Published on: March 25, 2024
Warwickshire’s Connect for Health’s learning disability practitioner, Kiera Dickie, attended the Kidz to Adultz exhibition in Coventry this month to access expert resources and information surrounding special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Kiera said: “It was a fantastic opportunity to attend such an event. The coming together of support services available to Warwickshire families provided us with the chance to expand our knowledge and thus the quality of support we can provide.”
As part of her role, Kiera has been identifying key areas of the service which could be improved to help our staff support children, young people and their families with their additional needs.
Taking the opportunity to visit the exhibition allowed Kiera to attend specialist seminars conducted by other professionals and services.
Davina Richardson, children’s specialist nurse from Bladder and Bowel UK delivered a session focusing on sensory needs and how this can impact on toileting. She said during the session: “All children are children, but all children are individuals.”
Kiera was able to gather information to feedback various techniques and suggestions made by Davina to the team of family brief intervention workers at Connect for Health, with the aim to improve the continence workshop delivered to parents and carers of children who have additional needs.
Gaynor Barrs, family brief intervention worker said: “We’re looking forward to receiving any further information to help support SEND children and their families around continence that we can incorporate into our workshops.”
Rachel Wright, the founder and director of ‘Born at the right time’ also delivered a session called ‘Dear Professionals…’. She explained the objectives as, “For both practitioners and parent-carers to explore the simple and meaningful ways in which true personalised care can build bridges, nurture communication and improve the lives of the people they support.”
Kiera described the session as, “A valuable insight into the challenges families face when engaging with professional services, which we may not always have the opportunity to hear first-hand.” She added, “From this I was able to take practical advice to apply to my role as a health practitioner, to allow me to keep the wellbeing of families at the centre of my work.”