hart & Rushmoor!

They need our views on what is needed and where and how to organise it.

If you want to join, e-mail sallyann.whitehouse@barnardos.org.uk

The Autism Bill has made it through its last parliamentary stage, and will now become the Autism Act 2009: the first ever disability-specific law for England.

The Act will guarantee a future Adult Autism Strategy that will introduce a range of duties to improve local services.

For more information visit the NAS website at www.autism.org.uk/autismact2009 

The Autism Act will guarantee the introduction of the first-ever adult autism strategy, which will set out how local services should be improved to meet the needs of adults with autism.

The strategy will cover a range of issues including health, social care, employment and training and, crucially, will be accompanied by guidance which places a legal obligation on local authorities and NHS bodies to meet certain requirements.

The strategy will be published by April 2010 and the accompanying legal guidance no later than December 2010.

The NAS will of course continue to campaign until the strategy makes a real difference to people affected by autism.

The 'Skills for Work with Disabled Children' (SWDC)

Training Calendar for 2009/10

Title: Sibling Support

Date: Tuesday 10.11.2009

Run by: Lara Rowlinson, LCR Consulting Service

Venue: The Griffon Rooms, The Hawk Conservancy, Andover

Title: Autism 

Date: Tuesday 8.12.2009

Run by: Sam Cousins, Angela Thompson & Hampshire Autistic Society

Venue: Richards Room, The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Title: Learning Difficulties

Date: Tuesday 19.1.2010

Run by: Tracey Butler, Raise Mental Health Ltd

Venue: Andover Room, Hilton Hotel, Basingstoke

Title: Part 1 - Physical Disabilities

Run by: Steve Gercke & Treloar Trust

Part 2 - Practical Manual Handling Solutions

Run by: Andrea Goddard, Kaz Lodge & Treloar Trust

Date: Tuesday 2.3.2010

Venue: The Training Suite, Treloar College, Holybourne, Alton

Places are limited so it is advisable to book early to avoid disappointment. Course cost is £10+VAT per person.

For further information and to book on these training events, please contact Kaz Lodge on 01420 547720 or karen.lodge@treloar.org.uk

Don't Write Me Off is the new UK-wide campaign from the NAS to make sure that the benefit system works for people with autism, both supporting those who cannot work and helping those who want to work into employment.

Don't Write Me Off is about the real-life stories of people with autism, as they struggle to find work and achieve financial independence. But it also explores the simple solutions that could be put in place to make sure people with autism can live with dignity and fulfil their individual potential.

They followed the experiences of a group of people with autism as they applied for Employment and Support Allowance (the new benefit for people who may find it harder to get a job because of their disability), and asked about their experiences of work and applying for benefits. The stark reality for people with autism is apparent:

• just 15% have a full-time job
• one-third are currently without a job or access to benefits
• 79% of those on Incapacity Benefit want to work.

For the system to work for people with autism and the Government to deliver on its commitment that no one should be 'written off', adults with autism need:

• Employment and Support Allowance to work for them
• Jobcentre Plus staff to understand and meet their needs
• a national strategy to transform access to employment.

To read the campaign report, a guide to how to get involved, and to watch the campaign DVD, visit www.autism.org.uk/dontwritemeoff  

Take action

The Government must act now to make sure that the benefit system works for the people it is supposed to support. MPs can help us to persuade the Government to make these changes. Ask your MP to support Don't Write Me Off.

You can make a difference by sending your MP an email telling them why the campaign is so important. The greater the pressure we can apply, the greater the chance of success. Email your MP today.

The aim of the PSA role is to help tackle pupil underachievement, remove barriers to learning and provide access to a full range of learning opportunities, through developing support services with parents and carers of those children and young people who might be at risk of failing to reach their potential. PSAs have a role to play in the early identification of any difficulties a pupil is experiencing by identifying with parent?s, the reasons for their children?s non-attendance, and to work with parents and others to achieve regular attendance and reduce exclusion.

Get in touch with your PSA and see if they can help you in anyway!

Rushmoor:

Aldershot - Lesley Moffat

lesley.moffat@newport.hants.sch.uk  or 07590305065

Cove Schools - Clair Lester

clair.lester@farnboroughgrange.hants.gov.uk  or 07545735670

Fernhill College - Tracy Clement

tracy.clement@guillemont-jun.hants.sch.uk  or 07545415192

Oak Farm Community School - Linda Graham

linda.graham@farnboroughgrange.hants.sch.uk  or 07545735654

Wavell School - Linda Parry

linda.parry@st-marks.hants.sch.uk or 07793308974

Hart
Court Moor School - Phillipa Prewer

phillipa.prewer@court-moor.hants.sch.uk  

and Lucy Ellis on lucy.ellis@court-moor.hants.sch.uk  

Yateley School - Sonia Worthington

sonia.worthington@yateley.hants.sch.uk  

For details of PSAs in other areas, go to:

http://www.sporthampshireiow.co.uk/childrens-services/families/parentsupport/parentdevelopment-psa.htm#rushmoor