We know that many families of children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) are having issues managing their children’s sensory integration needs while the children out of school and having little or no access to services that can help meet these needs. A lot of us SEND families are also wanting for things to do with the children during the lockdown, which can be extra hard due to our children’s complex needs.
It is for these reasons that we thought of doing the “Paperbag Sensory and Activity Packs”.
The Paperbag Sensory and Activity Packs contain colouring materials, small games & toys, and sensory items such as ribbon wand, slinky, textured ball and chewy/stretchy toys. It also includes a “Thank you, NHS” card that your child can colour in, which we can send to the Manchester Nightingale Team or families can give to their own NHS Hero.
After the successful pilot of the programme – which was the result of a fruitful collaboration between the forum, Manchester City Council’s Local Offer & Short Breaks teams, and 4CT Limited – we are pleased to say that we were given a grant by Forever Manchester through their Community Support Fund. Through this grant, which was kindly match-funded by Manchester City Council, we were able to deliver a second batch of packs to 300 more families.
Following the success of the first two runs of this project, the city council has since funded over 5000 sensory kits for all children and young people in the city with an EHC (Education, Health and Care) Plan over the course of the pandemic. This was a very welcome support for these families.
We have since renamed this project to “Happy, Active, Healthy Packs” to reflect our aim of keeping our children and young people with SEND happy, active, and healthy. While we are not able to offer the HAH packs to our wider membership anymore, these have continued to be produced in 2022 and 2023 for the benefit of the most vulnerable children and those who otherwise may not be able to access Manchester’s wonderful SEND Community Offer during the school holidays, with referrals made through the Children with Disabilities (CwD) social care teams, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and the Short Breaks team.
We would again like to thank all partners – 4CT Limited, Manchester City Council (SEND Local Offer, Holiday Activity Fund, Short Breaks), Forever Manchester, the SENDIASS (Manchester’s SEND Information, Advice and Support Service), and the Parent Champions – for their involvement during the different phases of this project.
Why not apply for Caudwell Children charity’s Get Sensory Packs, which provide affordable sensory equipment to support disabled children during this especially difficult time. These packs are available to children who have a confirmed disability or chronic illness.
Alternatively, you can apply for Caudwell Children’s Autism Sensory Packs, which were specifically designed to support children with autism and contain fun, educational, durable and safe items.
Related News
Coronavirus News
Treetop Trek for SEND Families
Two hour sessions of tree-riffic bouncy adventure in the high trees are on offer at Tree Top Trek in Heaton Park. Enjoy free play high up in the trees on huge bouncy nets with super-fast slides and aerial walkways. These special sessions for Manchester's SEND
Community Market Garden for SEND Families
These 2-hour sessions at Platt Fields Market Garden are FREE for Manchester's SEND families. Activities include seed balls and bug hotels, painting plant pots and pebbles, Garden Bingo, and sowing seeds to take home. Sessions are 1-3pm every Thursday in the holidays - 30th July
Children’s Community Health Services During Covid-19
Please see below an email from Michael Hargreaves, the Transformation Programme Manager for the Children’s Community Health Service in Manchester. He summarised the current position with regards to Children’s Community Health Service provision during the ongoing pandemic. In line with the Department of Health guidance
School Summer Play Spaces – Melland
Melland High School’s playing field is open to families for three weeks of the holidays - Monday 27th July to Friday 14th August, between 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday. This is for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25 years.
School Summer Play Spaces – The Birches
The Birches Specialist Support School is offering summer play spaces over the coming weeks. This is for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 18 years. The Birches has 45-minute play slots in two areas: The slide playground
Success Story: Paperbag Sensory and Activity Packs
Back in early May, we shared an idea with some Manchester City Council partners about producing sensory kits for SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities) families across the city. We thought of the project because we’ve heard that many families are having issues managing their