Sendac - Cumbria Parent Carer Forum

09/06/2026

🚨 FREE Sensory Processing Training DAY! UPDATE – Carlisle venue and date now confirmed! 🔵 🚨

SENDAC has teamed up with Zena Cassels, NHS Children’s Occupational Therapist from North Cumbria Integrated Care, to deliver another round of FREE sensory processing training sessions for parents and carers of children with additional needs across Cumberland and Eden. 👁️👃🏽👂🏼👅🖐🏽🤸🏻‍♂️🏋🏼‍♀️🫀

When we ran these sessions in March, we asked parents to rate the training and they gave it an incredible ⭐ 4.6 stars out of 5 ⭐ showing just how highly valued the sessions were!

✅ FREE lunch included 🍽️
✅ For parents/carers of children with additional needs (no diagnosis required) 👨‍👩‍👧
✅ Maximum 45 places per session – booking required 👥 🎟️

What will the session cover?

✔ An introduction to sensory processing
✔ Understanding levels of alertness and fight/flight responses
✔ Universal and targeted sensory support in Cumberland and Eden
✔ How to identify your child’s sensory needs and support them
✔ The new sensory lead approach in Cumberland and Eden schools
✔ Interoception (body awareness)
✔ Time for questions and discussion

Dates & Locations 📍

You can choose ONE of the following dates.

(All sessions run from 10:00am – 2:30pm)

🟣 Wigton – Monday 22nd June 2026
Venue: The Market Hall Conference Centre

🔵 Carlisle – Thursday 2nd July 2026
Venue: Civic Centre, Carlisle (Cathedral Room)

🟢 Penrith – Wednesday 8th July 2026
Venue: Penrith Cricket Club

🎟️ Booking is essential (maximum 45 places per session).

To book, please use the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H28XWTT

This session is hosted and funded by SENDAC, and a SENDAC representative will also be in attendance throughout the day.

We hope to see you there! 💙

27/05/2026

FREE Sensory Processing Training DAY! ROUND 2 - with free lunch provided for all attendees! 🥪🥗 👁️👃🏽👂🏼👅🖐🏽🤸🏻‍♂️🏋🏼‍♀️🫀

SENDAC has teamed up with Zena Cassels, NHS Children’s Occupational Therapist from North Cumbria Integrated Care, to deliver another round of FREE sensory processing training sessions for parents and carers of children with additional needs across Cumberland and Eden.

When we ran these sessions in March. We asked parents to rate the training and they gave it a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5! showing they were highly valued! 🌟

- FREE lunch included 🍽
- For parents/carers of children with additional needs (no diagnosis required) 👨‍👩‍👧
- Maximum 45 places per session – booking required 👥

What will the session cover?

- An introduction to sensory processing ✔
- Understanding levels of alertness and fight/flight responses ✔
- Universal and targeted sensory support in Cumberland and Eden ✔
- How to identify your child’s sensory needs and support them ✔
- The new sensory lead approach in Cumberland and Eden schools ✨✔
- Interoception (body awareness) ✔
- Time for questions and discussion ✔

Dates & Locations 📍

You can choose ONE of the following dates
(All sessions will run from 10:00am – 2:30pm)

Whitehaven – Thursday 4th June 2026
Whitehaven Football Club 🔴

Wigton – Monday 22nd June 2026
The Market Hall Conference Centre 🟣

Penrith – Wednesday 8th July 2026
Penrith cricket club 🟢

Carlisle – COMING SOON keep an eye on our Facebook to find out our Carlisle date which will take place in July 🔵

Booking is essential (maximum 45 places per session). 🎟️

To book - please scan the QR code at the end of the video or use the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H28XWTT

This session will be hosted and funded by SENDAC! A SENDAC rep will also be in attendance. We hope to see you there! 💙

14/05/2026

🌟 Our March Sensory Processing training Sessions were amazing! 🌟

A huge well done and thank you to all of the parents and carers who attended the sessions throughout March. We had over 180 parents and carers attend across Cumberland 💙🤸🏼‍♀️

We also want to thank all of our fabulous venues and caterers! We had some amazing food, and fab venues.

Of course we want to thank Zena too, for delivering such a fantastic sensory lead approach around our Cumberland schools and delivering this training to parents.

Following the sessions, we asked parents and carers to complete feedback forms, with 131 responses received from attendees. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

⭐ Overall training rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
⭐ 98% said the training was well delivered
⭐ 94% found it helpful
⭐ 86% said it helped them understand their child better
⭐ 82% felt empowered to advocate for their child’s sensory needs
⭐ 76% said the training increased their confidence overall
⭐ 72% said it made them feel less alone

The feedback really highlights how important it is for families to have opportunities to access support, increase understanding, and connect with other parents and carers with shared experiences. As well as emphasising the HUGE importance in understanding our children’s sensory needs!

👀 Keep an eye on our page next week, as we’ve already booked the next round of Sensory Processing Sessions for June & July! 🙌🏻

05/05/2026

27/04/2026

I’m sitting with a mix of sadness and anger this morning.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) does not disappear when a child reaches secondary school. It doesn’t quietly resolve itself by Year 7. It doesn’t stop affecting learning just because the curriculum gets harder.

This last 7 days alone, I’ve met three 15-year-olds who sat their GCSE mocks earlier in the year — and all three failed badly.

All three have EHCPs.

And yet, the staff working most closely with them didn’t even know.

Let that sink in.

These are young people with identified, documented speech, language and communication needs — needs that directly impact their ability to understand questions, process information, organise their thoughts, and express what they know. And still, they were placed into high-stakes exams without the understanding or support they are legally entitled to both for the exam and in the classroom. The provision is clear, including pre-teaching of vocabulary, scaffolding and support with narrative.

This isn’t about lack of ability.
This isn’t about effort.

This is about a system that is still not recognising how fundamental language is to learning.

When DLD is not understood:
• instructions are missed
• questions are misunderstood
• knowledge cannot be expressed
• anxiety skyrockets

And the result? Failure on paper… and a devastating impact on mental health.

The young people I met this week are not just “behind” — they are exhausted, overwhelmed, and losing confidence in themselves. There are serious concerns about their wellbeing, and rightly so.

We cannot keep letting this happen.

EHCPs should mean something in classrooms.
Staff need to know who these young people are.
And most importantly, they need to understand what DLD looks like in a 15-year-old — because it doesn’t look the same as it does at 5.

If we don’t get this right, we are not just failing academically — we are failing these young people at a human level.

Something has to change.

30/03/2026

🎉 SENDAC Easter Raffle WINNERS 2026! 🐣🍫

Congratulations to all our winners! 🎊

I’ll be contacting each of you to arrange getting your Easter eggs/toys to you (either delivery or post).

I’m really sorry this is later than planned! I had intended to do it live, but my little boy was very loud and kept running through, jumping and climbing on me🤣🤣 I needed to be able to pause and stop the video when needed!

Then we didn’t expect to have so many problems uploading it either!

On the bright side… you’ll get to enjoy some lovely verbal stims in the background! 😊💙

Thank you so much to everyone who took part 💛

25/03/2026

ONLY 5 days left to enter our free Easter egg raffle!

CLOSING DATE! Monday 30th March 2026 at 10:00 am! ⏰ 🍫

12/03/2026

11/03/2026

FREE SENDAC Easter TOY Raffle!! 🐣 🐰 🥕

❗️PLEASE only enter this raffle if your child has additional needs and cannot take food by mouth e.g. tube fed or has allergies/sensory issues resulting in not being able to eat Easter eggs, chocolate etc ❗️

CLOSING DATE! Monday 30th March 2026 at 10:00am! We will draw the winners on the same day at 7:00pm on our page!

Prize is a toy/sensory hamper (this will come wrapped in cellophane and ribbon)
🐣 🧺 🎀

It contains:

- one large bunny teddy
- a giant balloon ball
- scented confetti slime
- Easter tattoos
- bunny bubble wand
- wooden bunny painting kit
- make your own clay character kit
- Easter suprise bath bomb
- stretchy sensory carrot
- sensory glitter Easter egg cup!

We will post the prize out to the winner the day after we draw the raffle next day delivery! Perfect for those who haven’t bought their Easter toys yet! ☺️

How to enter! Please read the rules carefully:

1. Like this post

2. Comment your full name followed by your favourite Easter emoji (you can only write your name once)

3. Reminder, please only enter this raffle if your child has additional needs and has difficulties eating/ cannot eat by mouth e.g. is tube fed or allergies meaning they cannot eat Easter eggs, chocolate etc

Last chance to enter will be March 30th 2026!

GO GO GO!

Please feel free to share this post!! 🐣 🐰

BTW, if you haven’t already seen we have an Easter egg raffle too https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17MBKyDQeG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/03/2026

OUR ANNUAL FREE Easter egg raffle!! 🐰🥕🍫

❗️You MUST be a parent or guardian to a child/young adult with additional needs/disabilities in Cumberland (Cumbria) to enter this raffle! ❗️

FOLLOW ALL RULES BELOW CAREFULLY!

CLOSING DATE! Monday 30th March 2026 at 10:00 am! ⏰

How to enter! Please read the rules carefully:

1. You must be a parent or guardian of a child with additional needs or disabilities in Cumberland (Cumbria) to enter this raffle!

2. Like this post

3. Comment your full name followed by your favourite Easter emoji (you can only write your name once)

4. If you answer these three survey questions about SENDAC correctly you will win a SECOND FREE raffle number!! -
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G6TGQPC

1st prize - Huge Easter egg bundle 🍫🥚
2nd prize - Medium fun egg bundle 🍫🥚
3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th Prize - 1 Easter basket! 🧺🍫

We will post all prizes out to the winners the day after we draw the raffle, next day delivery! So they will be there in time for Easter!! Perfect for those who haven’t bought their Easter eggs yet! ☺️

Last chance to enter will be Monday 30th March 2026 at 10:00am! ⏰

We will draw the winners on the same day at 7:00pm on our page!

If you have a child who is unable to take food by mouth or has allergies/sensory issues meaning they could not eat Easter eggs, watch out for our raffle post tomorrow! 👀

GO GO GO!

Please feel free to share this post!! 🐣 🍫 🐰