Jargon buster
To support young people who struggle with some of the terms and language used in these content pages, we have provided this jargon buster, which helps to explain language that is constantly used in meetings, conversations and in the text.
This guide will help you to navigate the language used in letters or reports you receive and that have abbreviations or phrases you may not understand.
If there are more words, abbreviations and phrases that are not in this jargon buster that you would like added, contact The Local Offer team at localoffer@swindon.gov.uk.
Navigate to:
A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / L / M / N / O / P / R / S / T / V / Y
A
Abuse - Harm that is caused by anyone who has power over another person. It can include physical harm or neglect, and verbal, emotional or sexual abuse.
Adult social care - Care and support for adults who need extra help to manage their lives and be independent. These adults include older people, people with a disability or long-term illness, people with mental health problems, and carers.
Academy - A public funded school that is independent from the local authority.
Access to Work - A publicly funded employment support programme. It aims to help disabled people start employment or, if already in employment, remain employed. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or long term physical or mental health condition.
ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder is a group of behavioural symptoms. These include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a group of behavioural symptoms. These include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Advocacy - Support for people to express their views.
Advocate - Someone who helps another person (e.g. a child or their carer) to make decisions and have a voice.
Aids and adaptations - Equipment or changes to buildings to help people live in their own homes. These can include things like grab rails, ramps, walk-in showers and stair-lifts.
Annual Review - Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities must carry out a review of every Education, Health and Care plan (EHC Plan) at least once every 12 months.
Appeal - A SEND appeal is a formal request for a court to re-examine a decision made by the local authority.
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
Assessment - The process of working out what your needs are. An assessment looks at how you are managing everyday activities such as looking after yourself, household tasks and getting out and about. You are entitled to an assessment if you have social care needs.
B
Benefits - Payments you may receive from the government because of your age, disability, income or caring responsibilities.
C
C&YP or CYP - Child and Young People.
CAMHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. These services assess and treat children and young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
Care Plan - A record of the health and / or social care services that are being provided to meet your care and support needs.
Carer - A person who provides unpaid support to someone who is ill, struggling or disabled and could not manage without this help.
Caseworker - A named person who works for the local authority who will deal with your child's case and who will talk to you if you have an enquiry or concern.
CCG - Clinical Commissioning Group. An organisation responsible for planning and commissioning local health services.
CDC - Council for Disabled Children.
CHAT - Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool.
CIC or CLA - Child in Care, or Child Looked After is a child who is looked after by the local authority.
Compulsory school age - Broadly speaking, a child from 5 to 16 years old. A child is of compulsory school age from the beginning of the term following their 5th birthday until the last Friday of June in the year in which they become 16, provided that their 16th birthday falls before the start of the next school year.
Community health services - Health services that are provided outside hospitals, such as district nursing.
Continuing health care - A package of care that is arranged and funded solely by the NHS for individuals aged 18 and over. This care are for those who are not in hospital but have complex ongoing healthcare needs.
Children with Disabilities team - A team of specialist Social Workers and Occupational Therapists who work with sick and disabled children and their families.
Co-production - Means working together with the people who use services, their families and carers to help make those services better.
CP - Child Protection.
CQC - Care Quality Commission. Independent regulator of health and social care in England.
D
DfE - Department for Education.
Direct payments - Money that is paid to you (or someone acting on your behalf) on a regular basis by your local council so you can arrange your own support, instead of receiving social care services arranged by the council. See also: Personal Budget.
Disabled Students Allowance - Financial support for undergraduate or post-graduate students who have a disability or long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty, which affects their ability to study. It can be used to pay for things such as special equipment, a note-taker or transport costs.
Disagreement Resolution - A meeting to resolve a disagreement. The discussion is supported by someone who is independent and can be used by parents / carers and young people to try and resolve disagreements with the local authority, schools, colleges or health and social care around the services they provide.
E
Early Years Settings - All pre-school education provision such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries, childminders and play groups.
EHC plan - Education, Health and Care plan: An EHC plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support through their setting. It is drawn up by the local authority after an EHC needs assessment of the child or young person has determined that an EHC plan is necessary.
Educational Psychologist - Someone who helps in assessing your child’s special educational needs and giving advice to schools.
EBD - Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.
EHE - Elective Home Education when a parent or carer chooses to educate their child at home.
Eligibility - When your needs meet your council's criteria for council-funded care and support.
EOTAS - Education other than in school.
Exclusion - When a child is removed from school by the head teacher for either a fixed period of time (fixed term) or permanently (expelled).
F
FE College - Further Education College. A college offering continuing education to young people over the compulsory school age of 16.
Fine motor skills - The ability to make movements using the small muscles in our hands and wrists.
G
Gross motor skills - The ability to make movements using the large muscles in your arms and legs. So crawling, running and jumping are gross motor skills. Fine motor skills are smaller actions.
H
Home care - Care provided in your own home by paid care workers to help you with your daily life. It is also known as domiciliary care.
HI - Hearing Impairment.
I
Independent school - A school that is not looked after by a local authority. Independent schools will be approved by the Secretary of State as being suitable for the admission of children with EHC plans.
IS - Independent Supporter. An individual who is independent from the local authority and is trained to provide advice and support for families with children with SEND through the statutory assessment and EHC process.
L
Legislative - Having powers to make law.
Local Authority - The council.
Local Offer - Local authorities in England are required to set out in their Local Offer information about provisions they expect to be available across education, health and social care for children and young people in their area who have SEN or are disabled.
M
Maintained school - Schools in England that are maintained by a local authority.
Mediation - This is a statutory service designed by local authorities to help parents, young people and local authorities resolve disputes over EHC needs assessments and plans.
Mild Learning Difficulties - A student with mild learning difficulties is usually able to hold a conversation and communicate most of their needs and wishes.
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulties. Someone who displays significant delay and greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills. They may also have associated speech and language delay, low levels of concentration and under-developed social, emotional and personal skills.
N
National curriculum - This sets out clear, full and statutory entitlement to learning for all pupils, determining what should be taught and setting attainment targets for learning.
NHS Continuing Care - Support provided for children and young people under 18 who need a tailored package of care because of their disability, an accident or illness.
NHS Continuing Health Care - See Continuing health care.
NHS England - An independent body which aims to improve health outcomes for people in England by driving up the quality of care.
Non-maintained special school - Schools in England approved by the Secretary of State as special schools, which are not maintained by the state but charge fees on a non-profit-making basis. Most non-maintained special schools are run by major charities or charitable trusts.
O
OT - Occupational Therapist. A trained professional who provides practical support to help people overcome barriers that stop them doing activities and help them become more independent.
OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education, Child Services and Skills. A government department inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
Orthotic Service - A service that offers assessment, prescription and supply of devices to support the lower limbs in regard to posture, standing and walking.
P
Parent Carer Forum - A group of parents and carers of disabled children who work with local authorities, education, health and other providers to make sure the services they plan and deliver meet the needs of disabled children and families. In Swindon the parent carer forum is Swindon SEND Families Voice.
Personal Budget - Money that is allocated to you by your local council to pay for care or support to meet your assessed needs. You can take your personal budget as a direct payment or choose to leave the council to arrange services.
Personal Budget (SEN) - A personal budget is necessary funding, which is identified in a child or young person’s social care, health or education assessment for additional services and help.
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Disability. This diagnosis is used when a child has more than one disability, with the most significant being a learning disability. Many children diagnosed with PMLD will also have a sensory or physical disability, complex health needs or mental health difficulties.
Portage - Planned, home-based educational support for pre-school children with special educational needs. Local authorities usually provide portage services.
PPS - Parent Partnership Service. See SENDIASS (renamed).
PRU - Pupil Referral Unit. A specially organised school, which provides education for pupils who would otherwise not receive suitable education because of illness, exclusion or any other reason.
R
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.
Respite Care (also known as Short Breaks) - A service giving carers a break by providing short-term care for the person with care needs. Families may also be receiving support from the Children with Disabilities Service.
S
SEAP - Support, Empower, Advocate, Promote. An independent health complaints advocacy.
Self-funding - When you arrange and pay for your own care services and do not receive financial help from the council.
SEND - Special Educational Needs and / or Disability. A learning difficulty and / or a disability that means the individual needs special health and / or education / training / employment support (including individuals with or without an Education, Health and Care Plan and / or any specific diagnosis).
SEND - Services any providers offering help, advice, guidance and support for children and young people aged 0 to 25 years with special educational needs and disabilities. This could be an educational setting, a health care provider, social care, a local charity, a community group or an individual.
SENARS - Special Educational Needs Assessment and Review Service.
SENCO - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The teacher with responsibility for the planning and monitoring of the special educational provision within your child's school.
SEN Code of Practice - A government document which provides practical advice to those carrying out their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for children's special educational needs. The latest version is June 2014.
SIAS (SENDIASS) - SEND Information Advice and Support Service. Provides free, impartial and confidential information and support to children, young people, families and professionals about special educational needs and disabilities.
SEN Provision - The additional or different help / support given to children with special educational needs, designed to help them access the national curriculum.
Settings - See Early Years Settings.
Short Breaks - See Respite Care.
SLD - Severe Learning Disabilities.
Special School - A school that is organised to make special educational provision for pupils with SEN and available for children with Statements of Educational Needs / EHC plans.
Speech and Language Therapy - Speech and language therapy is a health care profession. The role and aim of which is to enable children, young people and adults with speech, language, and communications difficulties to reach their maximum communication potential.
Statutory - Required, permitted or enacted by statute.
Statute - A written law passed by a legislative body.
Statutory Assessment - A detailed assessment of a child's special educational needs, which informs the EHC plan.
T
Telecare - Technology that enables you to remain independent and safe in your own home.
Transition Plan - A plan drawn up after the year 9 annual review of a statement / EHC plan that draws together information from a range of individuals to plan for the young person's transition to adult life.
V
VI - Visual Impairment.
Y
Young person - According to GOV.UK, a person over the age of 14 and under the age of 18.
