Dear colleagues,

This week I would like to highlight the launch of the Specialist Early Education Service (SEES) in Surrey.

The Portage and LEAP (Local Early Autism Programme) teams are amalgamating and expanding to form the Specialist Early Education Service (SEES). Both teams already have a very positive reputation within Surrey and were cited in the previous two Ofsted inspection reports as examples of good practice in working collaboratively with parents to achieve positive outcomes for children.

The new quadrant based teams will continue to be part of the Educational Psychology Service and will be made up of an experienced, skilled and highly trained team of teachers and specialist support workers. SEES offers support to families with children aged 0-5 with a range of additional needs and offers a variety of programmes including: Portage, LEAP, Positive Play, PAT-P and a number of specialist groups. The team work closely with parents and carers, and often key staff in nurseries and pre-schools to develop a personalised plan for each child which includes individual targets linked to developmentally appropriate activities. These are drawn from a range of evidenced based strategies and approaches such as SCERTS, Emotion Coaching, Attention Autism, PECS, etc. The SEES team have close links with local health professionals, especially Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy Services ensuring that each child’s programme is well co-ordinated and holistic.

If you would like to know more about this service and how to access it please do contact Susan Harris our Principal Psychologist and Autism Strategy Lead.

Best wishes

Liz