Guidance for local authorities
Guidance for local authorities and schools about children educated at home.
School Nursing
Electively home educated children and their parents can contact the service via Chat Health. ChatHealth service video
Chat Health is open 09:00-16:30 Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). Children aged 11-19, or parents can text for advice. The service provides a range of support which includes advice and guidance for emotional and physical problems, either via a text, or signposting to other organisations or internet sites.
The webpage on school nursing also has a referral form, so parents can refer directly to them via that route, or phone the hub for advice. The nurses do offer when needed to see children in health centres, council buildings, children’s centre and occasionally will do home visits.
New resources
EHE families, we will be adding new sites to our resources as we get information about them. Some providers have added additional materials, so keep watching our site for up to date resources.
- The National Literacy Library has launched an online zone which includes reading and writing activities, book lists, videos, competitions and reading challenges.
- The BBC has ramped up its education programmes by launching a whole new iplayer experience for children and it has added more resources to its Bitesize area.
- Youth music development charity NYMAZ has put together a package of online music lessons and events.
- Purple Mash by 2Simple is a website designed for children aged 3-11. It contains many creative tools i.e: coding, animation, publishing, art and also applications for maths, spelling and grammar.
- Thousands of colouring pages, crafts, puzzles, worksheets for children of all ages have been put online by Activity Village
Young people in Suffolk can now access free online counselling
A new online counselling and emotional wellbeing support service for young people aged 11 – 18 years (up to 19th birthday) is being launched on World Mental Health Day. Called ‘Kooth’, it offers young people in Suffolk, free, safe and anonymous online counselling, 365 days a year, from 12 noon until 10 pm weekdays and from 6pm until 10pm weekends.
The service has been commissioned by NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk and NHS West Suffolk clinical commissioning groups, and has been implemented as part of Suffolk's Children & Young People's Emotional Wellbeing Plan 2020 to improve local mental health services.
A new Kooth Integration and Participation Worker will be available to deliver free presentations on Kooth to young people and professionals across Suffolk. Contact sclark@xenzone.com
Home Education Youth Allotment Sessions
Free weekly youth allotment activities with the YMCA Shine Project.
You can experience new things, gain confidence, learn new skills, speak out about yourself and stand up for young people.
View the poster
New SEND Support & ASD factsheets on the Suffolk Local Offer website
To help children, young people and their families source support for their needs, two new factsheets are now available on the landing page for Education of the Suffolk Local Offer website. The factsheets have been co-produced by Suffolk Parent Carer Network (SPCN), the County Inclusion Support Service (CISS) and East Coast Community Healthcare to provide information that can be downloaded and printed out.
The ASD Factsheet is a simple two-sided guide covering what ASD can look like, what to do if you think your child needs to be assessed, strategies schools can use to support children with ASD and strategies that might be useful in the home. It will also guide you to Suffolk-specific information and services.
The SEND Support Factsheet clarifies some of the information in the SEND Code of Practice on what support can be expected from a child’s school, and what to do when they can’t meet needs.
If you have any queries, please email localoffer@suffolk.gov.uk
The Source website has been re-launched
The Source website is a useful wellbeing resource which provides information, advice and sources of support to young people in Suffolk between 11-18 and up to 25 years of age for young people with additional needs.
The website has been re-vamped and re-designed and provides an engaging one-stop-shop for information on everyday issues including health, emotional wellbeing, careers and relationships.
Find out about the site’s main features and benefits (including walkthrough video),
Work Experience Opportunity - Ipswich and Colchester Museums Service (Years 10-12)
Placements are open to any young person between years 10-12, including home educated, and further details can be found on the website:
In the meantime, there is a page on the website dedicated to museum roles, which home educating parents might find helpful.
New Emotional Wellbeing Gateway for parents, carers, and professionals
Families and professionals looking for emotional wellbeing and mental health support for children and young people, can find practical advice and local support services online through the new Emotional Wellbeing Gateway.
Visit the new Emotional Wellbeing Gateway.
School Immunisation Service
Suffolk School Immunisation Team offers school-aged children their eligible vaccinations, including nasal flu, HPV, the teenage booster and Meningitis ACWY. Age groups vary each year. Elective home educated children are entitled to these vaccinations, which are not available at GP surgeries routinely. For more information, please contact the team via email at = hct.csaissuffolk@nhs.net or phone 0300 555 5055.
