About
Experts at Hand works with mainstream early years settings, schools and post-16 providers across Somerset. It brings specialist advice closer to the staff who support children and young people every day.
Specialists work alongside setting staff to help identify needs early, find practical solutions and put support in place. This can include support with learning, communication, movement, sensory needs, emotional wellbeing and daily living skills. The service supports settings to do this themselves and does not replace their legal responsibilities.
The team brings together expertise from education, health and SEND services, including Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists.
Expertise available
Experts at Hand brings together professionals from education, health and SEND services. This includes:
- Educational Psychologists
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- SEND specialists
- Early years inclusion
- Cognition and learning
- Communication and autism
- Sensory processing and regulation
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
- Inclusive Curriculum and Teaching Lead for SEND
The team can also draw on specialist knowledge in areas such as:
- Neurodevelopmental team experts
- Specialist Outreach
- Associate SEND Experts
- Supported employment
- Family Intervention Service and Preventing Exclusion teams
Understanding the offer
What it is:
- Extra support alongside what is already available
- A partnership bringing together expertise for children and young people from birth to age 25
- Earlier access to specialist advice, including coaching, modelling and working together to find solutions
- Support based around local areas and the needs of children and young people
- A way to build the skills and confidence of practitioners so they can meet a wider range of needs
- Support that settings can already access, while the wider model continues to develop
What it is not:
- A replacement for support that is already available
- A route to getting a diagnosis. Children and young people do not need a diagnosis for their setting to access support.
- A service where specialists work with a child or young person separately from the practitioners who support them
- A finished model. Education settings will continue to help shape and develop it.
Support for children and young people
EAH practitioners work alongside staff in early years settings, schools and post-16 providers when extra support is needed.
This can include:
- Delivering together group activities and whole-class support. This can help with speech, language and communication, sensory needs, movement, emotional wellbeing and inclusion.
- Showing staff practical changes that help children and young people take part and learn.
- Supporting children and young people who find it hard to attend, join in, learn or move to a new setting.
- Providing advice for children and young people with emerging or complex SEND needs. This can help stop concerns from becoming bigger challenges.
- Offering short-term specialist support from professionals such as Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. They can help identify needs, plan support and agree next steps.
Support for settings and staff
EAH helps settings become more inclusive. The service helps staff support a wider range of children and young people.
This includes:
- Coaching, mentoring and supervision for leaders, SENCOs and other staff.
- Training to help staff build their skills.
- Reviews of classrooms, learning environments and wider practice.
- Practical support to use the Somerset Graduated Response Framework.
- Advice on adapting teaching, sensory environments and support to meet a wider range of needs.
- Helping staff build their SEND knowledge and lead inclusion in their setting.
- Creating opportunities for parents, carers and professionals to learn and work together.
Improving support across Somerset
Experts at Hand also brings education, health and SEND professionals together through local teams. They share expertise, identify gaps in support and help settings learn from inclusive practice across Somerset.
For professionals, this includes the Inclusion Advice Line, training, webinars, networks and outreach support.
Getting support
Experts at Hand works mainly through early years settings, schools and post-16 providers. If you are a parent carer and think your child needs extra support, speak to the setting about their needs and the support already in place. The setting can consider whether advice or support from Experts at Hand could help.
Education settings can contact the Inclusion Advice Line for advice. The team can help find the right support, and other services if needed. Most support is planned through local teams that work together to meet children’s needs.
EAH helps settings find out needs early and give the right support at the right time.