About Cathy Darby

Cathy is a member of The British Psychological Society and qualified from the Open University with an honours degree in Psychology in 2017. She has been working in education for 22 years in Primary Settings and has vast experience of supporting parents/carers and children. She has worked in a variety of posts: SEN 1:1 Teaching Assistant, Deputy Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator, and Designated Deputy Safeguarding Lead. Cathy combines her years of experience working with children, parents and outside agencies and is passionate in supporting the needs of her families in a friendly and supportive manner. 

THE FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE

This new family support and SEN service from TCT is designed for families who have children with SEN and would like some guidance and support as they make their way through the large number of systems that are in place. Cathy will work with each family in a bespoke manner and help navigate the journey that each family is taking.

Cathy will be able to offer the following:

• Parent consultation and initial history/time-line taking. Cathy will be able to take a detailed look at what support has been offered in the past (if any), current issues and explore options available
• Offer advice and support to bridge communication between health colleagues and educational settings
• Support with the translation of SEN/Medical reports so that families are comfortable with their understanding
• Support for schools/setting to embrace and embed therapy advice from therapists
• Support families who are already known to TCT through the EHCP process
• To provide an education perspective for complex cases and meeting support for the family e.g. case managed children where there is a large team around a child
• Observational and 1:1 work with children with SEN in their setting
• A collation service, collecting and updating information regarding outside agencies and any alternative support available for families
• To accompany families as they visit specialist settings and attend transition visits so that they feel happy, comfortable and safe. To provide a communication bridge between the setting and families so that any tricky questions can be dealt with clearly and effectively

Who is it designed for?

•  Parents
• School/early years settings
• Health professionals
• Statutory services
• Case managers

How will this service be offered?

• Clinic consultations
• Visits – home/setting
• Virtual