Back to School Family Support Hubs Newsletter

The Back to School edition of the Family Support Newsletter is now available: – https://cypsp.hscni.net/download/391/family-support-hubs/48999/fshnewsletter_aug2026.pdf

As summer holidays come to an end and a new school year begins, many families will be busy getting back into routines, preparing school bags, and helping children and young people settle into the months ahead. While this time of year can be exciting, it can also bring a few worries and challenges, especially when children are starting a new school, moving up a year group, or adapting to new routines.

In this edition, we’ve gathered together a range of information, activities and support services to help families make the transition back to school as smooth as possible.

Whether you’re looking for practical advice, local opportunities, or information about the support available in your area, we hope you’ll find something useful inside.

 

Autism Awareness Training for Practitioners in Southern HSCT Area

Poster titled "Autism Awareness: Training for Practitioners". The online training takes place on Thursday 8 October 2026, 10:00am to 12:30pm. Closing date for applications is Wednesday 23 September 2026. The session, delivered by the Autism Services team, is aimed at professionals working with a child or parent who has a confirmed autism diagnosis, is waiting for assessment, or may be on the autism spectrum. Topics include understanding how autistic children and young people perceive the world and learn, identifying strengths, understanding challenges in learning, social interaction and communication, and applying supportive strategies. Logos for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Autism Awareness, and the Promoting Wellbeing Division are displayed. An application link is provided: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/7jCHaVX7cm.

Poster titled “Autism Awareness: Training for Practitioners”. The online training takes place on Thursday 8 October 2026, 10:00am to 12:30pm. Closing date for applications is Wednesday 23 September 2026. The session, delivered by the Autism Services team, is aimed at professionals working with a child or parent who has a confirmed autism diagnosis, is waiting for assessment, or may be on the autism spectrum. Topics include understanding how autistic children and young people perceive the world and learn, identifying strengths, understanding challenges in learning, social interaction and communication, and applying supportive strategies. Logos for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Autism Awareness, and the Promoting Wellbeing Division are displayed. An application link is provided: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/7jCHaVX7cm.

Join the Autism Services team online for an awareness session aimed at professionals working with a child or working with a parent of a child who has:

  • A confirmed diagnosis
  • Waiting on an assessment or
  • Concerns that their child may be on the spectrum

Thursday 8 October 2026, 10.00-12.30pm, Online

To apply: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/7jCHaVX7cm

Issue 170 – Southern Area FYI – 13 August 2026

Welcome to Issue 170 of our newsletter, ‘FYI’ (For Your Information).

Cover page for CYPSP Southern Area Locality Planning Groups FYI newsletter, Issue 170, dated 13 August 2026. The CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) logo appears at the top beside the title. An illustration shows hands holding and touching a tablet displaying the circular “FYI For Your Information” logo. On the right, a grid of coloured blue, green and purple squares contains icons representing email, telephone, website and user information.

Cover page for CYPSP Southern Area Locality Planning Groups FYI newsletter, Issue 170, dated 13 August 2026. The CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) logo appears at the top beside the title. An illustration shows hands holding and touching a tablet displaying the circular “FYI For Your Information” logo. On the right, a grid of coloured blue, green and purple squares contains icons representing email, telephone, website and user information.

Download Issue 170

(Note: Newsletter will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop-up box and click on open file when it appears)

 

With summer coming towards a close, preparations for the next school year are under way and so there is lots of information on starting / back to school spread across this edition. As of today, it is also officially exam results season, so you will find details on various supports, resources & opportunities available to young people (and their families), as they look ahead to their next chapter.

We have a few weeks of summer left and there is still plenty going on across the Southern Trust Area for children, young people & families, so thank you to all those who submitted information on upcoming events, programmes and workshops for sharing.

 

See you in the next school year!

Locality Development Team, Southern Area

Issue 169 – Southern Area FYI – 23 July 2026

Welcome to Issue 169 of our newsletter, ‘FYI’ (For Your Information).

Cover graphic for the Southern Area Locality Planning Groups newsletter, Issue 169, dated 23 July 2026. The CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) logo appears at the top beside a blue banner reading “Southern Area Locality Planning Groups”. An illustration of two hands holding a tablet displays the “FYI – For Your Information” logo. On the right, a grid of blue, green, purple and white squares contains icons representing email, telephone, website, and user information. The issue number and date are shown at the bottom left.

Cover graphic for the Southern Area Locality Planning Groups newsletter, Issue 169, dated 23 July 2026. The CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) logo appears at the top beside a blue banner reading “Southern Area Locality Planning Groups”. An illustration of two hands holding a tablet displays the “FYI – For Your Information” logo. On the right, a grid of blue, green, purple and white squares contains icons representing email, telephone, website, and user information. The issue number and date are shown at the bottom left.

Download Issue 169

(Note: Newsletter will download directly to your device.  Look out for the pop-up box and click on open file when it appears)

This is one of two editions of ‘FYI’ which will circulate throughout the summer. Our next edition is on Thursday 13th August, so please bear this in mind when sharing any of your flyers and information.

Pages 3 to 6 of this month’s issue include links to some Report Cards which have recently been produced to demonstrate/highlight the impact of just some of the projects which we, along with our members, have been involved in during the first half of 2026. Please take the time to read through the Scorecards and you might even see some familiar faces in the photos which are included! 

We hope you are enjoying your summer and get a chance to have a well-earned break (if you haven’t already).

Locality Development Team, Southern Area

Southern Area ‘FYI’ Newsletter Feedback Survey 2026

Promotional graphic for the CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) Newsletter Feedback Survey 2026. The design features a blurred background image of a hand holding a smartphone, with five white star outlines across the top suggesting a feedback or rating theme. The CYPSP logo appears in the top left corner. Large green and purple text reads “Newsletter Feedback Survey 2026.” A dark blue button-shaped graphic displays the text “REPORT CARD 26.5.” In the top right corner, a circular “FYI – For Your Information” logo is framed by a large blue curved border. The colour scheme includes blue, green, purple, and white, with a clean, modern layout focused on gathering feedback about the FYI newsletter

Promotional graphic for the CYPSP (Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership) Newsletter Feedback Survey 2026. The design features a blurred background image of a hand holding a smartphone, with five white star outlines across the top suggesting a feedback or rating theme. The CYPSP logo appears in the top left corner. Large green and purple text reads “Newsletter Feedback Survey 2026.” A dark blue button-shaped graphic displays the text “REPORT CARD 26.5.” In the top right corner, a circular “FYI – For Your Information” logo is framed by a large blue curved border. The colour scheme includes blue, green, purple, and white, with a clean, modern layout focused on gathering feedback about the FYI newsletter

The Southern Area Locality Planning Team is delighted to share the findings from the ‘FYI’ Feedback Survey 2026, showcasing the continued impact of the ‘FYI’ newsletter as a trusted information-sharing, signposting and networking resource for practitioners, organisations and communities across the Southern Area.

Since its launch in 2019, ‘FYI’ has provided a one-stop-shop for promoting services, events, training opportunities, funding, resources and initiatives that support children, young people and families. The latest scorecard, covering the period April 2024 to March 2026, demonstrates that the newsletter continues to play an important role in strengthening partnership working and improving awareness of and access to local opportunities.

The report highlights a number of positive outcomes, including a 100% satisfaction rate, with every survey respondent agreeing that ‘FYI’ is a useful resource and that it has increased their awareness of what is happening across the Southern Area.

Feedback also shows that ‘FYI’ continues to have a tangible impact in practice. Over three-quarters of respondents said they had attended an event, participated in a programme or completed a survey after seeing it promoted through the newsletter, while other organisations reported increased attendance and enquiries after advertising their own activities in ‘FYI’.

Respondents praised the newsletter for its comprehensive signposting, up-to-date information, clear layout and ability to connect organisations with relevant services, training and networking opportunities. Many described it as an “excellent” resource, with comments including, “Look forward to it hitting my inbox” and “I couldn’t imagine my work life without it!”

The Southern Area Locality Planning Team would like to sincerely thank everyone who completed the survey and to all LPG members and organisations that continue to contribute content to ‘FYI’. Your ongoing support helps ensure the newsletter remains a valuable resource for sharing information, strengthening partnerships and improving outcomes for children, young people and families across the Southern Area.

To find out more about the findings, download the ‘FYI’ Feedback Survey 2026 Scorecard HERE.