Young People
- Using the Website and Accessibility
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- My EHC Plan and Annual Review
- Exclusions
- SEND Support at University
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- My Activites and Engagement Opportunities
- My Transition to Adult Social Care services
- My Transition to Adult Health services
- Appeals
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- What It's Like to Be Me
- My Easy Read Guides
Activities and Engagement Opportunities
Getting involved in groups, activities, clubs and engagement opportunities can help you to make friends, communicate with people, learn new skills and be included in the community where you live. This can include socialising and volunteering.
To help you plan, prepare and make decisions, you could think about:
- Which activities or clubs you would like to try?
- Would you like to make new friends?
- Are there any clubs or activities that will help you to learn new skills?
- What new skills would you like to develop?
- Are there any clubs or activities that will help you prepare for a future career?
- How would you travel to them?
- Is there a cost to join a particular club or activity? If so, how will you pay for it? Might you be able to ask for a personal budget or direct payment?
There are lots of activities that are available across Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City. The best place to look for these activities and Clubs is on the Local Offers.
If you would like support finding groups, activities, clubs and engagement opportunities, you can contact Ask Us Nottinghamshire, who will be happy to support you.
The Local Offer is a great place to find information about local events and updates from local organisations and groups.
We know that not everyone will have used the Local Offer before, so here are some quick facts to help you to get to grips with it.
1. Local Authorities (Councils) must have a SEND Local Offer – it's the law.
2. The SEND Local Offer includes information about:
- Local activities
- Advice and support
- Accessibility
- Education, training and work
- Childcare for disabled children
- Transport and travel
- Transitioning between schools
- Health care.
3. The SEND Local offer is broken down into easy-to-use sections and can be filtered by age range, activity or advice topic.
4. The SEND Local Offers are accessible – with text size and colour options.
5. You can use the SEND Local Offer to create lists and download contact information for local activities and groups. By creating a free account, you can save your lists to come back to later.
6. If you are looking to apply for the Short Breaks Offer from either the County or City council, you will access it via the SEND Local Offer.
The Local Offers have all the answers you need!
You can visit the Notts Help Yourself (Nottinghamshire County) and Ask Lion (Nottingham City) websites to discover events and activities near you.
Useful Links
You can find out more about friends, relationships and community on the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) Website.
Nottinghamshire County Council Local Offer - Notts Help Yourself
Youth Services are for children and young people between the ages of 10-25, if you have a special educational need and/or disability.
The youth service operates countywide. Sessions cost £1. There are also Link Youth Groups for young people with disabilities. The groups provide an opportunity to build friendships in your local area outside of school. There are a range of activities chosen by young people, often social or leisure in nature, but also skill building activities like cooking groups. Sexual health advice is also accessible. There is some limited capacity for one-to-one work where this is identified as a benefit. More information: Youth services
What is a short break?
Okay, everyone, are you ready to go? This is my short break, everybody. This is my short break. It's my choice, my short break. One of our favorites is coming to the coffee shop for a drink and a chat. We like to talk about boys and just chill out, really, don't we? I like my short break because it gives me independence and some time for myself. Boosy playground, sensory, animals, music, toys. Hi, I'm Mike, and for my short break, I'm going indoor skydiving. Thank you, JD. That was absolutely amazing! Tell me, who can do this? Absolutely anyone and everyone can do it, from the age of three up to 103. We cater to every single person, no matter if they have any disabilities or whatnot. I tell you what, you probably have the coolest job in the world. I love these short breaks because they build my confidence, let me go out of the house, and allow me to have these amazing experiences, which I think I would never have done before. My name is Chelsea, and today Chelsea's chosen for her short break to come to the Activity Center. "I've done it!" We're going to go on the boat on the river. "Oh, stay my head! How’s your day been, TR?" "We went on the boat." "What else did we do this morning?" "We did some climbing." "So it's been a good day, yeah?" "High five!" Adventure, red helmets—woo! It's awesome. It's independence. It's mine. It's freedom. It's fun.
As part of the Local Offer, both the Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Councils offer short breaks for disabled children and young people.
Short Breaks can provide you with the opportunity to access a change of scenary, try different experiences, have fun and make friends.
A ‘Short Break’ can range from an hour, to a few days and is designed to ensure that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities have access to fun, stimulating and educational activities, which give them the opportunity to access provisions independently or with their family and help you to develop skills which will increase your overall independence.
The break may take place within your home, at a specified place, such as a museum or in a short breaks facility. For your parents and carers, these short breaks offer the opportunity to take a break from caring and are designed to let them take a step back and spend quality time with other family members.
Nottingham City Council offer a guaranteed minimum of 2 hours of activities per week to SEND children living in the area. To claim more hours, you will need to complete an online application.
Nottinghamshire County Council residents will need to match eligibility criteria and complete an application process.
Having a physical or learning disability shouldn't prevent anyone from volunteering. There are countless volunteer opportunities out there with workers needed in a variety of areas. Organisations must make reasonable adjustments to make volunteer roles accessible to everyone.
How do I find the right volunteer role?
- Think about what interests or excites you - this could be something that you have enjoyed doing before or something completely new.
- Think about what time or skills you can give - with so many opportunities to choose from, it's a great idea to narrow down the choices by deciding what you're willing to give.
- Contact your local volunteer centre:
The Notts Help Yourself Website has contact details for local volunteer centres and opportunities around Nottinghamshire.
OR you can go on the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) website and use their volunteer centre finder.
The Nottinghamshire Pioneers Youth Forum is a group of young people aged 11-25 who represent the voice of young people on disability issues. More information: Nottinghamshire Pioneers Youth Forum
SEND Local Offer
The Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council SEND Local Offers are a great resource for finding events, support and activities in your area.
City Council County Council