Hi, I’m Alice Crockett and I’m the Young Person’s Champion for Somerset’s SEND Local Offer. I have been in this role since the beginning of September. I make sure Somerset’s SEND Local Offer helps young people. This includes helping services to update the information available and making sure young people and staff working with them are aware of the Local Offer.
What I’m working on:
Currently, I am working on the Preparing for adult life section, Leisure section and ‘My Important Stuff’ document.
The Preparing for adult life section is for people who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood. The section involves:
- Choosing my next school or college,
- Finding and keeping a job
- Living more independently,
- Staying safe and healthy,
- Getting help with finances.
Young people have told us they want more information about puberty, driving, and the different things you can do at 16 and 18 years old. Students accessing Strode College Learning Support Centre are looking at drafts of new pages to cover this, and I’m really looking forward to meeting them this week. And working with Somerset Parent Carer Forum next week.
The Leisure section I am working on with Gaby who is the SEND Young Person’s Champion. If you want to find out about the work Gaby has been doing with the Unstoppables, read the latest Unstoppables update here.
The Leisure section is about finding things to do and getting out and about. The sections cover:
- Things to do,
- Places to go,
- Getting out and about.
People have told us they find it hard knowing for example which swimming pools are accessible. They also want to know about things they can do with the whole family not just the child or young person with SEND. So, we are developing pages on swimming pools, making nature more accessible, SEND sessions, books, and television, exploring the arts, transport, accessible sports, and youth clubs.
The ‘My Important Stuff’ document is a safe place for young people to store useful information offline. It has information on how to get the document printed out, contact information on the different services and templates to fill out the information that is important to you. It was developed by Harry the Young Person’s Champion in 2017, I’m now making sure the contact information is up to date and the document is more accessible to use. Young people have asked for brighter colours, opportunities to doodle, and i
Information about how key services can help you. I’m excited about taking the next draft to The Unstoppables next month to find out their views.
Don’t forget, you can let us know changes you would like to see on the Local Offer by using ‘is this page useful?’ link on the bottom of each page, or emailing localoffer@somerset.gov.uk, or follow us on @LocalOfferSomerset Facebook page.
