Sendac - Cumbria Parent Carer Forum

23/07/2026

We are absolutely delighted that our Chair, Georgina Grant Georgina Claire Grant has been shortlisted as a finalist for the BBC make a difference awards.

Georgina is the driving force behind so much of what SENDAC achieves. She gives countless hours of her time to ensuring that the voices of parent carers and families across Cumberland are heard and considered in the decisions that affect them. Through her work with SENDAC, she is a passionate advocate for genuine parent participation and works tirelessly to make sure families have a seat at the table.

What makes this nomination even more special is that Georgina has continued to dedicate herself to helping others despite facing significant personal challenges over the past year. Through it all, her commitment, resilience and determination have never wavered. She cares deeply about the families she represents and is always thinking about how services, support and opportunities can be improved for children and young people with SEND.

From challenging proposals that could have impacted access to ADHD assessments, to helping develop and deliver highly successful sensory training for parents and carers, Georgina’s impact has been significant and far-reaching.

Beyond her volunteering, Georgina is an amazing mum to Archie and a wonderful friend to so many of us. Her kindness, compassion and unwavering support make a real difference to the lives of those around her.

We are incredibly proud to see her recognised in this way. Congratulations Georgina on your nomination. It is so deserved and we are all cheering you on! 💜

24/06/2026

Join us for a FREE live webinar exploring how Makaton and Talking Mats can work together to support understanding, self-expression, participation, and meaningful conversations.

📅 Tuesday 30 June 2026
⏰ 6:00pm–7:00pm
💻 Online

This practical introduction will explore how Makaton signs and symbols can be used alongside Talking Mats as part of a Total Communication approach.

Through real-life examples and video excerpts, we’ll share how combining these approaches can help people feel heard, understood, and more confident in expressing themselves and making choices.

Suitable for Makaton users, practitioners, educators, therapists, families, and anyone interested in Total Communication approaches.

Click here for more information and to register: https://bit.ly/4dqeDHN

Talking Mats

24/06/2026

What a brilliant day at the Autism & ADHD Show yesterday.

I had the privilege of presenting on my work supporting autistic children and young people with selective mutism and sharing some of the thinking behind the SAFE-STEPS approach. It was wonderful to see so many professionals, parents and autistic people engaging in conversations about communication, anxiety, safety and participation.

One of the best parts of events like this is catching up with people whose work I admire. It was lovely to spend time with Chrissa Wadlow, Cathy Wassell, Jodie Clarke, and all the fantastic people on the PDA Society stand.

The day also took an unexpected turn when Pete Wharmby’s car broke down and he was unable to make it. I somehow found myself joining a panel for a Q&A session instead! Not something I had planned when I left home this morning, but it led to some really interesting discussions and thoughtful questions from the audience.

Days like today remind me how much knowledge, passion and lived experience there is within the neurodiversity community. There is still a long way to go, but when people come together to share ideas and challenge old assumptions, positive change feels possible.

Thank you to everyone who came along, listened, asked questions, shared their experiences and stopped for a chat. I’m tired, my voice is definitely ready for a rest, but my head is full of ideas.

09/06/2026

🚨 FREE Sensory Processing Training DAY! UPDATE – Carlisle venue and date now confirmed! 🔵 🚨

SENDAC has teamed up with Zena Cassels, NHS Children’s Occupational Therapist from North Cumbria Integrated Care, to deliver another round of FREE sensory processing training sessions for parents and carers of children with additional needs across Cumberland and Eden. 👁️👃🏽👂🏼👅🖐🏽🤸🏻‍♂️🏋🏼‍♀️🫀

When we ran these sessions in March, we asked parents to rate the training and they gave it an incredible ⭐ 4.6 stars out of 5 ⭐ showing just how highly valued the sessions were!

✅ FREE lunch included 🍽️
✅ For parents/carers of children with additional needs (no diagnosis required) 👨‍👩‍👧
✅ Maximum 45 places per session – booking required 👥 🎟️

What will the session cover?

✔ An introduction to sensory processing
✔ Understanding levels of alertness and fight/flight responses
✔ Universal and targeted sensory support in Cumberland and Eden
✔ How to identify your child’s sensory needs and support them
✔ The new sensory lead approach in Cumberland and Eden schools
✔ Interoception (body awareness)
✔ Time for questions and discussion

Dates & Locations 📍

You can choose ONE of the following dates.

(All sessions run from 10:00am – 2:30pm)

🟣 Wigton – Monday 22nd June 2026
Venue: The Market Hall Conference Centre

🔵 Carlisle – Thursday 2nd July 2026
Venue: Civic Centre, Carlisle (Cathedral Room)

🟢 Penrith – Wednesday 8th July 2026
Venue: Penrith Cricket Club

🎟️ Booking is essential (maximum 45 places per session).

To book, please use the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H28XWTT

This session is hosted and funded by SENDAC, and a SENDAC representative will also be in attendance throughout the day.

We hope to see you there! 💙

27/05/2026

FREE Sensory Processing Training DAY! ROUND 2 - with free lunch provided for all attendees! 🥪🥗 👁️👃🏽👂🏼👅🖐🏽🤸🏻‍♂️🏋🏼‍♀️🫀

SENDAC has teamed up with Zena Cassels, NHS Children’s Occupational Therapist from North Cumbria Integrated Care, to deliver another round of FREE sensory processing training sessions for parents and carers of children with additional needs across Cumberland and Eden.

When we ran these sessions in March. We asked parents to rate the training and they gave it a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5! showing they were highly valued! 🌟

- FREE lunch included 🍽
- For parents/carers of children with additional needs (no diagnosis required) 👨‍👩‍👧
- Maximum 45 places per session – booking required 👥

What will the session cover?

- An introduction to sensory processing ✔
- Understanding levels of alertness and fight/flight responses ✔
- Universal and targeted sensory support in Cumberland and Eden ✔
- How to identify your child’s sensory needs and support them ✔
- The new sensory lead approach in Cumberland and Eden schools ✨✔
- Interoception (body awareness) ✔
- Time for questions and discussion ✔

Dates & Locations 📍

You can choose ONE of the following dates
(All sessions will run from 10:00am – 2:30pm)

Whitehaven – Thursday 4th June 2026
Whitehaven Football Club 🔴

Wigton – Monday 22nd June 2026
The Market Hall Conference Centre 🟣

Penrith – Wednesday 8th July 2026
Penrith cricket club 🟢

Carlisle – COMING SOON keep an eye on our Facebook to find out our Carlisle date which will take place in July 🔵

Booking is essential (maximum 45 places per session). 🎟️

To book - please scan the QR code at the end of the video or use the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H28XWTT

This session will be hosted and funded by SENDAC! A SENDAC rep will also be in attendance. We hope to see you there! 💙

14/05/2026

🌟 Our March Sensory Processing training Sessions were amazing! 🌟

A huge well done and thank you to all of the parents and carers who attended the sessions throughout March. We had over 180 parents and carers attend across Cumberland 💙🤸🏼‍♀️

We also want to thank all of our fabulous venues and caterers! We had some amazing food, and fab venues.

Of course we want to thank Zena too, for delivering such a fantastic sensory lead approach around our Cumberland schools and delivering this training to parents.

Following the sessions, we asked parents and carers to complete feedback forms, with 131 responses received from attendees. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

⭐ Overall training rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
⭐ 98% said the training was well delivered
⭐ 94% found it helpful
⭐ 86% said it helped them understand their child better
⭐ 82% felt empowered to advocate for their child’s sensory needs
⭐ 76% said the training increased their confidence overall
⭐ 72% said it made them feel less alone

The feedback really highlights how important it is for families to have opportunities to access support, increase understanding, and connect with other parents and carers with shared experiences. As well as emphasising the HUGE importance in understanding our children’s sensory needs!

👀 Keep an eye on our page next week, as we’ve already booked the next round of Sensory Processing Sessions for June & July! 🙌🏻

05/05/2026

27/04/2026

I’m sitting with a mix of sadness and anger this morning.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) does not disappear when a child reaches secondary school. It doesn’t quietly resolve itself by Year 7. It doesn’t stop affecting learning just because the curriculum gets harder.

This last 7 days alone, I’ve met three 15-year-olds who sat their GCSE mocks earlier in the year — and all three failed badly.

All three have EHCPs.

And yet, the staff working most closely with them didn’t even know.

Let that sink in.

These are young people with identified, documented speech, language and communication needs — needs that directly impact their ability to understand questions, process information, organise their thoughts, and express what they know. And still, they were placed into high-stakes exams without the understanding or support they are legally entitled to both for the exam and in the classroom. The provision is clear, including pre-teaching of vocabulary, scaffolding and support with narrative.

This isn’t about lack of ability.
This isn’t about effort.

This is about a system that is still not recognising how fundamental language is to learning.

When DLD is not understood:
• instructions are missed
• questions are misunderstood
• knowledge cannot be expressed
• anxiety skyrockets

And the result? Failure on paper… and a devastating impact on mental health.

The young people I met this week are not just “behind” — they are exhausted, overwhelmed, and losing confidence in themselves. There are serious concerns about their wellbeing, and rightly so.

We cannot keep letting this happen.

EHCPs should mean something in classrooms.
Staff need to know who these young people are.
And most importantly, they need to understand what DLD looks like in a 15-year-old — because it doesn’t look the same as it does at 5.

If we don’t get this right, we are not just failing academically — we are failing these young people at a human level.

Something has to change.