Team around the child meetings.

[Dingle]

Does anyone have any experience of these?

We have our first coming up in August and I have been liasing with the CDC over who to invite.

One thing I was (perhaps foolishly) pleased with was the fact that the SENCO at Amelia's mainstream nursery is going to attend despite it being during the summer holidays. The likes of Portage and Home Visiting teachers I can't posible imagine showing during the hols.

The nursery has commented about trying to give Amelia more regular SALT and Physio sessions there, which very selfishly may help ease the pressure off of me.

I pray that at some stage I can sit down and just play with Amelia like other mums and daughters do, rather than worry that I have done her Jolly Phonics, or her foot exercises! Does that sound stupid.

I am more than likely living in a dream world but thing have just got to get better. I have 2 1/2 A4 pages of "professionals" envolved with Amelia, and not one of them see her actively on a regular basis.

Hi Dingle - I think someone else talked about a 'team around the child' meeting recently (merlot? chonky?). It doesn't exist in all areas but sounds like a good idea.

It would be interesting to know if it translates into better help for Amelia or whether it is just another appointment to add to the list...

I know exactly how you feel about the therapy thing. I feel constant pressure to 'do therapy' with dd. The pressure comes from no-one but myself (dh is always telling me not to put so much onto myself) but when you want the best for your child what else can you do? It is the burden of knowing that intervention works.

I am 95% confident that if it weren't for the work I put in with dd she would not be able to sign now and therefore have no communication at all. I feel proud that I have done that for her but it it also a heavy burden to bare and I wish I didn't have to.

I hope you get more help soon.

I haven't heard of "team around the child" meetings. The nearest thing we have to that is probably ds2's IDP meetings. These are held at the CDC with the SALT, Psych, OT, Portage and the EYIS.

I know what you feen about feeling weighed down by therapy. I find that the more progress ds2 makes with it, the more I feel guilty if I don't do more. Makes no sense, I know.

Hopefully you will get more help and support from the meeting. xx

I have a little experience but from a different perspective. The meeting should give you teh opportunity to talk about your concerns / wht is working well and to get feedback from the professionals - it also allows everyone to know the same stuff and for all options to be discussed more openly . Perhaps one of your first questions could be why doesn't anyone see us regularly

Hi Dingle - sorry, no experience of TAC meetings, but I'm fairly sure Merlot has. I can imagine that they'd be really useful, as we often find that the advice given by one professional is contradicted by another and it all gets a bit confusing!

Hi

Yes, it is us who have `Team Around The Child'.
We only went to our first one about three weeks ago but found it hugely useful.

It is just a way of getting all the professionals under one roof at the same time and allows you to discuss your child's progress with everyone having a chance to pitch in.

Our meeting was mainly to discuss what sort of nursery provision is going to be most suitable for ds2.

One of the ideas put forward was a part mainstream/part special needs nursery. I got very exited about this as it sounded perfect...the SALT was waxing lyrical about it, as was the portage lady AND THEN....in comes the developmental paed (after being called out to take a phone call) and immediately put a spanner in the works! She said that ds2 wouldnt meet the criteria for this particular nursery as he is still making satisfactory progress and doesnt yet have a dx. I was a bit taken back and cheesed off, as it had sounded rather wonderful, but when the paed's reasons etc were fully explained and batted round the room, I felt like I understood where she was coming from.

The point of all my waffle is... that had we not had team around the child..the SALT would have suggested the nursery and then the portage worker would have told me all about it, and we may have done a joint visit and THEN....3 months down the line when we got to see the dev paed at our routine appointment she would have vetoed it! I would have been incredibly upset and p1ssed off and would have felt like the whole world was against me. Instead at the Team Around The Child meeting, the dev paed had to explain to the SALT and the Portage worker et al, exactly why ds2 didnt meet the criteria and they had an opportunity to challenge her etc..and eventually a resolution was found.

I rest my case for the Team Around The Child

thank goodness it is useful

sounds like a nightmare 'team around the child' is where they can patronise you and make you feel like s**T, sorry i am such a cynic

I feel that I am not going to be strong enough to cope with it all, face to face with all those "proffessionals!" How can I be strong, I feel as if it's going to me against this crowd and that I will just crumble and end up a blubbering wreck!
Perhaps I will need to put the DLA forms on hold again and start writing out my agenda!

Dingle remeber it's called team around the child cos your child is in the centre and is teh most important member of teh team , the team shoudl seek to look at her needs and requirments and find workable solutions taht everyone is happy with, Not sure where you are but if you would like to contact me feel free

Dingle, in my experience, really don't worry about being with all those professionals. I have found them to be friendly and helpful. You need to watch out for the LEA ones sometimes, not usually the Health/therapy ones!

when her placement is right you'll find you stop trying to do the therapy. at least that's what I've found- I actually feel like a mother again. Much sympathy, but in my experience yes that does happen.

Thanks ladies, I just feel I need to be a bit more prepared and I don't really know what to expect.

The Home visiting teacher, or portage won't be there ( btw portage is closing Amelia's file as she is now in nursery 5 sessions a week!!) I do however have the SENCO from her mainstream nursery attending off of her own back during the summer hols! They have mentioned that SALT & physio could be donn eon a more regular basis there, BUT, they do need further details of her programs. I have given them written copies and they are trying to get into Amelia's SNN to see her therapies in practice there.

I have absolutely no OT input so I thought I could push for that. Even a one off assessment to identify her areas of weakness and some activities that both the nursery and I could carry out.

I have someone coming around on the 15th to talk about allocating a key worker for Amelia. I think she is from a SS department but I am not sure, or perhaps she works for the CDC!! I can't imagine who else would do it, so I can only presume I wil continue to do it.

I am so glad you can identify with my comment about not being a therapist rather than a mum. I have found a seem to go round in cycles. First I start off all full of beans and motivated to do this or that "task" with her. Then it takes over our lives, I get stressed out and flip ()and end up doing absolutely nothing while I wallow in pity. I start to get over that, become a mum again for a while, realise how wonderful she is and how worthwhile all the hard work is. Then comes the guilt so I starts ful of beans all over again!!

ramble, ramble....

Just got our official letter to confirm the meeting! They have invited 14 "proffesionals!" I feel that I am going to be way out of my depth!

Who actually co-ordinates, or "chairs" these meetings?

OMG, better get my act together.We have so much going on I don't know whether I am coming or going!

14??? Eeek!

I think it varies wrt who leads the meeting. At the CDC it was the Paed. Elsewhere it seems to be the EYIS or the SENCO. It probably depends more on personality than job IYSWIM.

Good luck! xxx

Oh CT, I was hoping you'd all come back and say "only 14!!" Now I am even more nervous!

Dingle -

My TATC meeting was chaired by the TATC co-ordinator who came to our house to explain TATC before we had our first meeting.

Has anyone been along to explain it to you?

Sorry, Dingle. Ahem...of course that was a typo and I really meant to say "With only 14 people turning up it's hardly worth having a meeting is it?"

CT

Aha- we have someone coming round on Friday Merlot. I thought she was just to talk about finding a keyworker for Amelia, but it sounds as if it is her.

The plus of these meetings is that all the professionals tend to be on their best behaviour as they want all the other professionals to see them on their sparkling top form.. so you tend to find them specially helpful and friendly!

Don't get yourself wound up about it.. make a list of the topics you want to talk about.. then forget about it until the day. You have plenty of things to keep you busy.. you certainly don't need to be wasting time and energy ad emotion fretting about something that is supposed to there to help and support your child. Remember the story of the Precious Present!!

we have these every 6 months here but to be honest its all waffle everyone says their bit bearing in mind some of them only see him every 3- 6 months in our case Hv and SnHv attend funy thingis this only time we see them.
and they all agree despite ds problems hes happy little chap lots of talking but no promises ,away you go and get on with it see you in 6 months.

we have these every 3 mths all professionals who are involved and we discuss where his at any concerns so that everyone is on the same knowledge wave length of my ds and up to date etc i have found them helpful to offload but nothing else has really come of it its just nice to be able to all up to date with any new problems or achievements

you can chair your own meeting but i asked the specialist teacher to chair it for me