New social group and support for special needs parents

A NEW social club for children in West Somerset with special needs and a support group for parents has been formed.
Information about the group will be shared by Action4Sen at a meeting being held in the Queen’s Hall, Minehead, at 11 am on Tuesday.
Action4Sen was set up last year by parents who were concerned at Somerset County Council cuts in school budgets for special needs provision.
It is campaigning for the council to return special needs funding to the level it was at before last August and also to stop the closure of any more special needs units in Somerset.
The group wants funding to be ring fenced funding to enable SEN assessments to be carried out fully to a national standard, as well as a review of present SEN facilities to allow the service to perform in the top quartile in the country within two years.
Following suggestions by parents for a social group to be formed, Action4SEN has met with CLOWNS, Social Services, and other parents in the area to discuss this idea.
As a result, the first meeting of the new social group will take place during the Easter school holidays at Alcombe Methodist Church Hall on April 10 from 10 am to 12 noon.
It is open to children with special needs, their siblings, parents, and carers, and offers a coffee and a chat with other parents and a chance to discuss how the group could develop.
A play activity box will be provided by Clowns.
More information is available from Siobhan Hutchings on 01643-707481 or by visiting the website http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/illuminate/a4sen/index.htm.