Supporting parents and carers (BTEd)

Psychology and Therapeutic Services have a range of resources designed to support the gathering of children and young people’s voices, including understanding their worries and supporting their return to school. 

• Barriers to Education national site
• CYP worries resource
• Family worries resource
• Ideal School Tool for families (Coming soon)
• One Page Plan
• Resources for gathering CYP voice pack
• What Matters Island

AU Holiday Lodge 

The newly renovated AU Holiday Lodge at Fritton Lake is for families of children and young people with SEND in Suffolk. The lodge is accessible, fitted with a range of specialist adaptations and equipment to allow your whole family a relaxing break. Our lodge is particularly suitable for children and young people who have physical or mobility needs. For more information about staying at the lodge, you can contact: SENDBusinessSystems@suffolk.gov.uk

Behaviour support

We offer resources and training to support parent/carers to understand child behaviours and improve safety for all. Behaviour Safe at Home supports parents, carers and family members to understand and manage child behaviours. The training course is delivered by Bellscroft Consultancy. It is an informal course with the opportunity to meet other parents/carers who are experiencing similar challenges. This is a two-day face to face course focussing on theory (day 1) and practical skills (day 2). For more information please visit Behaviour Safe At Home | Activities Unlimited. There is a Behaviour Support section on the Suffolk Learning website which offers a range of guides and services, this includes bite sized videos designed to support parents/carers of SEND children with many typical behavioural issues. You can click on the videos individually or go to the YouTube Channel to watch all of them.

Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF)

 Holiday Activity and Food programme supports families in receipt of income-based Free School Meals during the main school holidays (Easter, Summer, and Christmas). Activities Unlimited works with SCC’s HAF team to commission groups for children and young people with SEND. We also work with mainstream providers to better support children with additional needs. You can find out more about HAF funded services and look out for the HAF logo in the AU Activity Guide 2026-27.

Promoting healthy relationships: Relationship support for parents - Suffolk County Council

Suffolk Parent Hub: The Parent Hub - Suffolk County Council

Supporting mental health in children and young people: Togetherness. This site provides online courses and resources that are free to anyone with a Suffolk Postcode. To access these, register by setting up an account, adding the password of your choice, and on the second page in the righthand corner use the access code: WOLSEY to take you to the landing page.

Parent and carer workshops and resources to help you support your young person's wellbeing.

Information to support your child or young person's wellbeing

• Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust Parent Workshops: Parent workshops | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS
• Psychology and Therapeutic Services EBSA pages: Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) resources
• School Anxiety and Refusal | Parent Guide to Support | YoungMinds

Activities and Support for young people aged 0-25 years

We support a network of providers to deliver leisure activities and groups for children and young people with SEND. There's a range of groups on offer including activities for the whole family, siblings, and the child/young person with SEND. Most groups and activities are delivered during the evenings, weekends, and school holidays. These groups will charge a fee for access, but we have provided grant funding to them to help offset the additional costs often associated with SEND provision. You can find all grant-funded services in our AU Activity Guide 2026-27. Families simply contact the provider direct to book their place. If you can't find what you need, or if you would like some help finding/accessing the most suitable activities, our family advice team will be happy to talk things through with you.

SENDIASS (Coming soon)

Family Hub/ Health Visiting Service (Coming soon)

Personal budgets

We offer personal budgets to families to help with the cost of short breaks. These budgets are intended as a contribution towards activities to help parent/carers get a break from their caring role, and give their children/young people something fun and engaging to do. Parents/carers can apply for a short break budget online through a simple application form that asks questions about your child's needs and your family's situation. You can apply for a budget here. If you need assistance completing the application, contact us on 01473 260026.

Short Breaks Service - Activities Unlimited (AU)

Activities Unlimited is Suffolk County Council's Short Breaks Service for the families of children and young people with SEND. Below gives an overview of what’s on offer. If you wish to discuss our service offer in more detail, please contact us at AUFamilyAdvice@suffolk.gov.uk or 01473 260026.

Suffolk Local Offer

Home - Suffolk SEND Local Offer