Latest updates from the Lighthouse Centre

The Lighthouse Parent, Carer and Young Person Network is open to all parents, carers and young people living in Southend and Essex who use services provided by the Lighthouse Childhood Development Centre in Southend. 

Meetings give you the opportunity to: 

• meet and speak to the Lighthouse team
• ask questions
• hear about service developments
• connect with other parents, carers and young people

Stay for as long or as little as you like, come with a question or simply to listen. 

The network meets on the first Tuesday of each month between 12.30pm to 2pm. 

Please use this link to join the meeting.

Details of upcoming meetings below.

• Tuesday 2 December, 12.30pm to 2pm

If you have any queries about the network or how you can get involved, please email [email protected]

The Lighthouse is continuing to hire more administrative staff. As a result of the recruitment so far, calls are now being answered with a 10 to 15 minute maximum waiting time.

We have created a new flyer to show the different ways you can get in touch regarding your child’s care. Use this link to view the flyer. 

Our neurodevelopmental diagnosis pathway is based at The Lighthouse Child Development Centre. It is delivered by a team of professionals who can assess and diagnose conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyspraxia, tics and Tourette’s syndrome. 

A new referral process launched in January 2023. Any healthcare or education professional can now refer a child or young person for assessment within this service. Find referral information for professionals here. 

If you have concerns about your child’s neurodevelopment, please speak to your child’s GP or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO). For very young children, speak to your Health Visitor. Find information for parents and carers here. 

The Lighthouse Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) team and JIGSAW team are hosting a series of ASD post-diagnostic support sessions. 

If your child receives a diagnosis of ASD, you will be invited to our post-diagnosis support groups – we run these in Southend and surrounding areas with a range of partners and community groups. 

We are using a new website for families to provide feedback. Please share your views through the I Want Great Care website using this link, or by visiting http://eput.iwgc.net/ and searching the service code 5082.

We also work with local parent carer forums who you can provide feedback to:

Southend SEND Independent Forum southendsendindependentforum.co.uk

Essex Family Forum essexfamilyforum.org

While your child is waiting for an appointment or diagnosis, support is available through charities, health services and family support groups. Having no specific diagnosis should not stop you or your child from receiving support, so please consider the below:

Keep in touch with your health services
Keep your GP updated as they are still responsible for your care and contact them if you need help or your child is unwell. In an emergency you can go to your local Accident and Emergency Department.

Talk to someone
Mental health problems can affect the way your child/young person thinks, feels and behaves. If your child has problems with their mental health, they might feel sad, worried, confused, anxious, angry, frightened, hopeless or isolated. Support is available from:

Southend, Essex and Thurrock Children’s and Adolescent’s Mental Health Service (SET CAMHS) (Previously known as EWMHs) https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/set-camhs

Keep a journal or diary
Recording things like feelings, thoughts, moods, worries, events and behaviours can help and this is something that you can take to your child’s appointment to show the mental health professional.

It’s also a good idea to think about what you want to ask at your appointment and make a note of the things that are most important to you.

Resources for parents and carers
There are a wide range of local, national and international resources for parents and carers who are supporting a child or young person with neurodevelopmental needs.

• Little Heroes
• SEND the Right Message Charity (STRM)
• SAFE (Supporting Asperger Families in Essex)
• SNAP Charity
• The MegaCentre Rayleigh

• Young Minds Website
• Sleep Scotland
• National Autistic Society
• NHS Choices – ASD
• Managing Anxiety resources by Tony Attwood (also available from Amazon)
• ‘The Incredible Five Point Scale’ can be useful for talking about and managing emotions
• National Autistic Society

Talkabout’ resources by Alex Kelly – useful for planning social skills groups and for teaching social communication skills.

• The theory that underpins developing social skills
• A New Year, a new start to developing social skills
• Talkabout tips No4 the development of social skills
• Talkabout tips No5 the importance of body language and how to read it
• Talkabout tips, No6 body language
• Talkabout tips, No7 body language