Specialist Support Services
This section contains details of help available to students and families in addition to that offered by schools.
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The SEN (Special Educational Needs) Team provide services for children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) see here.
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The Visual Impairment Team offer specialist support and advice for Children and Young People with a visual impairment. For more information please see here.
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The Hearing Impairment Team offer specialist support and advice for Children and Young People with a hearing impairment. For more information please see here.
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The Autism Support Team offer specialist support and advice for Children and Young People with Autism. For more information please see here.
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Southwark’s Family Early Help service provides practical advice and support to children, young people and their families. Click here for more information about this service
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Southwark’s Educational Psychology Service (EPS) works closely with families, schools, post-16 provision and early years settings to explore issues and resolve problems that can affect learning and well-being. The EPS also provides additional support to schools in the event of a potentially traumatic event – for more information click here
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The Inclusion and Monitoring Team - Advice, support and training for settings on all aspects of Special Educational Needs (SEN) including for children who do not require EHC assessments or plans but have SEN. Advice around specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and dyslexia can be accessed through the team.
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Summerhouse - provides advice and guidance to mainstream schools experiencing difficulties in managing challenging behaviours from young people aged 5-11 with social, emotional and mental health needs. Visit the Summerhouse website for more information.
Other Specialist Services
What is CENMAC?
CENMAC is a unique London-based person-centred service supporting children and young people (aged 2 to 25), usually with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), experiencing barriers to their learning and/or communication in mainstream schools, special schools and educational settings or at home.
CENMAC’s multi-disciplinary team of professionals, work together to provide assessments, reviews and the loan of a wide range of assistive technology (AT) and/or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support the needs of each individual child or young person (for learning, communication, relationships and life skills).
CENMAC aims to raise the aspirations, enable the independence and self-advocacy of every child and young person they support and celebrate their achievements.
CENMAC is a service paid for by the child and young person’s Local Authority, the school or other sources.
Southwark requests for assessment come to cenmac@southwark.gov.uk
CENMAC offer regular and ongoing training for adults (including teachers, TAs, school leaders, health and other professionals, parents and carers), supporting the child or young person to ensure effective use of the assistive technology.
https://cenmac.com/training-and-events/training/
CENMAC’s annual event Communication Works, held in May, celebrates the latest innovations in assistive technology and showcases the achievements of the children and young people that they support.
Further information and referrals
Download the following documents:
- What Is CENMAC? (pdf, 82kb)
- Top-Tips (pdf, 121kb)
- CENMAC Referral form 1 for (AT) for Learning (docx, 90kb)
- CENMAC Referral form 2 for (AT) (AAC) (docx, 108kb)
Future Men's Boys’ Development Programme is delivered to boys in the final years of primary school, preparing for transition, and to boys at varying stages of secondary school. Combining one-to-one support and group sessions, the programme encourages boys to improve their skills in effective communication, conflict management and emotional literacy.
The programme facilitates positive peer support and is tailored to be inclusive of all school aged boys including those who may be at risk of disengagement or exclusion. Through meaningful activities and discussions, boys are encouraged to thrive in education, develop their aspirations and to navigate the challenges of male adolescence.
Future Men is currently funded to provide the programme in individual schools in Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth, receiving referrals direct from schools.