Specialist services may need to be involved with the child’s learning and wellbeing.

Settings, schools and providers must work in partnership with parents/ carers and young people in identifying and providing support for SEN. They should follow the graduated approach with four stages of action: assess, plan, do and review.

Many settings can meet a child or young person’s needs without needing to access additional services. Where this is not the case, the below services may need to be involved with the child’s learning and wellbeing.

If you feel that a child or young person has SEN and needs to access an assessment or support service, then please talk to the school or settings Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in the first instance.

Special Needs Early Years Service (0 to 5)

Special Needs Early Years Service provide support for children aged 0 to 5 including SEND Area SENCOs role and Home Based Services.

They deliver a service for children where their learning is delayed, or where a diagnosis has been made or is being investigated. The aim is to provide identification of children’s needs, and implement any specialist support required, at the earliest opportunity.

View Parent Support Offer for families with children and young people with SEND.

Sensory Inclusion Service 

Sensory Inclusion Service providing support for children and young people who are deaf or have a visual impairment.

They support children from birth to 25 in homes, schools and settings across the city. 

View Parent Support Offer for families with children and young people with SEND.

Outreach service 

The Wolverhampton Outreach Service offers support to mainstream school practitioners to enable them to more confidently meet the needs of children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). They also offer parent support and workshops. 

View Parent Support Offer for families with children and young people with SEND.

Specialist Learning Support 

The SEND and Inclusion Support Officers are the first point of contact for Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCos) in schools, offering advice and guidance in their roles as leaders of SEND. 

View Parent Support Offer for families with children and young people with SEND.

Educational Psychologist 

Educational Psychologists are professionals who specialise in child development, learning needs and emotional wellbeing, using psychological theories to help recommend appropriate support.

They work with children and young people up to the age of 25 years, working closely with parent/carer(s), the young person and other professionals to better understand the needs of the young person.

They offer a free remote consultation service to parents/carers living in Wolverhampton, and also to parents/carers of children or young people in the care of Wolverhampton Local Authority.

Royal Wolverhampton Trust - Speech and Language Service 

The service work with education staff to support identification of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and through them, share strategies and suggestions to support in the following ways.

Universal: General strategies e.g. teaching listening skills, using visual support, creating a language friendly environment.

Targeted: Short term small group or individual intervention, e.g. Language programmes, Narrative programmes, Social communication programmes

Specialist: Highly Individual specialist programmes of work for complex needs, for example Developmental Language Disorder, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Cleft Palate.

For more information about the service visit What if I need a bit more support.

Royal Wolverhampton Trust - Physiotherapy 

The service works closely with education staff, to ensure that if clinically needed, exercise programmes and / or postural management interventions can be delivered effectively during the school day. This approach means children and young people are able to be physically supported in their school environment with a focus to access the curriculum alongside their peers. The programmes / interventions will also need to be continued at home so the team work with parents/carers alongside school staff to ensure the child has the consistent approach to their needs.

They support children with physical impairments and motor skill difficulties, this may include, but is not limited to -

  • Education and advice to staff around exercises and positioning, including training teachers to do exercises and positioning.
  • You (Your child) being provided an exercise programme to address their needs, which can be implemented by the education staff in school
  • You (Your child) requiring postural support to access the curriculum and achieve postural changes through the day.
  • You (Your child) being provided with specialist equipment such as a standing frame and / or walker if clinically required whilst ensuring education staff are trained in how to use this equipment safely.

For more information about the service visit What if I need a bit more support.

Royal Wolverhampton Trust - Occupational Therapist

The service works closely with education staff, including the Outreach service, to ensure interventions at all stages can be delivered effectively. This approach means children and young people are able to access support immediately on identification of their needs, with minimal disruption to their education. 
They support children with sensory and motor skill difficulties following a graduated approach, this may include -

  • Universal occupational therapy strategies used in school when their needs are first identified.
  • If support is still required, your child may be referred for more targeted and individualised support from the Wolverhampton Outreach or Early Years service.
  • Additionally, if further support is required following universal and targeted approaches, a referral can be made for more specialist intervention from the Occupational Therapy service.

For more information about the service visit What if I need a bit more support.