Early Support Programme

[Mogandme]

Hi. I am a nanny (generally stick to the nanny board) and am also studying for a degree in childhood studies.

As part of my degree I have to look at different people who work with children in my area - ie SALT, ED Psych, HV etc and have managed to arrange to shadow a member of the SEN team who arranges groups/classes at surestart using the Early Support programme initiative. As a nursery nurse I had limited experience with special needs children but as a nanny, have had children with downs syndrome, hearing difficulties be part of my charges social circle and want to find out more about the support they are entitled to and how it is delivered/isn't delivered.

I was just wondering if any of you had any involvement in this programme and if it has made a difference. My surestart seems to run a variety of groups to help support/underpin the programme and wondered if you'd attnded anything like that too?

Thank you.

I'm not sure if others found any benefit but I found it shite patronising interference delivered my poorly trained generalist who had no understanding of evidence-based practice.

Sorry.

I'm sorry, I didn't ever have the services of the Early Support Programme.

Two models of SEN causation exist, and provision flows from that

1. It's mainly nurture: intervention is parenting groups, social services, extra days at nursery, lots of positivity, hand-wringing about the feckless poor and their offspring.

1. It's mainly nature: intervention is quite technical, professional input is prized, SLT, occ therapy, psychology are advised, and hand-wringing about missed opportunities to 'reshape the brain'

Trouble is, most dc's SEN are multifactorial, evolving, and subject to shifting definitions. And basing treatment on suspected cause might work for (say) a heart attack, but is useless in neurological conditions.

That's a bit fancy for 10.30pm, isn't it, Mareeya? It's sadly true, though.

I think Starlight's interpretation was pretty much on the money, also.

IME - what Starlight said.

It's all based on the idea that SN's are a 'nurture' issue.

Now, you wouldn't tell someone with Epilepsy or Parkinson's or MS that they had that disability because their parents needed parenting classes, would you?

So why do parents of DC's with Autism, for example, another neurological condition, get told this, and sent for parenting classes?

It grates on me, after 15 years, tbh.

And yes, I'm DOING the bastard parenting courses, again. Because it's the only way to start to access the diagnostic procedure here.

I went on the courses with DD. I obviously took something in, because DS1's development was normal-ish, precocious if anything.

But I managed to forget it all within 18 months (silly me...) by having a second DC out of 3 with the same issues. So I went on that course again.

And obviously, because I'm supremely stupid (or being supremely patronised...), I am having to do it again because I have had the temerity to have a THIRD DC out of four with the same issues.

Ignoring the fact that just because they can't yet FIND the genetic link, it's obviously there when my Dbro has the same issues too...

Sorry. Rant over. No, I don't think any sure start parenting group can be a match for, say, extensive SALT offered as soon as the delay becomes apparent, Portage, ABA, extensive physio if nevessary, ditto OT, any aids necessary being provided in a timely fashion, statementing and a supportive preschool, nursery or school...with a supportive SenCo and a supportive HT.

Less 'gate keeping' of funds overall, with early interventions AND ongoing support, would make far more impact overall on outcomes of DC's with SN's that any amount of Sure Start parenting classes...

Thanks for your responses - looks like it's not a great scheme :(

I got given a folder to fill in and keep updated which in theory meant that professionals didn't have to ask for DS2's history/progress because I could just hand them the folder. In practice, none of them read it though and I stopped updating it 2 years ago.

I think I may be talking about something totally different to what the other posters are but hope it helps anyway!

I got the folder myself. Filled it it. No-one ever looked at it.

The brochures are very basic, most of us do manic googling and move beyond this level of information very quickly.

Its main problem is its presented as an intervention in its own right, when its not, it is just a ring binder to organise information. It is not a replacement for actually teaching or providing therapy to a child. So it became a sort of tick box - they have had the early support pack, tick = intervention given.

The folder can be useful for assessing progress but do not expect anyone other than the parent or a good nanny to look at it or even assess progress of the child.

If its being used alongside proper early intervention programmes then the value will be in the quality of the intervention, not whether its backed up by early support. But you may well find the full version of the EYFS just as useful for assessing progress.

Things like this can actually prevent getting proper services as it is made to be a hoop you have to jump through e.g. do early support parent training - before your child gets to access other more useful support e.g. speech therapy, OT etc

There are lots of hoops and gatekeeping in SN and most of them are not there for the child's benefit but to delay providing more expensive help. Early support can often be used in this way.

In all fairness though, the most useful intervention we've ever had was a parenting course.

One tutor had asd kids. The other had adhd kids.
And every single participant had SN dc, and shared amazing strategies

although several of us still apologised for taking up the place
because "it's probably something he'll grow out of,
maybe I'm handling him wrong,
He's a boy
They develop at their own speed
summer born
they say its just too much (no) TV/ parents apart (together) / has (hasn't) got sibs
we were told its not bad enough for a diagnosis"