Useful Links

Gloucestershire County Council - website links:

• Children and Families - care, education and support available to children and their families

• Special Educational Needs - support for pre-school and school-age children and young people with special educational needs

• Family Information Service - offers a wide range of information for families.

• Glos Families Directory - another useful source of a wide range of information.

Other links:

• Music Space - providing a community-based music therapy service for children and adults in Bristol and surrounding area

• Cool2Care- is a childcare introductory service that recruits, screens and trains care-workers, bringing together families with disabled children and people who want to work caring for them.

• Gloucestershire Parent Carers Council- was set up by parents of children with disabilities to promote good practice, identify need and inform the planning process and ensure there are services to support all children with disabilities.

• Carers Gloucestershire- offer information, support, advice and advocacy to all Carers in Gloucestershire.

• Sensory World

• Moving on up- For young people from minority ethnic communities to find out about transition. This website is especially for young people with a learning disability and their supporters and families. Although it is especially for people from minority communities with a learning disability, any young person at transition stage may find it helpful.

• The National Centre for Independent Living- a resource on independent living, direct payments and personal budgets for disabled people and others working in the field who may find it useful.

• The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities- promoting equality in education,training and employment for disabled people

• Trans_Active - for teenagers with and without learning disabilities working together; using multimedia to explore and communicate; using and giving support making future plans.

• The National Autistic Society

• The National Autistic Society - Gloucestershire

• The Downs Syndrome Organisation UK

• The Fragile X Society UK

• BBC’s CBeebies Mr Tumbles Something Special fun stuff for Early Years/Primary children

• Symbol resources from Writing with Symbols

• Information about TEACCH written by its founders

• Website of UK division of PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)

• US website for PECS (appears to have more info than UK site)

• Gloucestershire Total Communication

• Contact a Family - a UK charity providing support, advise and info for families with disabled children

• NCB Council for Disabled Children - provides a national forum for discussion relating to support for SEN

• Dept for Education - information including government guidance and strategy

• Dept of Health - information about strategy, policy, guidance and publications

• Direct Gov - information about public services all in one place. DLA and Carers Allowance forms to download

• Equality and Human Rights Commission - advice to disabled people, employers and service providers

• National Children's Bureau - supports children, young people and families and those who work with them.

• Every Disabled Child Matters - rights and justice for every disabled child

• In Control - information on self-directed support and personal budgets

• Mencap - provide a range of information and support for people with learning disabilities and their families

• Working Families - is the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation. We help children, working parents and carers and their employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work.

• Parentline Plus - the leading national charity providing help and support to anyone caring for children

• Parent Partnership Network - an infomation and advice service for parents or young people

• Royal National Institute for the Blind

• Royal National Institute for the Deaf

• Scope - provides information and advice about cerebral palsy

• The Key - with useful links for families in Gloucester

• National Association of Family Information Services

• Bettridge School - Gloucestershire Special School for children aged 2-19

• Belmont School - a special school for boys and girls with moderate learning difficulties and additional special educational needs, based in Gloucestershire.

• Milestone - the school provides for approximately 280 children with a wide range of special educational needs, based in Gloucestershire

• Alderman Knight School - a special school for children aged 4 to 16 with moderate and additional learning difficulties, complex needs and Autistic Spectrum Disorders [ASD]

• James Hopkins Trust - a charity which provides practical help for severely disabled, life threatened and life limited young children with nursing needs, aged 5 yrs and under, living in Gloucestershire.

• Hop Skip and Jump Centre - a play and support Centre for children with a life threatening illness, or special needs, and their families.