Author Archives: Yvonne

Talk, Play and have Fun

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Our September message of the month is: “Make our home language number one so we can talk, play and have fun”

Encourage parents to interact and communicate with their children in their home language. This is very important for and supports attachment, identity, understanding and self-esteem.

Communication is essential for a young child to build relationships; therefore it is particularly important that they can communicate with their primary caregiver and key adults around them.

When a child has moved from his/her home country, maintaining their first language helps to keep that important link with their home culture and strengthen their sense of personal identity.

Please use the link below which will take you to:

  • Message of the month video
  • a PDF version of the poster (to be displayed in setting or shared via email, Seesaw or another platform)
  • some additional ideas for how to put this message into practice

LINK TO ACCESS VIDEO AND RESOURCES HERE à https://view.pagetiger.com/messageofmonthsep/1

Furthermore, Check out this video which also supports our message this month: https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/how-do-i-bilingual-development/ztrj4xs 

Don’t forget about our training for parents and anyone working with babies up to school aged children: You can access the Help Kids Talk Basic Awareness training via the link above, there are dates available for September & October at the moment. I would encourage you to sign up for level 1 training only when you have completed the Basic Awareness.

 

Help Kids Talk – July Message

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We have a lovely July message of the month: “Less watching, more talking… put everything away and just sing, talk and play”

This month we want to encourage parents and families to minimise screen time and spend time playing and talking with their children.

Please use the link below which will take you to:

  • a video explaining the message of the month
  • a PDF version of the poster to be displayed in setting or shared via email, Seesaw or another platform
  • some ideas on how to put this message into practice.

CLICK ON LINK TO ACCESS VIDEO AND RESOURCES HERE à https://view.pagetiger.com/july1/1

Please share the message of the month information with your staff team and also with your parents/families. We will be sharing more tips and advice linked to the message of the month on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Please also note that free training for parents or anyone working with children between 0 and 6 years old is available and can be booked below. (July dates available, keep an eye on the HKT Facebook page for Aug/Sept dates). ‘Basic Awareness’ around speech, language & communication is the first session and Level 1 is a next steps session looking at speech & language milestones, referring a child to Speech Therapy and tips for supporting children with difficulties in the home or their setting:

https://view.pagetiger.com/basic-awareness-webinar-training-dates/help-kids-talk-training

 

Annual Family Support Hub Report Card 2021/22

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FSH Annual Report Card 2021/22 and Family Samples 2021/22 are now available on the website under Family Support Hub Monitoring on the Family Support Hub page or downloaded here.

https://cypsp.hscni.net/download/391/family-support-hubs/37927/fshannual_report-card-2021_22.pdf

https://cypsp.hscni.net/download/391/family-support-hubs/37928/final-of-family-samples-june-2022.pdf

It has been another very busy year for the Family Support Hubs and referral numbers have risen each year since monitoring began. Hubs continue to meet the needs of families across all 29 Hubs and ensure families are able to access early intervention services to best meet their needs. The annual report reflects the hard work and dedication of the Hub Coordinators and members through the year and reaffirms the effectiveness of the Hubs.

Assistive Technology for Children with Vision Impairment

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We’re excited to share that applications have now re-opened for free iPads for children aged 3-18 with a vision impairment, for use at home.

The devices have excellent accessibility features built-in, and online guides and tutorials will be provided to help them get started and to ensure that they know how to stay safe online. The devices will be completely free of charge, with the only requirement being proof of vision impairment.

We know how important technology is for children with a vision impairment; if you are aware of any children who could benefit please do share the information with families.

Stocks are limited so we would encourage interested applicants to apply as soon as possible. More information, including how to apply, can be found on the following webpage: www.guidedogs.org.uk/techforall

There is also a webpage detailing the eligibility criteria: Eligibility criteria (guidedogs.org.uk)

We are planning some social media posts on the Guide Dogs UK social media channels later this week, so please share these if you would like to. I have put the links to our Facebook and Twitter channels below:

Guide Dogs (@guidedogs) / Twitter

Guide Dogs UK | Facebook

Tech for All is just one of many services Guide Dogs provide for children and young people. We offer buddy dogs, a well behaved canine companion for children with sight loss; our ‘My Time to Play’ Programme for children with sight loss aged 0-4, learning through sensory play in a group setting led by our habilitation specialists; and much more.

We have also recently launched an online customer panel, for all people with sight loss, or parents of children with a vision impairment. It’s completely free to join and participate in. Members will be invited to take part in interesting research activities. It’s a great way for people to get their voice heard and we hope they will find it personally rewarding.  The system is fully accessible so that the experience will be as frustration free as possible. To become a member, people should complete a short 10 minute survey on the following link: https://guidedogsviewpoint.com/uc/main/a0db/

If families would like to find out more about our services, they can visit our website www.guidedogs.org.uk or contact Guide Line on 0800 781 1444.

 

ESOL English for Speakers of other Languages

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Please see attached links and resources online for general ESOL home learning and some specific resources targeted at teenagers.

ESOL Websites and Apps for Teenagers

Study at Home.

In addition, please see below a few other Northern Ireland specific links and information updates you may find useful:

  1. Belfast Met – ESOL provision – Academic Year 22/23 – * due to open for bookings for assessment and enrolment sessions in July 2022 (see below):

https://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/part-time/esol/assessment/

ESOL assessment slots with the Belfast Met College will only go live for online bookings via the link above on Thursday 21st July, at 1pm.

  1. In Northern Ireland, the BHSCT have developed on behalf of the region a set of leaflets explaining how to access HSC services through the NHS – see link below:

Access to HSC Booklet – 1 (pagetiger.com)

These HSC materials are translated into 15 different languages.

  1. Learning Unlimited are running brand new and forward looking CPD sessions for ESOL practitioners later this month and July 22. Designed by John Sutter (Learning Unlimited Director & Language/Literacy specialist) and focussing on aspects of ESOL teaching facing challenges and change. There are four interconnected subject areas: sociolinguistics, new literacies, multimodal communication and decolonisation – you can find a promo video and booking details via the link below:

    https://www.learningunlimited.co/training-and-cpd/online-cpd-for-esol-tutors/

  2. SOLACE – Free E-Learning course – Understanding Refugee and Asylum Seekers Mental Health

Would you like to be able to better support the emotional wellbeing of people seeking asylum in the UK, and influence others in your organisation to do the same? Our new online course is aimed at people in any role who may find themselves coming into contact with asylum seekers and would like to develop their understanding of the issues impacting their wellbeing so they can provide effective help.

E-Learning Flyer (solace-uk.org.uk)