Jargon buster
This jargon buster explains language and abbreviations that may be used in these content pages, in meetings, letters, reports or conversations.
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.
Academy – A state-funded school that is independent from the local authority.
Access to Work – A state-funded employment support programme that helps disabled people start employment or, if already in employment, remain employed. It can provide practical and financial support if you have a disability or a long term physical or mental health condition.
Adult Services/Adult Social Care – A local council department responsible for providing care and support to adults who need extra help to manage their lives and be independent.
Advisory Teacher – A teacher who provides specialist advice to schools so they can improve support for a child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Advocacy – Support for people to express their views.
Advocate – Someone who helps another person (for example a child or their carer) to make decisions and have a voice.
Aids and adaptations – Equipment and changes to your home designed to support independent living.
Annual Review – Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities must review every Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) at least once every 12 months.
Appeal – A formal request for a court to re-examine a decision made by the local authority, for example about SEND.
Assessment – The process of working out what your needs are in order to understand what support might be helpful.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – A persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – A spectrum condition that affects how people communicate and interact with others. It is not an illness or a disease, but a lifelong difference in brain function.
B
Benefits – Payments you may receive from the government because of your age, disability, income or caring responsibilities.
C
C&YP or CYP – Children and young people.
Capacity – The ability to understand information and use it to make decisions.
Care Plan – A detailed plan that sets out the care a person needs, how it will be provided and by whom.
Carer – A person who provides support to someone who is ill, struggling or disabled and could not manage without this help.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) – The independent regulator of health and social care in England.
Caseworker – A named person who works for the local authority and deals with your child’s case. They are the person you contact if you have an enquiry or concern.
CDC – Council for Disabled Children.
CHAT – Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) – Services that assess and support children and young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health challenges.
Child in Need (CIN) – A child who requires support from Children’s Services to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development.
Child Protection (CP) – Processes that focus on keeping children safe from harm, including abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Children and Families Contact Swindon – The initial contact point to access services from Swindon Borough Council’s Children’s Services.
Children’s Services/Children’s Social Care – A local council department responsible for supporting and protecting vulnerable children. Services range from early help for families to intervention when a child is at risk of significant harm.
Children We Care For – Children who are in the care of the local authority. This typically means they are not living with their parents and are being looked after by the state, often in a foster home.
Community health services – Health services provided outside hospitals.
Compulsory school age – Generally 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, if their 16th birthday falls before the start of the next school year.
Consent – Permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.
Continuing and Complex Care (CCC) – Specialist health care for children and young people under 18 who have complex health needs arising from disability, accident or illness that cannot be met by existing universal or specialist health services.
Continuing Health Care (CHC) – A package of health care arranged and funded by the NHS for adults who are not in hospital but have complex ongoing healthcare needs.
Co-production – Working together, in equal partnership, with people who use services and their carers.
Core Group – A multi-agency team responsible for developing and implementing a Child Protection Plan to ensure a child’s safety and wellbeing. Core group members meet to check how the plan is working and to make changes if needed.
D
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) – An individual within a school, college or other educational setting who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding.
Department for Education (DfE) – The government department responsible for children’s services and education in England.
Direct payments – Money provided by the local council to an individual who has been assessed as needing services. The money is paid directly to the individual (or someone acting on their behalf) so they can arrange their own support.
Disabled Children Team – A team of social workers who work with children with significant and enduring disabilities and their families.
Disabled Students Allowance – Financial support for university students who have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty that affects their ability to study.
Disagreement Resolution – A meeting to resolve a disagreement. The conversation is supported by someone who is independent and can be used by parents, carers and young people to try to sort out disagreements with the local authority, schools, colleges or health and social care providers.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) – A legal framework for protecting people who lack capacity to consent to their care and treatment.
Dynamic Support Register (DSR) – A register of people with a diagnosis of learning disabilities and/or autism who may need additional support to keep living well at home and avoid mental health or hospital admission.
E
Early Help Assessment – A voluntary process that helps families, children and young people identify strengths, concerns and needs, and then develop an Early Help Plan for support.
Early Help Plan – A plan that sets out the help and support needed to meet needs identified in an Early Help Assessment. It is used where multiple agencies need to work together and is designed to provide early help and support to stop problems from escalating.
Early Help Review – A process used to assess how well the Early Help Plan is working, what is going well, what needs improvement and how to better meet the needs of children and their families.
Early Years Settings – All pre-school education provision, such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries, childminders and play groups.
EBD – Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.
Edge of care – Children and young people who are at imminent or potential risk of needing to become cared for by the local authority.
Educational Psychologist – A specialist who helps assess your child’s special educational needs and gives advice to schools.
Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan or EHCP) – A statutory plan for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through SEN Support within their school, college or other educational setting. The plan is drawn up by the local authority after an EHC needs assessment.
EHC Needs Assessment – A detailed assessment of a child or young person’s educational, health and social care needs. It is the first step in deciding whether an EHC plan is needed and what support is required.
EHCP Coordinator – A named person who works for the local authority’s SEND department and coordinates your child’s EHC needs assessment or EHC plan.
EET – Education, Employment or Training, often used in relation to young people aged 16 to 24.
Elective Home Education (EHE) – When a parent or carer chooses to educate their child at home.
Education other than at school (EOTAS) – Educational provision that meets the needs of children and young people who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend a mainstream or special school.
Exclusion – When a child is removed from school by the headteacher for either a fixed period of time (suspension) or permanently (expulsion).
F
Family worker – A worker who provides support to families facing multiple challenges, with a focus on empowering parents and ensuring children’s wellbeing. Family workers often take the Lead Professional role in coordinating Early Help Assessments, Plans and Reviews.
Fine motor skills – Small, precise movements we make with our hands, fingers, feet and toes.
Further Education (FE) College – A college offering education to young people over the compulsory school age of 16.
G
Gross motor skills – The ability to make movements using the large muscles in your arms and legs. 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 daily life. It is also known as domiciliary care.
Hearing Impairment (HI) – Any degree of hearing loss, from mild to severe.
I
Independent school – A school that is not run by a local authority. Independent schools must be approved by the Secretary of State as suitable for admitting children with EHC plans.
Independent Supporter (IS) – Someone who does not work for the local authority and is trained to provide advice and support for families with children with SEND. They support families during the EHC needs assessment and planning process.
Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP) – A document that sets out a child’s specific medical needs, care requirements and emergency arrangements in school. It is created with healthcare professionals, the child and their family and shared with school staff.
Integrated Care Board (ICB) – An organisation responsible for planning and commissioning local health services.
L
Lead Professional – The individual who takes the lead in coordinating and reviewing a child’s plan when multiple professionals and services are involved. They act as a single point of contact.
Legislative – Having powers to make law.
Local Authority – The council.
Local Offer – Information that local authorities in England must publish about education, health and social care services available for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities in their area.
M
Maintained school – A school in England that is funded and maintained by a local authority.
Mainstream school – A school that provides education for the majority of pupils, other than those placed in specialist schools or alternative provision.
Mediation – A service that helps 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.
Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) – A student who shows significant delay and greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills.
N
National curriculum – The statutory programme of study that sets out what should be taught and attainment targets for learning for pupils of compulsory school age in state schools.
NHS England – An independent body that aims to improve health outcomes for people in England by driving up the quality of care.
Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) – Young people, typically aged 16 to 24, who are not currently in education, employment or training.
Non-maintained special school – A special school approved by the Secretary of State that is not maintained by the state but charges fees on a non-profit basis. Most are run by charities or charitable trusts.
O
Occupational Therapist (OT) – A qualified health professional who provides practical support to help people overcome barriers to daily activities and become more independent. In health settings they help people manage daily living after illness, injury or disability. In social care they also look at the home environment and equipment needs.
OFSTED – The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. It inspects 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 for posture, standing and walking.
P
Parent Carer Forum – A group of parents and carers who work with local authorities, education, health and care providers to help ensure services meet the needs of disabled children and families. In Swindon the parent carer forum is Swindon SEND Families Voice.
Panel – A meeting where different organisations come together to share information, coordinate support and make joint decisions.
Pathway Plan – A document created with a care leaver (usually between 16 and 21) to help them prepare for leaving care and moving to independent living. It sets out the support they will need and their future goals, such as education, employment, health and finances.
Personal Budget – An amount of money allocated by a local authority to support a child or young person’s needs as set out in their EHC plan. It can be used to purchase education, health and/or care services and gives families more control over how support is provided.
Portage – Home-based educational support for pre-school children with complex needs, based on child-led play, family focus and structured teaching in the home.
Profound and Multiple Learning Disability (PMLD) – A diagnosis used when a child has more than one disability, with the most significant being a learning disability. Many children with PMLD also have sensory or physical disabilities, complex health needs or mental health difficulties.
Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) – The process of supporting children and young people with SEND to move into adulthood, including planning for education, employment, independent living, health and community participation.
Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) – A specially organised school that provides education for pupils who would otherwise not receive suitable education because of illness, exclusion or other reasons.
R
Reablement – Support that helps you remain independent by giving you the opportunity to relearn or regain skills for daily living that may have been lost because of illness, accident or disability.
S
Safeguarding – Action taken to protect vulnerable people, including children, young people and adults, from harm, abuse and neglect and to promote their wellbeing.
Section 17 – A section of the Children Act 1989 that sets out the general duty of every local authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need in their area and, where consistent with that duty, to promote their upbringing by their families.
Section 20 – A section of the Children Act 1989 that sets out a voluntary arrangement where a local authority provides accommodation for a child in need.
Section 31 – A section of the Children Act 1989 that sets out when a court can make a care order or supervision order, placing a child in the care of a local authority or under its supervision.
Section 47 – A section of the Children Act 1989 that places a duty on local authorities (and sometimes the police) to investigate when they have reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
Self-funding – When you arrange and pay for your own care services and do not receive financial help from the council.
SEN Code of Practice – Government guidance that explains how organisations should identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational needs.
SEND – Special Educational Needs and/or Disability. A learning difficulty and/or disability that means a person needs special education, health and/or employment support. This includes those with and without an EHC plan and with or without a specific diagnosis.
SEND Services – Providers offering help, advice, guidance and support for children and young people aged 0 to 25 years with SEND. This can include education settings, health services, social care, charities, community groups or individuals.
SEND Service – A council service that carries out EHC needs assessments and annual reviews for EHC plans.
SEND Information Advice and Support Service (SIAS) – A free, independent and confidential service that provides information and support to children, young people, families and professionals about SEND.
SEN Provision – Additional or different help or support given to children with special educational needs to help them access the curriculum.
Severe Learning Disability (SLD) – Profound developmental challenges in acquiring and using skills across many areas of learning.
Short break – Time spent apart between a disabled child or young person and their main carer.
Short Breaks Statement – A statement that sets out who can access short breaks and what services are available.
Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) – A wide range of social and emotional difficulties that may show as withdrawal or challenging behaviours. These may reflect underlying difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harm, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Some children and young people may have conditions such as ADHD or attachment disorder.
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) – The teacher with responsibility for planning and monitoring special educational provision in a school.
Special School – A school that is organised to make special educational provision for pupils with special educational needs, usually for children with EHC plans.
Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) – Therapy that helps children and young people build their communication skills, including speaking, understanding and expressing themselves. It can also support safe eating, drinking and swallowing.
State-funded – Financed by the government, either nationally or locally.
Statutory – Required, permitted or created by statute law.
Statute – A written law passed by a legislative body.
Strategy Meeting/Discussion – A meeting organised by Children’s Services when there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. The main purpose is to consider the child’s welfare and plan urgent action, which may include starting a Section 47 enquiry.
T
Team Around the Family (TAF) – A meeting where a child, their family and professionals working with them come together to deliver and review progress against an Early Help Plan.
Transition – Any change a child or young person experiences as they move from one stage or setting to another. This can include moving from early years to primary school, primary to secondary school, school to further education, and transition to adulthood and Adult Services at 18.
V
Visual Impairment (VI) – A condition where a person’s vision cannot be corrected to a normal level using glasses or contact lenses.
Y
Young carer – A child or young person under 18 who provides, or intends to provide, practical or emotional care, assistance or support to another family member. They often do significant or substantial caring tasks and take on responsibilities that would usually be carried out by an adult.
Young person – According to GOV.UK, a person over the age of 14 and under the age of 18.
Youth Justice – The part of the criminal justice system that deals specifically with children and young people, usually under 18, who have committed offences. Its main goal is to prevent offending, prioritise their welfare and help them reintegrate into society.
