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Services for children with disabilities

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Camden MOSAIC

What is Camden MOSAIC?

Camden MOSAIC is the integrated service for the borough’s disabled children, young people and their families. The service is based at Kentish Town Health Centre. Camden MOSAIC has high aspirations for children and young people with severe disabilities and complex needs, including sensory impairments. We aim to help them join in with all aspects of school, leisure and community activities, and support their independence and involvement in all decisions that affect them, preparing them for adult life.

Who can apply for help from MOSAIC?

To apply for services through MOSAIC a child must live in Camden, be under 18 and have a permanent and substantial disability. A referral needs to be made to MOSAIC by someone who knows your child’s special needs well, such as your GP, school or another health professional via a CAF or eCAF. See more information on the services provided and how to get in touch.

Camden's Local Offer website

To find out more about services and support for children and young people with SEND and their parents or carers, please visit Camden's Local Offer website.

Activities for disabled children and young people

Play sessions for under 5s run by KIDS

Play sessions for pre-school children who have developmental delays, diagnosed or undiagnosed conditions or disabilities. Sessions are for children under five, with experienced staff to support children’s learning and development.

All groups are term time only and there's also a home learning service. Please view or download the flyer to find out more or, for more information, contact Camden-Home-Learning-Team@kids.org.uk or Karen.Rodrigues-Ayers@kids.org.uk

icandance

icandance is a charity which works with children and young people aged four to 25 with complex learning, social, sensory and physical needs - including those with complex medical needs. The charity focuses on what a child can do, rather than what they cannot. Through intensive sessions tailored to the needs of each dancer, their trained team of therapists and disability specialists supports each child and young person to explore how their body moves and feels, enabling them to create connections and discover their potential.

Their weekly sessions for four to 25-year-olds take place during term-time on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. They also offer a Thursday evening class for dancers aged 14 to 25 from 7pm to 8pm.

All sessions take place at one of two sites in Hampstead and last approximately one hour. Their specialist approach is built on three crucial components: wellbeing, creativity and learning. Find out more and contact icandance.

Action for Children

Action for Children run a short breaks service for Camden disabled children aged 5 to 12 from the Rollercoaster Playground, in Cubitt Street.

Action for Children is a charity that provides short breaks to families all around the UK. The staff team that run the Cubitt Street centre has extensive experience with children with SEND, including autism (ASD) and complex health needs, working in schools and play schemes.

Families can access the respite self-assessment template (SART form) by emailing sartcypds@camden.gov.uk. If it is urgent then email dutydct@camden.gov.uk. The number to ring with enquiries about short breaks is 020 7974 3597 / 3975.

At Cubitt Street, they are able to offer your child a purpose-built spacious indoor and outdoor play space. They provide a range of activities for children, which help support their specific learning objectives through play. Currently they are running two services for Camden families:

  • an after-school club two days a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 3.30pm to 6pm, and
  • a holiday club for five days per week during the holidays, from 10am to 3pm.

PACE Overnights

PACE Overnight Short Breaks services provide adventures with one-to-one support for children with disabilities aged 8 to 18. We hold eight Overnights sessions per year at our secure and fully accessible Fortune Green Play Centre. Sessions typically run from 11am on Saturday until 11am on Sunday and are themed around natural and sensory play, with the children's interests and abilities at the heart of every activity. 

For more information visit the PACE website, email overnights@paceforall.com or call Deborah Dixon on 07483 122 882.

PACE GetActive

PACE's GetActive @ The Green is a Saturday programme focusing on physical activities, inclusive sport and active play. This programme is a short breaks service for children with complex needs and disabilities aged 12 to 18.  Sessions run from 11am to 3pm on Saturdays during term-time and are usually held at our fully accessible Fortune Green Play Centre, with occasional trips to outside activities.

For more information, visit the PACE website, email c.mahamedally@paceforall.com or call Chanika Mahamedally on 020 7183 5120, ext. 274.

Wac Arts

Wac Arts runs a wide range of programmes for under 18s with special educational needs and disabilities. Please visit the Wac Arts website to find out more or email Info@WacArts.co.uk. There's more info on Wac Short Breaks and Wac Nites below too.

Wac Short Breaks

Wac Arts are based at Hampstead Town Hall, in Belsize Park. They offer a short breaks service for young people resident in/ or care of the borough. The service is provided for those with moderate physical and learning disabilities up to those with profound and multiple learning disabilities. All services are for 11 to 18-year-olds.

Services include:

  • After School Club offers sessions in arts and media on Thursday afternoons between 4pm and 6pm 
  • Saturday Club offers Performing Arts, sport, environmental and fun social activities to get young people ‘out and about’ from 11am to 3pm
  • Holiday Activities provision runs over 9 weeks of the year (excluding Christmas holidays) and offers a full programme of performing arts, trips off-site and lots of fun from 10.30am to 3.30pm
  • Preparing for Adulthood encourages friendship, social interaction, fun and progression of independence, with trips out into the community
  • Advocacy service is designed to represent young people who may have complex and challenging family circumstance, be non-verbal or looked after.

These exciting provisions offer young people with a range of special educational needs and disabilities the opportunity to have fun and socialise. Young people learn new skills and have more say in the decisions that affect them.

Wac Nites

Wac Nites is an inclusion programme specifically designed for those with mild or moderate learning disabilities. Wac Nites runs on a Wednesday with the following sessions:

  • Spark offers tutor-led projects, with a focus on boosting self-confidence and social skills. Ages 9 to 12 from 4.30pm to 6pm
  • Ignite uses various art forms to engage young people and lift their skill base. Ages 13 to 17 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm
  • Urban motivation is a performing arts based group. Sessions are designed with input from the service users. Adult group 18 to 30 years; from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Wac Nites is for young people who do not need one-to-one support and can travel to our building independently or can be supported by family for the purposes of travel.

Wac Nites does carry a small cost to participate. However, bursaries are available. Visit the website to find out more and sign up.

Leisure activities for children, young people and adults with SEND

On Wednesdays at Kentish Sports Centre, Fleetwell Swimming Club occupy the pool from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and have swimming sessions for disabled people of all ages, including children and families. Find out more about Camden's Better Community Disability Programme. 

Other youth and play activities

For other youth and play activities, including for children and young people with SEND, visit Camden Rise website.

Camden's Local Offer website

To find out more about services and support for children and young people with SEND and their parents or carers, please visit Camden's Local Offer website.

Support for parents and carers of disabled children

Camden Special Parents Forum

This group meets each half-term to work in partnership with Camden to develop services. It is a useful place to hear about services, meet other parents for mutual support and participate in developing services.

If you are interested in being part of the Camden Special Parents Forum or would like any further information about meetings, please email maria.schultz@kids.org.uk.

Or you can:

SENDIASS Camden 

SENDIASS Camden is an impartial, confidential and free service, which operates at arms-length from Camden Council. The law requires all local authorities to provide children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents/carers with information, advice and support.

Family link – help give a disabled child a break

Camden's Family Link offers disabled children and young people the opportunity to have short, planned, regular breaks with a Family Link carer in a family home setting.

Family Link carers are specially approved by the Family Link Panel to look after disabled children and young people. They get an allowance and the amount we pay depends on the length of time they look after the child. To find out more, please call 0800 028 1436 (freephone), 020 7974 1283 or email fostering@camden.gov.uk

If you want to become a Family Link carer then please contact Camden Family Link

For other support for parents, children and young people, please visit the SEND Local Offer website.

 

Short breaks for disabled children and young people

Short breaks form one element of the support offered by Camden Council to children and young people with disabilities and their families.

They provide opportunities for children and young people with disabilities to spend time away from their primary carer, taking part in positive activities, while also providing much-needed breaks for the parent/carer.

Short breaks are personal to individual needs and can include day, evening, overnight, weekend or holiday activities and can take place in the home, a residential or community setting.

Find out more on the Local Offer website.

Contacting us regarding short breaks

Camden's Local Area SEND Strategy

In November 2022, the Council’s Cabinet approved a new plan to improve services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families in Camden. 

The Camden Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Strategy aims to improve support and outcomes for children and young people aged up to 25 years old with SEND over the next five years. You can read the final strategy, a summary version and an easy-read version below:

If you have questions, please contact us at sendstrategy@camden.gov.uk.

July 2024 update

You can find out more about the progress we have made to deliver this strategy in our Year 1 Progress Report.

You can also find out more about our future plans for delivery. Our Year 2 Outcomes set out what we plan to achieve by the end of 2024. You can read more detail about how we plan to deliver this activity in our Year 2 Implementation Plan.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

A JSNA is a way for health, education and social care services to work together to understand what people in a community need. They collect and study information about the health and wellbeing of local people. This helps them to plan services and support that meet those needs, making sure everyone gets the right help.
This JSNA looks at the needs of children and young people with SEND, who live, go to school, or use health services in Camden. It was produced across 2023 and 2024 by Camden Council’s Health and Wellbeing Department.

Opportunities to improve SEND provision in schools

As part of the implementation of our Local Area SEND strategy, we are running new workstreams to improve educational experiences for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND):

  • Capital Funding Grants - will provide funding for schools to adapt their accessibility and interventions spaces
  • Test and Learn Pilots - will support innovation in schools to test different ways of supporting children with SEND 
  • Special School Satellite Sites - will enable more children to access specialist provision within mainstream school assets. 

You can read more about this programme, including the timeline and the demographic context for it, here:

The deadline for submitting expressions of interest has now closed. However, if you are a school who would like to be part of the programme, please get in touch with megan.jarvie@camden.gov.uk. For schools who have made an application, we will be in touch shortly about next steps. 

In the new academic year (2024/25), we expect to start the commissioning process for further Additionally Resourced Provision. We are currently analysing emerging data to understand what provision is needed and where to inform commissioning.

Further information