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ASN Family Forum

The ASN Family Forum offers support, advice and friendship for any parents and carers of young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) living in South Ayrshire. The Forum meets throughout the year and offers a range of workshops and presentations on aspects of ASN. Recent events have looked at Dyslexia, Mindfulness and Transition. The Family Forum Steering Group plans events for the Family Forum and is made up of parents, carers and South Ayrshire Inclusion Staff.

The dates agreed so far are:

Forums

The ASN Family Forum Town Hall Event is on 27 April from 12 noon - 8.00pm.  We have the following speakers confirmed:

  • Tanya Tenant  - Autism
  • Jim Taylor - from Jim Taylor knows Autism
  • SAC Ed Psych Services
  • SAC Literacy and Numeracy development officers

Steering Group Meetings

All meetings are at 6.30pm in Ayr Grammar Primary in the upstairs studio.  Parking is available in nearby streets.

  • 28/03/23 - new Restraint Reduction Guidance will be discussed
  • 02/05/23
  • 19/09/23
  • 24/10/23

South Ayrshire Council is committed to ensuring that children get the best start in life and ensure that irrespective of their needs children achieve their full potential.  This is hugely important for our children who require additional support.

A wide range of factors may lead to a child having a need for additional support, or ASN as it is commonly referred to.  This could be a temporary solution or something more permanent and will help them get the most out of their school education.  Additional support needs are identified through a process called Staged Intervention.

Children may need additional support for a number of reasons, e.g.:

ASN support reasons

Disability (diagnosed or undiagnosed)

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Learning difficulties

Learning disabilities

Bereavement

Physical or mental health problems

Divorce within families

Change in family circumstances

We recognise that as parents you are best placed to inform us of the support that your children require but also what you may find useful in the support that we can offer you.  

We have established a Steering Group which consists of parents/carers and practitioners who have volunteered to be involved in helping us get the support right for the children and young people of South Ayrshire.

The Steering Group help us to look at a number of areas including:

  • Ways in which we can provide support
  • The circulation of information to all
  • Gathering the views of children and parents/carers
  • Identifying support that really matters for the children and families
  • Assist with topics and ideas for our ASN Parents Forum

If you would like to be involved in this Group, please mail JulieAnn.Millar@south-ayrshire.gov.uk.  We appreciate that joining a Group such as this may not be possible for some people due to commitments, therefore we would also welcome any ways in which we could support you or your child or ideas for the ASN Parents Forum.  Your views are important to us and help drive the topics for our Forums.