Local Offer Live Cosham!

The Local Offer Live is coming to Cosham! Find out about the services that can support families with children and young people with special educational needs and /or disabilities (SEND).

Drop in and see us at Cosham Community Centre between 10.30am and 2.30pm where there will be a range of exhibitors for you to chat to and answer your questions.

We also have short presentations from some of our experts on neurodiversity, tips for helping your children sleep and how to make ordinarily available provision work for you in school.

There is no need to book – just turn up on the day! If you have any questions about the event, email portsmouthlocaloffer@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Plan your visit 

We want to make your visit to Local Offer Live at Cosham Community Centre as enjoyable as possible. To help make the most of your visit, we’ve put a mini guide together with recommendations.

Parking

Cosham Community Centre has limited parking. There are two disabled bays available to use at the venue. We would recommend using the following car parks which are located nearby.

Wootton Street Car Park (1 Wootton St, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3AP)

This car park is located next to Cosham Community Centre and has 16 parking spaces and two disabled bays. Parking charges apply.

Pervin Road Car Park (35 Pervin Rd, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3DE)

This car park is about a 10/15-minute walk to Cosham Community Centre and has several bays. Parking charges apply.

Travelling to the event

Go by train – Cosham Train Station

Take the train to Cosham Train Station. It is about a 10-minute walk to the community centre. You can walk through the high street and take a turn left (on the corner of Everett’s Pharmacy). Walk down this road and the community centre will be straight in front of you.

Go by bus

Take a bus to Cosham from the city centre. Buses are regular and will stop close to the community centre.

Meet the exhibitors:

Portsmouth Parent Voice
Helping parent carers of young people aged 0-25 with additional needs and disabilities to shape and improve local services. Portsmouth Parent Voice are the nominated Parent Carer Forum for Portsmouth and provide a range of services, support and advocacy for children with SEND and their families. We are proud to be central to the city’s strong coproduction approach to all of the SEND work.

Neurodiversity Team (0-19)
The Neurodiversity Team consists of consultants, psychologists, clinicians, family support workers, therapists and business support. Their aim is to provide a needs led pathway for children and young people who are struggling at home and/or in their educational setting due to neurodiversity. By improving early identification and support, the need for an assessment and diagnosis will be reduced.

Inclusion Outreach Service
The Inclusion Outreach Service promotes good outcomes for children and young people with SEND in the city. It is available to all mainstream schools, delivered by a range of professionals from a partnership of services including; MABS, Solent Academies Trust, Children’s Therapy Service and experienced Outreach SENCOs from mainstream schools in the city. The Outreach SENCOs work with the SENCO network and across the system to continue to build capacity and expertise in schools and improve outcomes for children and young people.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)
MHST deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health problems. This includes 1:1 high/low intensity CBT work with parents and group work. MHST are available in all secondary schools across Portsmouth.

Children’s Therapy Services
The Solent NHS Children’s Therapy Service provides Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy to children and young people aged 0-19 years who live in or go to school in Portsmouth City.

Enable Ability
Enable Ability are charity providing services for people with disabilities in Portsmouth and the surrounding area. Some of the Children’s services they offer include specialist and inclusive playschemes, Saturday Club, Child Befriending, Junior Club and Portsmouth Teenage Project. For 18 -25 year olds they also provide youth projects, adult befriending and Inter Activ which is a social enterprise.

Home-Start and Portsmouth Parent Board
Home-Start Portsmouth is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting the welfare of families in the city. Portsmouth Parent Board is one of the projects managed by Home-Start Portsmouth. Volunteers act as a link between the community and children and Young People’s Services.

Portsmouth Carers Centre
Portsmouth Carers Centre support unpaid carers. These are family, friends and neighbours who support someone to live in the local community, who have a long term health condition or who are frail, have a learning disability, dementia or mental health concerns. They can help with emotional support, provide a sitting service,  give information and advice and offer carers break funds to support those carers.

Portsmouth SENDIASS
Portsmouth SENDIASS aims to empower parents/carers, children, and young people to play an active and informed role in making decisions about their education, health, and social care.

Dynamite
Dynamite make sure that young people (14-25) with a disability or special educational need have a say in how services for young people are run in Portsmouth. These include social evenings, Young Inspectors, surveys and meetings.

Connors Toy Library
Connors Toy Libraries provides stay, play and toy loan sessions across Portsmouth. They provide 1:1 support for hard to reach and vulnerable families through their outreach project. Child Carers toy store loans toys and resources to professionals and families to use within their settings and homes which include specialist toys and resources for children with additional needs.

Boogie Mites
Boogie Mites provide SEN sessions in music, education and fun to families, nurseries, pre-schools and SEND schools.

Stand Up Portsmouth
Stand Up is run by volunteer parent carers and hosts a variety of activities and events specifically for families with SEND. These include stay and play sessions, weekly swimming sessions, monthly soft play sessions and activities and events such as Halloween parties and Christmas parties.

SEND Butterflies
SEND Butterflies support parents and carers of children (aged 0-25 years) with special educational needs and/or disabilities by providing monthly meetings in the north and south of Portsmouth.

Presentation Times: There are two presentations which are repeated again during the event.

10:45am- An introduction to the Neurodiversity Team followed by top tips on helping your child to sleep.

11.45am- Making ordinarily available provision work for you

12:45pm- An introduction to the Neurodiversity Team, followed by top tips on helping your child to sleep. (repeat of 10.45am presentation)

13:45pm- Making ordinarily available provision work for you (repeat of 11.45am presentation)