We are managed by and operate from Garratt Park School, and our strong partnership helps to contribute to the school’s ethos, by promoting it as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ within the Borough. The Advisory Team works in a unique, collaborative partnership, which complements individual expertise, to provide a highly effective model of outreach support.

The Advisory Service enables schools to develop good practice and raise levels of achievement by collaboratively breaking down the barriers to learning.

Our aim is to develop and extend long term partnerships with mainstream schools, establishing a mutually supportive culture to promote inclusion, develop good practice and raise levels of achievement:

• To have a long-term impact within all mainstream schools and Garratt Park School by complementing, enhancing and providing effective provision which is different or additional to current practice
• To implement a progressive framework of advice and support for students and their families
• To develop long-term partnerships with mainstream schools, establishing effective multi-agency planning and approaches
• Delivering training programmes to influence good practice in mainstream settings, maximising the impact and improving the experiences, well-being and life chances of students on our remit (in relation to the outcomes of the ECM Agenda)
  
  

PARENTS:
The Advisory Service sets parent involvement at the heart of all outreach policies and procedures. Parents and carers are at the heart of their children’s development and education. We believe that working in liaison with parents/carers, involving them in planning and implementing programmes, secures a more consistent approach to a student’s difficulties across a variety of settings. This provides teachers with invaluable information about family dynamics that may be impacting on the student.

The Advisory Service aims to establish strong links with parents/carers and keep them informed at every stage of the intervention process. We understand students with Autism have very specific and individual support needs. The Advisory Team, as well as other professionals within the Borough, will provide support and advice sympathetic to the needs of each family/unit. We work alongside families to develop support programmes which benefit the individual, their family and the school, taking into account each home setting. The newly established parent forum (P.A.S.S – Parent Advice and Support Service) will enable individuals and their families to develop a better understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders and provide families with an opportunity to implement positive management strategies within the home and school environment. Families will gain access to a multi-agency support network and understand that they are not alone.

The Advisory Service will adopt the following framework for contact between parent/carers:

• Contact through an advisor providing support through report writing, annual reviews or within meetings.
• Talking to parents through the P.A.S.S. (Parent Advice and Support Service) Forum held within Garratt Park School and within mainstream schools, where specific issues can be addressed with Advisors and other professionals and community agencies.
• Liaising with the Early Years Centre (EYC), Parent Partnership and Contact A Family.
• Supporting parents/carers within mainstream schools e.g. through meetings, coffee mornings and forums

PROFESSIONALS:
The Advisory Service strongly advocates liaising with other relevant professionals within the Borough of Wandsworth; collaborating with other agencies and support services. Links with the Head of Health Services/Primary Care Trust (SALT & OT), Early Years Centre (EYC), Hearing (HI) and Visual Impaired (VI) Services, BEST BIP Team, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), Educational Psychologists (EP’s), Behaviour & Learning Support Service (B&LSS), Contact a Family (CaF), Connexions and other integrated support services have been established and will continue to be developed through Multi-Agency Planning (MAP) meetings.

MANAGEMENT:
Managers within schools provide a crucial role in developing and establishing new initiatives, monitoring progress and ensuring that adequate provision meets the needs of all students; promoting inclusive education, in line with School Improvement Plans. The Advisory Service aims to develop strong partnerships with all Senior and Middle Managers through appropriate specialised support and advice, monitoring progression against the approaches reflected in the Wandsworth SEN Provision Map and Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) for Autism.