Somer Valley Children’s Centre is a cluster of four centres that provide services for families living in
Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Peasedown, Paulton and surrounding villages.
We provide an inclusive service and we aim to meet the individual needs of local families.
All of our buildings are accessible and wherever possible we will make adjustments or alterations if required.
Who do I speak to for support or advice?
Juliet is our Children’s Centre Co-ordinator who has a responsibility for services for parents and children with disabilities and additional needs. She also attends the SEND,
Inclusion, and High Needs Transition panel and Early Childhood Allocation meeting. (see
Below).
Mel is our newly appointed Lead Outreach Worker and she is looking forward to developing this role. She has good experience and understanding of children with additional needs. Mel leads the Early Support group and will manage the Sensory
Equipment loan services. Mel also offers Infant Massage, Flying Start and family support.
Mel will also be leading on the Step by Step programme.
Nic ky is also a Children’s Centre Co-ordinator with responsibility for the Flying Start service for the area. Flying Start supports children and parents within the home to support attachment through play. Nicky is also a Theraplay practitioner offering individual support to referred families.
All children will achieve to the best of their ability.
What is our Vision and our Mission:
Our mission:
• To ensure that all children and young people are safe .
•
•
To tackle inequalities and close the attainment gap .
To ensure swift and easy access at the point of need
• Assessing the needs of the child and family to determine the best and earliest support.

Who can access our services?
How can you access
Children’s Centre
Services?
How are decisions made about the most suitable support for children and families?
What assessments are in place to determine if a child is not meeting their developmental milestones?
Somer Valley children’s centre works with children aged
0-5yrs predominantly and occasionally we support families with older children.
A diagnosis is not necessary for families to access services.
We provide support for parents/carers and their children if there is a concern around their child’s development .
The highly skilled team work closely alongside other professionals to ensure the best support is in place to suit the individual child and family .
Families are invited to come along to the Early support group to seek advice or alternatively they can self-refer by completing a Request for Support form.
The form is only required once further support needs are determined; this provides us with key information that enables us to signpost to the most relevant person or service.
A wide range of professionals or the parent/carer themselves can ask for further support. Listed below are some of the services that we work in partnership with:
• Self-Referral
• Health Visitor
• Midwife
• GP
• Specialist services such as Speech and Language therapist, Occupational therapists, Educational psychologists (PAT centre based at the Royal United Hospital)
• Area SENCo
• Nursery’s, preschool groups or childminders
• Community led groups
• Social Care, including Disabled Children’s Team
•ECAM
(Early Childhood Allocation Meetings in conjunction with Flying Start allocation) are held twice a month with a range of key partners attending to discuss/review all requests for support made into the service to ensure the families receive the appropriate support, based on their individual needs.
• Assessment at age two , by Health Visitors and Early Years Settings are used to identify needs early and together with the Children Centre they can support children and families to access specific services.
• Health visitors will offer ante-natal visits for all first time parents. Some babies will be identified as needing additional support prior to their birth by their Health visitor or Midwife .
• If Children Centre staff identify a child with possible developmental delay they will share this

information with a Health visitor or specialist service such as Speech and Language specialist, to ensure the appropriate assessments are completed.
•
Comprehensive assessments
(CAF’s) are undertaken by the Children Centre and a range of partnership agencies. These may identify a child who is not meeting their developmental milestones and also ensures targeted early help services are provided to address support needs which aims to improve outcomes for children.
• Accounting Early For Lifelong Learning ( ACE) indicators are used in Flying Start Home learning and Children Centre groups as an assessment of children’s development. It helps to celebrate children’s achievements but may also identify developmental delay.
• Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum is also used throughout outreach work, all universal and targeted groups and children’s groups (crèche). This toolkit enables staff to track a child’s development, and then plan activities to meet the child’s individual interests.
•
Play Diaries are used through Flying Start home visiting and universal and targeted groups. This encourages conversations between parents and staff, and supports parental understanding of their child’s development.
Somer Valley
Children’s Centres are accessible with suitable access for wheel chair users. We have even flooring and well lit areas and accessible toilets. We do not however have hearing loops installed.
We aim to provide an enabling environment where children and adults can play and explore together in a fully inclusive way.
The centre staff have a wide range of professional backgrounds and experience which is relevant to meeting the needs of local families. This is enhanced by further workforce development training and updating of knowledge which is incorporated into practice to support children and families.
All staff that deliver service to children with SEND have access to the following training :
 SENCO
 Portage Home Learning
 Makaton
 Baby massage

• A named
Lead Professional who will coordinate services for your child using a Key person approach. The chosen Transition lead professional (who may or may not be the same as the Lead
Professional) will also provide transition support and join together services through a team around the child meeting (TAC) this will enable parents, their child and professionals to plan for starting nursery or child-minders and/or school.
• Early Support Stay and Play - twice a month at Midsomer Norton children’s Centre. Parents are invited to come along and play with their children, meet other families and seek support from the staff.
• Step By Step Programme – an 8 week programme delivered by a range of specialist services such as sleep and behaviour specialists, Speech and Language therapists, Area SENco, Sensory support service, Family Information service, Parent partnership and Lift psychology service. Provision of a high quality
Children’s Group (crèche) with highly skilled staff will support the delivery of the Step by
Step programme.
• Outreach Worker – one to one support in the home with a highly skilled practitioner who has a range of knowledge and experience.
• Portage – a ten week play based education programme that is delivered in the home alongside the parents/carers for children with SEND.
•
Flying Start home learning
– a six week play based learning programme that is delivered in the home environment. Parents and children are invited to play and learn together
• Sensory Room – available all day Thursdays for 30 minute bookings at Midsomer Norton
Children’s Centre.
Also available at Peasedown Messy Play on Wednesday mornings and Midsomer Norton Stay and Play group on Friday mornings (term time only)
• Sensory playsacks – available to loan through Children’s Centre staff and Health visitors.
Please contact Juliet or Mel for further information – 01225 396660