| ABA |
Applied Behaviour Analysis. |
| Academy |
A state funded school in England which receives its funding from, and is owned and controlled by, central government rather than a LA. |
| ADHD / ADD |
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder / Attention Deficit Disorder. |
| ADOS |
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. |
| AEN |
Additional Educational Needs. |
| Annual Review |
The process of ensuring that an EHCP continues to describe the child’s needs and how they should be met. An Annual Review meeting is held each year. |
| AP |
Alternative Provision. |
| Apprenticeship |
A paid job that includes training, leading to nationally recognised qualifications. |
| ARP |
Additionally Resourced Provision. This forms part of Newcastle’s Graduated Response to meeting a child’s needs. |
| ASD/ASC |
Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Autistic Spectrum Condition. Currently referred to as ‘autism’. |
| Blue Badge |
The Blue Badge scheme helps you park closer to your destination if you’re disabled. Apply to your local Council. |
| BSL |
British Sign Language. |
| C&I |
Communication and Interaction. |
| C&L |
Cognition and Learning. |
| CAMHS |
Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, provided by the NHS. In Newcastle it is called Children and Young People Services (CYPS). |
| Care Plan |
A record of the health and/or social care services being provided to a child or young person. |
| Carer’s Allowance |
A means-tested benefit awarded if you are caring for someone for at least 35 hours a week. |
| CCC |
Children’s Continuing Care. |
| CHC |
Continuing Health Care. |
| Children & Families Act 2014 |
An Act which reforms legislation to introduce changes that affect how children and young people with SEND get the services and support they need. |
| Code of Practice 2015 |
A document designed to help families, schools, local authorities, health services, and other organisations make effective decisions regarding children with SEND. This contains statutory guidance on the Children and Families Act 2014. |
| Commissioners |
The people responsible for choosing and providing contracts with service providers. |
| CSB |
Community Short Breaks. The CBS offer refers to opportunities for children and young people with additional needs to spend time relaxing and having fun with their friends, in their local community. The offer aims to ensure that children and young people with additional needs can access the same variety of activities within their local community as their non-disabled friends. Short breaks can also give families a rest from their caring responsibilities. |
| Co-production |
Equal partnership working between service providers, those in receipt of the service, and their families. |
| CP |
Cerebral Palsy. Physical impairment that affects movement. Mobility problems may vary from barely noticeable to extremely severe. Those with CP may also have sight, hearing, speech, perception, and learning difficulties. |
| CSDPA |
The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. This is one of the main acts of parliament that entitles disabled people to social care. |
| CVI |
Certificate of Visual Impairment. |
| CYP |
Children and Young People. |
| CYPS |
Children and Young People’s Services. This is what CAMHS is known as in Newcastle. |
| CWDT |
Children with Disabilities Team. A dedicated Social Care team. |
| Descriptors of Need or DoN |
A core framework for all practitioners working with young people to help assess and identify their needs and to put in place the appropriate support. |
| DfE |
Department for Education. |
| Differentiation |
The way in which the early years setting/school’s curriculum and teaching methods are adapted to meet the needs of an individual child. |
| Direct Payments |
Payments that allow you to choose and buy the services you need yourself, instead of them being provided by the LA. Direct Payments may be available for health care, social care and for the special educational provision in an EHC plan. |
| Disagreement Resolution Service |
A service offered by a LA to resolve disagreements between parents and the local authority. |
| DLA |
Disability Living Allowance. Non-means-tested benefit for under 16’s whose disabilities mean they require significantly more care than a typical child of the same age. This has been replaced by PIP (Personal Independence Payments) for adults, but children up to 16 still qualify for DLA. |
| Early Help Assessment |
An early assessment and planning tool to facilitate multi agency support. This replaces the CAF (Common Assessment Framework). |
| Early Years |
Birth to five years. |
| Early Years Settings |
All state funded and private pre-school education provision, such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries, and childminders. |
| EHCNA |
Education Health and Care Needs Assessment. An assessment of the education, health care and social care needs of a child or young person conducted by a local authority under the Children and Families Act 2014. The outcome of this determines whether an EHCP is issued for a child/young person. |
| EHCP |
Education, Health and Care Plan. |
| EHE |
Elective Home Education. |
| EHRC |
Equality and Human Rights Commission. Statutory body responsible for promoting equality and diversity. |
| EOTAS |
Education Other Than At School |
| EP |
Educational Psychologist. A professional employed by the Local Authority to assess a child’s special educational needs and to give advice to school settings on how these needs can be met. |
| EPS |
Educational Psychology Service. |
| EQA |
The Equality Act 2010. |
| EWO |
Education Welfare Officer. |
| EYFS |
Early Years Foundation Stage. The framework used by all Early Years settings which sets out standards to support learning and development until the end of the reception year at school. |
| FE |
Further Education. Full or part-time education for people beyond KS5. The FE sector in England includes further education colleges, specialist colleges, and adult education institutes. It does not include universities. |
| Free School |
A school funded by the government but not run by the local authority. They are able to set their own school day, pay and conditions and don’t have to follow the National curriculum. |
| GDD |
Global Developmental Delay. |
| Graduated Response |
When a pupil is identified as having SEN, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle (assess, plan, do, review) to help gain a better understanding of the pupil’s needs and tailor support accordingly. Schools must show evidence of a graduated response whereby they have sought advice, put appropriate interventions in place, and evaluated progress before requesting additional or alternative provision through an EHCNA. |
| HI |
Hearing Impairment. |
| ICB |
Integrated Care Board. Plans and arranges the delivery of health care provision for people in its area. |
| IEP |
Individual Education Plan. A plan written by a teacher/SENCO, outlining the way the child’s needs are being met and setting SMART targets. IEPs are shared with parents. |
| INA |
International New Arrivals. |
| Joint Commissioning |
Working collaboratively across agencies to assess need, identify resources available, plan how to use resources, and arrange service delivery. This also involves reviewing the services and reassessing need, with the aim of improving outcomes. |
| LA |
Local Authority. |
| LD |
Learning Disability. A LD affects the ways a person learns new things throughout their life. This can include understanding complicated information, learning some skills, or looking after themselves/living alone. |
| LO |
Local Offer. Online information outlining the provision available in the Local Area for SEND covering social, health and education services: what is available, how to access it, cost, and reviews. |
| LSA |
Learning Support Assistant, also sometimes called Teaching Assistant. |
| Max Card |
When a child is placed on the Disabled Children’s Register, they will become eligible for Max Card, which gives discounts into various cultural venues across the region. |
| Mediation |
When a trained, independent person helps to sort out any area of conflict. Mediation must be offered to a parent or young person in relation to an EHC Plan. Mediation is not compulsory for the parent or young person, but they will need to consider mediation before appealing an EHC plan in most cases. |
| MLD |
Moderate Learning Difficulties. |
| Motability |
Scheme to rent a vehicle using DLA/PIP to cover the costs. |
| NEET |
Not in Education, Employment or Training. |
| NICE |
National Institute for Clinical Excellence. |
| OCD |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. |
| ODD |
Oppositional Defiance Disorder. |
| OFSTED |
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The body which inspects and regulates services which care for children and young people and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages. |
| OT |
Occupational Therapist/Therapy. A professional trained to give advice on equipment, adaptations, and activities to support the learning and social development of people with physical, emotional, or behavioural difficulties. |
| Panel |
A decision-making body of professionals from across relevant services, who meet to match criteria for services such as short breaks (respite), EHC assessment, and school placements. |
| PB |
Personal Budget. Money that is allocated to individuals to meet assessed needs in place of services that would otherwise be provided directly to the individual by statutory bodies. A Personal Budget is the notional amount of money which an LA has identified as necessary to secure the special educational provision in an EHC plan. |
| PCF |
Parent Carer Forum. |
| PCN |
Primary Care Networks. Where GP practices work together with community, mental health, social care, pharmacy, hospital, and voluntary services in their local areas. Groups of practices are known as PCNs. |
| PD |
Physically Disabled/Physical Difficulty. |
| PDA |
Pathological Demand Avoidance. A resistance to demands experienced by and observed in some autistic people. |
| PDD |
Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Characterised by a delay in the development of social and communication skills. |
| PECS |
Picture Exchange Communication System. |
| PFA |
Preparing for Adulthood. The Preparing for Adulthood programme provides expertise and support to local authorities and their partners, including families and young people, so they can ensure disabled young people achieve paid work, independent living, good health, and community inclusion as they move into adulthood. |
| PIP |
Personal Independence Payment helps with some of the extra costs caused by long-term ill-health or a disability if you’re aged 16 to 64. |
| PMLD |
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties. |
| Portage |
Home-based educational support for pre-school children with special educational needs. |
| QFT |
Quality First Teaching. Newcastle LA expect all teachers to deliver high quality, inclusive teaching which supports the individual needs of each child. |
| Respite |
The provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home. This can include residential provision, Short Breaks or Support Workers. |
| S&P |
Sensory and Physical. |
| SCART |
Sir Charles Parson’s Assessment and Recording Tool. |
| SEMH |
Social, Emotional and Mental Health. |
| SEN/SEND |
Special Educational Needs/and Disabilities. The needs of children who require special educational provision, due to having a learning difficulty which makes it harder to learn than the most children of the same age. |
| SENCO |
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The person responsible for the planning of special educational needs within school or early years settings. |
| SEND ASAP |
Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities Advice and Support Allocation Panel. This forms part of Newcastle’s Graduated Response to meeting needs of the child. |
| SEND Reforms 2014 |
A joined up, person centred system for the provision of education, health and social care for children and young people from age 0 – 25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. |
| SEN SAR |
Special Educational Needs Support and Review team. |
| SEND Tribunal Service |
An independent body which hears appeals against decisions made by the local authority on statutory assessments and EHC Plans. |
| SENDIASS |
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service. A service which provides information and support to parents/carers whose children have special educational needs. |
| SENDOS |
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Outreach Service. The service offers support for the child, based on individual needs. Support is requested by school through a SEND ASAP referral. |
| SLD |
Severe learning difficulties. |
| SLT or SALT |
Speech and Language Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the Speech and Language Therapist. Therapists trained to give specialist assessment and advice for children with communication difficulties. |
| ‘SMART’ targets |
Targets which are Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Timed. This is what targets for individual children should be. |
| SPD |
Sensory Processing Disorder. |
| Special School |
A school which is specially organised to provide specialist educational provision for pupils with special educational needs. |
| SpLD |
Specific Learning Difficulties. Learning difficulties in specific areas, such as dyslexia or dyspraxia/developmental coordination disorder. |
| Statutory Assessment |
A very detailed assessment of a child’s special educational needs. It includes parental, educational, psychological and medical advice, and the advice of any other professional involved with the child. |
| Supported living |
Supported living is a type of residential support that helps vulnerable adults, including people with learning disabilities, to live independently in the community. |
| TAC |
Team Around the Child. |
| TAF |
Team Around the Family. |
| TAS |
Team Around the School. |
| Universally Available Provision |
The provision that should be normally available across all mainstream schools and settings. |
| Universal Services |
Services provided to all Children and Young people in the area. |
| VI |
Visual Impairment. |
