Jargon Buster

Academy
Publicly funded independent schools that are free from local authority control. Other freedoms include setting their own pay and conditions for staff, freedoms concerning the delivery of the curriculum, and the ability to change the length of their terms and school days.

ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Adult Social Care
Care and support for adults who need extra help to manage their lives and be independent.

Advocate
Someone who can speak on your behalf, express your views and wishes, and ensure that your rights, concerns and needs are acted upon. Advocates act only according to the wishes of the person they are speaking for. They do not take their own view of what is best, or try to influence the person to make a different choice.

Aids and adaptations
Help to make things easier for you around the home.

ASD
Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Alternative provision or AP
Education arranged by a local authority or school for pupils of compulsory school age outside of mainstream or special schools, including pupils: with behaviour problems, health needs preventing school attendance or without a school place. It may include full or part time placements in pupil referral units, AP academies, AP free schools or FE colleges; provision in hospital schools and independent schools; and other provision such as home tuition services and voluntary or private sector providers.

Assessment
The process of working out what your needs are.

Annual Review
The review of an Education Health and Care plan each year.

Benefits
Payments from the Government that you may receive because of your age, disability, income or caring responsibilities.

Broker
Someone whose job it is to provide you with advice and information about what services are available in your area, so that you can choose to purchase the care and support that best meets your needs.

BSL
British Sign Language

BSP
Behaviour Support Plan

Base or core funding
Level of funding that is allocated from the local authority or EFA (Education Funding Agency, an arm of the Department for Education) to individual schools and other institutions, usually based on pupil or place numbers.

CAF
Common Assessment Framework. A method of assessment which can be used by social services, health or education. It is non statutory, i.e. it does not replace statutory assessment.

CAMHS
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Care plan
A record of the health and/or social care services being provided to a child or young person.

Carer
A person who provides unpaid support to a partner, family member, friend or neighbour who is ill, struggling or disabled and could not manage without this help.

Care Worker
A person who is paid to support someone who is ill, struggling or disabled and could not manage without this help.

CCG
Clinical Commissioning Group. This is an NHS organisation which brings together local GPs and health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services. A CCG plans and arranges the delivery of the health care provision for people in its area.

CEOP
Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (tackling child sex abuse and providing advice).

Children and Families Act 2014
Part III of the Act introduces significant changes to the SEN and disability system including new assessment arrangements, joint commissioning duties, a local offer, and increased engagement with children, young people and families.

CoP or Code
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015. This contains statutory guidance on the Children and Families Act 2014.

Commissioner
A person or organisation that plans the services that are needed by the people who live in the area the organisation covers, and ensures that services are available.

Community Care Services
Social care services that can help you live a full, independent life and to remain in your own home.

Community Health Services
Health services that are provided outside hospitals.

Continuing health care
Ongoing care outside hospital for someone who is ill or disabled, arranged and funded by the NHS.

Co-production
When you as an individual are involved as an equal partner in designing the support and services you receive.

CSA
Child Sexual Abuse.

CSE
Child Sexual Exploitation.

DASH
Domestic Abuse Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence.

DASV
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence.

DfE
Department for Education. The government department that is responsible for education and children's services in England.

Dedicated schools grant
The ring-fenced specific grant paid by the department to local authorities from April 2006 in support of the schools budget. The money has either to be delegated to schools or used for centrally managed provision for pupils. It contains three funding blocks (schools, high needs and early years).

DSL
Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Developmental delay
A delay in reaching the normal stages of development.

Direct Payments
Payments made in lieu of services being provided. Direct Payments may be available for health care, social care and for the special educational provision in an Education Health and Social Care (EHC) plan.

Disagreement Resolution
Local authorities must provide access to independent disagreement resolution to help parents and young people resolve disputes with local authorities, schools and other settings about Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) duties and provision.

DPR
Disability Planning Record.

DV
Domestic Violence

DVPN
Domestic Violence Protection Notice

DVPO
Domestic Violence Prevention Order

Early Help
Providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child's life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years.

Early Years Provider
A provider of early education places for children under five. This can include state funded and private nurseries, registered childminders and pre school playgroups.

EFA
Education Funding Agency, an arm of the Department for Education. It allocates funding to local authorities for maintained schools and voluntary aided schools. It is also responsible for funding and monitoring academies.

EHC needs assessment
An assessment of the education, health care and social care needs of a child or young person conducted by a local authority under the Children and Families Act 2014.

EHC plan
An education, health and care plan as defined in section 37 (2) of the Children and Families Act 2014.

Eligibility
When your needs meet your council's criteria for council-funded care and support.

EP
Educational Psychologist. A professional employed to assess a child or young person's special educational needs and to give advice to schools and settings on how the child's needs can be met. This role is sometimes referred to as an Ed Psych.

EY
Early Years.

EYFS
The statutory framework that all schools and Ofsted registered early years providers must follow which sets the standards for learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years.

FE
Further Education. The FE sector in England includes further education colleges, sixth form colleges, specialist colleges and adult education institutes. It does not include universities.

FGM
Female Genital Mutilation

Free school
State-funded schools set up in response to what local people say they want and need in order to improve education for children in their community. These new schools have the same legal requirements as academies and enjoy the same freedoms and flexibilities.

FSM
Free school meals.

Global delay
A general delay in acquiring normal developmental milestones.

HCPC
Health and Care Professions Council.

High needs funding block
Funding is currently allocated by central government to local authorities in three blocks: schools, high needs and early years.

Home authority
This usually means the local authority in which a child or young person is ordinarily resident (and which therefore has the responsibility to the child or young person under the Children and Families Act 2014).

Home Care
Care provided in your home by paid care workers.

HBV
Honour Based Violence

Hospital education or HT
Education provided at a special school established in a hospital, or under any arrangements made by the local authority where the child is being provided with such education by reason of a decision made by a medical practitioner.

Independent living
The right to choose the way you live your life.

Independent school
A school that is not maintained by a local authority.

Independent supporter
A person recruited locally by a voluntary or community sector organisation to help families going through an EHC needs assessment and the process of developing an EHC plan.

Integrated Care
Joined up, coordinated health and social care that is planned and organised around the needs and preferences of the individual, their carer and their family.

LA
A local authority / ‘Council’ in England.

LAC
A ‘Looked After Child’, supported by social work team.

LADO
Local Authority Designated Officer.

LSA
Learning Support Assistant, also sometimes called Teaching Assistant (“TA”).

MAAT
Multi Agency Advice Team.

Mainstream School
State school which can meet the needs of most children.

Maintained school
Schools in England that are maintained by a local authority – any community, foundation or voluntary school, community special or foundation special school.

Mediation
A method of seeking to resolve disagreements by going to an independent mediator. Mediation must be offered to a parent or young person in relation to an EHC Plan. Mediation is not compulsory for the parent or young person but they will need to consider mediation before appealing the education parts of an EHC plan in most cases.

MLD
Moderate learning difficulties – not a legal term but often used in relation to the description of a school, i.e. an MLD school.

Multi-academy trust
A group of academies working together under a shared academy structure.

National curriculum
The programmes of study and attainment targets for children's education, for all subjects at all stages.

Notional SEN budget
In considering their funding formula for mainstream schools and academies, and the appropriate level of delegation of SEN funding, local authorities must make sure that the budget shares of schools and academies include an appropriate amount that enables them to contribute to the costs of the whole school’s additional SEN support arrangements, up to a mandatory cost threshold of £6,000 per pupil.

Occupational Therapist or OT
Occupational Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the occupational therapist. A health professional trained to give advice on equipment, adaptations and activities to support the learning / social development of children, young people and adults with physical, emotional, sensory or behavioural difficulties.

Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. This is the body which inspects and regulates services which care for children and young people and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

Outcome
A description of the difference that will be made to an individual as a result of special educational or other provision. It should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and within a set timescale.

PECS
Picture Exchange Communication System

Person Centred
A way of working that makes sure a child or young person and their family are central to and involved in all aspects of planning and decision-making with the professionals and services working with them.

PfA or Preparing for Adulthood
This is a national programme providing knowledge and support to local authorities and their partners, including families and young people, so they can ensure disabled young people achieve paid work, independent living, good health and community inclusion as they move into adulthood.

Personal Budget
A Personal Budget is the notional amount of money which an LA has identified as necessary to secure the special educational provision in an EHC plan.

PMLD
Profound and multiple learning difficulties. Refers to people with more than one disability including severe learning disabilities.

Portage
Home based pre-school education for children with developmental delay, disabilities or any other special educational needs. Portage home visitors work in partnership with parents, helping parent to help their child through learning activities within the home.

Pre-assessment
The point at which you make contact with your local council and a decision is made about whether a full assessment is necessary.

Preventive Services
Services you may receive to prevent more serious problems developing.

Primary Care
The part of the NHS that is the first point of contact for patients. This includes GP's, community nurses, pharmacists and dentists.

Reablement
A way of helping you remain independent, by giving you the opportunity to relearn or regain some of the skills for daily living that may have been lost as a result of illness, accident or disability.

Reasonable adjustments
Are changes schools and other settings are required to make to ensure children and young people with special educational needs and/or disability are not substantially disadvantaged.  This could include: changes to physical features, for example, creating a ramp so that students can enter a classroom or providing extra support and aids such as specialist teachers or equipment.

Referral
A request for an assessment of a person's needs, or for support form a social care organisation.

Residential Care
Care in a home with or without nursing, for older people or people with disabilities who require 24 hour care.

Respite Care
A service giving carers a break, by providing short-term care for the person with care needs.

Review
When you receive a re-assessment of your needs and you and the people in your life look at whether the services you are receiving are meeting your needs.

Risk Assessment
An assessment of your health, safety, wellbeing and ability to manage your essential daily routines.

Safeguarding
The process of ensuring that adults at risk are not being abused, neglected or exploited.

Schools block
The schools block funds all pupils not funded through the high needs or early years blocks.

Section 41 list
Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014 allows independent special schools and specialist post-16 institutions to be included on the Secretary of State approved list. Registration under Section 41 would give parents/young people a right to express a school or institution as a preference when their education, health and care plan is being prepared/agreed and a requirement for local authorities to include the school or institution in their local offer. The arrangements also enable independent special schools and special post-16 institutions on the approved list to be considered on the same basis as maintained schools, academies, non-maintained special schools and FE colleges when a child’s or young person’s education, health and care plan is developed. It also places an obligation on the school or institution to admit the pupil and meet his or her needs.

Self Assessment
A form or questionnaire that you can complete yourself, either on paper or online, explaining your circumstances and why you need support.

Self Directed Support
An approach to social care that puts you at the centre of the support planning process, so that you can make choices about the services you receive.

Self Funding
When you arrange and pay for your own care services and do not receive financial help from the council.

SEMH
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

SEN Information Report
All schools must publish on their websites information about their policy and arrangements for supporting children and young people with SEN. The schools are also required to keep this information up to date.

SEN Support
Is any help for children and young people with special educational needs that is additional to or different from the support generally made for other children of the same age. The purpose of SEN Support is to help children achieve the outcomes or learning objectives that have been set for them by the school. Schools should involve parents in this process. SEN Support replaces Early Years Action/Action Plus and School Action/Action Plus.

SENCO
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator – the teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special help for children with SEN at their school.

SEND
Special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Sext/Sexting
Sending sexually explicit photographs or messages via devices connected to the internet.

Signposting
Pointing people in the direction of information that they should find useful.

Single Assessment Process
An attempt to coordinate assessment and care planning process across the NHS and councils, so that procedures aren't repeated and information is shared appropriately.

SLD
Severe learning difficulties – not a legal term but often used in relation to the description of a school, i.e. an SLD school.

SLT or SALT
Speech and Language Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the Speech and Language Therapist.

Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years
Statutory guidance on the SEN and disability system for children and young people aged 0 to 25, produced for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have SEN or disabilities.

Section 17
Section of the Children Act 1989 which gives Local Authorities a general duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are In Need.

Section 47
Section of the Children Act 1989 which places a duty on Local Authorities to make enquiries into the circumstances of children considered to be at risk of significant harm and, where these inquiries indicate the need, to decide what action, if any, it may need to take to safeguard and promote the child's welfare.

Section 47 Enquiry
If a child is taken into police protection, is the subject of an Emergency Protection order or there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, a Section 47 Enquiry is initiated.

Support Plan
A plan you develop that says how you will spend your personal budget.

Transition
Is a time of change which could be at particular points during a child's education for example moving from primary to secondary school, or a move between services, for example moving from children's services to adult services.

Tribunal
An independent body that determines appeals by parents or young people against LA decisions on EHC needs assessment and EHC plans.

Universal Services
Services such as transport, leisure, health and education that should be available to everyone in a local area.

VAWG
Violence against women and girls.

Voluntary organisations
Organisations that are independent of the Government and local councils.

Wellbeing
Being in a position where you have good physical and mental health, control over your day - to - day life, good relationships, enough money, and the opportunity to take part in the activities that interest you.