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The latest news and updates for parents/carers
and children and young people 0-25 years with special educational needs
and disabilities (SEND) in the Manchester City Council area
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Our next drop in is on Wednesday 21st May, 10am-12pm at Crossacres Family Hub, Poundswick Lane, Wythenshawe M22 9TA. These monthly free events are for parents/carers and young people with SEND up to 25 in the Manchester City Council area. They offer a chance to talk to a range of services and get support. Your children don’t need to have a diagnosis. All welcome – including professionals. See our May drop in bulletin for more information.
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FUTURE 2025 DROP INS, 10am-12pm
Wednesday 18th June, Moss Side Powerhouse
Wednesday 16th July, Manchester Youth Zone
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Manchester Local Offer has a new podcast! It’s here to bring you real stories and interviews with local SEND services across Manchester. Episode One is around 18 minutes long and starts with MCR Social and then Manchester Bees Forest School (8.17), two of the activities in our SEND Community Offer.
Episode 1 – You Tube
Episode 1 - Spotify
The Local Offer Pocast is created by the digital team at SENDCode, supported by interns from DISC (Digital Independent Specialist College. If you have a story to share or are part of a service that supports SEND families, get in touch - localoffer@digitaladvantage.org.uk.
Our SEND Information Hub is another great way to find out what's available locally. Categories include education, benefits and grants, household and equipment, and stuff to do.
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Local Offer survey - still open!
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There is still time to have your say on Manchester Local Offer!
- Have you been to a SEND drop in?
- Do you use our online information?
- Do you read our newsletter regularly?
- Have you accessed the SEND Community Offer?
- Have we helped you have a say?
Share your experience in our short survey. Closes end of May. Thank you!
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SEND COMMUNITY OFFER
EID party - this Saturday!
Join Manchester Parent Carer Forum and Dare 2 b Different for a free family-friendly Eid celebration this Saturday 17th May, 2-4pm at Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, Levenshulme M19 3QE. Have fun and meet other SEND groups and support services in a welcoming and inclusive environment. For Manchester SEND families. Please book through MPCF.
SEND-friendly cinema - this Sunday!
The next relaxed cinema showing with Manchester Parent Carer Forum is Sunday 18th May, 11am to 1pm at GRUB, 50 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, M4 4HF. The film will be Mufasa: The Lion King (PG). Siblings without SEND are welcome to join this SEND-friendly screening where guests can get free popcorn. This activity is for SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. Book through Eventbrite.
Holidays and Challah
Join Manchester Parent Carer Forum for an inclusive, family-friendly workshop at Manchester Jewish Museum - ‘Holidays and Challah’. Learn about Jewish festivals through the exploration of stories, rituals, and food. It’s on Wednesday 28th May, 10am-12pm at the museum on 190 Cheetham Hill Road, M8 8LW. For Manchester SEND families. Please book your free places.
OTHER STUFF TO DO
Open Doors - this Saturday!
Open Doors is a free monthly creative workshop especially for autistic children and their families and carers. It's a chance to get hands on with a variety of making activities, explore the art gallery or just spend time together in the children’s space, The Lion’s Den. A quiet room is available. Sessions are run by Autism for the Arts, supported by gallery staff. The next session is this Saturday 17th May, 10am-12pm, arriving any time between 10-11.30am. Book through Eventbrite.
Summer activity break
The Newman Holiday Trust have opened applications for this year’s summer holiday at Stonyhurst College in Clitheroe from Sunday 10th to Saturday 16th August. The trust provides respite breaks for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent children and young people (aged 4-18), supported by one to one workers. Find out more on Manchester Parent Carer Forum’s website. You can also meet the charity at our May drop in. Here’s the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
Festival of Libraries
Returning for its fifth year, and winner of Best Event at the Manchester Culture Awards in 2024, Festival of Libraries is the biggest festival of its type in the country, bringing together all 133 of Greater Manchester’s libraries and more. It runs from Wednesday 4th to Sunday 8th June and includes the following events:
- A free drop in with Billy and Andy’s Inclusive Music School on Wednesday 4th June 2025 from 10.00am-12pm at Didsbury Library, 692 Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DN. Experience a series of interactive sessions that showcase the beauty and possibilities of accessible musical instruments. Open to all ages.
- A drop in board games session at Manchester Central Library, St Peter's Square, Manchester, M2 5PD on Wednesday 4th June from 5-7pm. Open to all ages and abilities. Try new games, rediscover old favourites and make new friends. Part of a weekly activity.
- Free Family Fun Day at Manchester Central Library on Sunday 8th June 2025 12-4pm. Expect special performances, music, exhibitions, craft sessions, and lots of fun for all ages. The full programme will be available soon. No need to book, just drop in!
Find a book
Five hundred copies of ‘Am I Made of Stardust? by Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be hidden in Greater Manchester’s libraries, parks and trams this half term. Follow the clues for a chance to find a book and meet Maggie. Learn more.
Quiet mornings
Quiet Mornings are free muti-sensory play sessions at Whitworth Art Gallery, running from 10.30am to 12.30pm. No need to book, just drop in. The next session is Sunday 29th June. They are specially designed for families with additional needs who may prefer a quieter, calmer environment. Children lead the way and move around in their own time and at their own pace. Find out more from The Whitworth.
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SEND Dads Society - this Thursday!
The next meeting of the SEND Dads Society is on Thursday 15th May, 7.30-9pm at Heaton Park Golf Club, M25 2SW. Join fellow Greater Manchester-based dads for peer-to-peer support, information-sharing, and a judgement-free space to talk. The group runs every third Thursday of the month with thanks to the National Network of Parent Carer Forums.
Pure Support - email by 16th May!
Pure Support invite you to a coffee morning at Hub 422 on Friday 23rd May from 10.30am to 1pm at 422 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4EX. Find out about this vibrant and supportive space where learners can engage in meaningful activities, develop catering and food hygiene skills, and gain hands-on experience in a fully equipped training kitchen. Email Megan Demeza-Wilkinson by Friday 16th May if you would like to attend – megan.demeza-wilkinson@pureinnovations.co.uk.
Pure Support empowers adults with learning disabilities, mental health challenges or additional needs to build life and work skills through engaging day services, including hands-on café training at Hub 422. The café is open Monday to Friday, 9am-3pm where you can get a hot meal for just £2 and a cooked breakfast for £3.
Autism workshops
The Social Communication Pathway in Manchester offers free workshops for parents/carers whose children are either on the waiting list for assessment or have had a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Topics cover: Understanding Neurodiversity and Wellbeing, Understanding Communication Differences, Understanding Sensory Differences and Understanding and Working with the Education System
Check out Manchester Parent Carer Forum’s website for sessions coming up in the next few months.
Get to know where to go
When you use the right NHS service, you get the right treatment sooner. The first thing you should know is which service you should use for your symptoms. Get to know where to go for minor illnesses, eye and dental problems, mental health support, urgent help and more.
Make siblings count
Sibs is the UK charity for brothers and sisters of disabled children and adults. Young siblings and adult siblings share their experiences in this #MakeSiblingsCount video, along with patron Jo Whiley. If you know a young person under the age of 18 who supports someone else, like a parent, sibling or grandparent, take a look at this Manchester City Council Young Carers Hub.
Free autism talk
This May, the Centre for Autism's free online talk celebrates the launch of a new book developed from Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou’s pioneering co-production project at the Anna Freud Centre. In ‘Improving mental health therapies for autistic people and their families’, Georgia will be discussing collaborative approaches to co-design models of support. The talk is on Thursday 22nd May, 7-8.30pm - book through Eventbrite. All previous talks can be found on the Wellbeing Hub’s You Tube channel.
Carers Week
It’s Carers Week from Monday 9th to Sunday 15th June, an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring. There will be free activities all over Manchester. This includes Manchester Carers Centre young adult carers (ages 16-25) social meal on Tuesday 10th June, 5.30-7.30pm. See Carers Manchester events calendar for what’s coming up, and here's the schedule in poster format.
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Following two years of consultation, with contributions from more than 10,000 Mancunians, Manchester City Council has launched the next ten-year phase of the Our Manchester Strategy. The aim is for Manchester to become the place people want it to be, based on residents’ hopes for the future. There are big challenges to tackle, including housing, climate change, health inequality and education, but the Council is determined to rise to this challenge and build a city we can all be proud of. Find out more, plus a summary in British Sign Language.
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Touching Grass
Touching Grass is a new learning programme exploring the climate emergency, social justice and taking action. It has been created with and for young people aged 18-25 from marginalised groups across Greater Manchester. There are two workshops on Saturday 7th June and Saturday 13th September at Manchester Museum’s Top Floor environmental action and social justice hub. These will help shape the content for a programme of workshops in Spring 2026, plus support the group to curate a 2026 public intervention in the museum’s permanent galleries. Applications are especially invited from people whose lived experiences and identities typically exclude them from climate spaces, including disabled and neurodivergent young people.
Your feedback wanted
If you are 18 or over and neurodivergent, the Building Independence Team would like your feedback. They are changing their name from the Reablement service and also how they do things. As part of this, they would like to know how they can support neurodivergent people better. Can you share any examples of services or projects that were easy for you to get support from? Here is the online form to share your tips and suggestions. If you would like to give feedback in a different way, please get in touch with Annie Baker, 07989 133861, anneliese.baker@manchester.gov.uk. Thank you!
Join the Changemakers
If you are aged 14 to 25 and live in Manchester, you are invited to join the Changemakers. It's a way that disabled and neurodivergent young people in the city have a voice about the things that matter to them and help to make positive changes to services. It’s fun too, with a chance to make friends and learn new skills. To find out more, contact Luke on 07592 845246, luke.wilson@gmyn.co.uk.
Did you know we have a section for young people in our SEND Information Hub? Find it here!
If you would like to get our newsletters, find out how to sign up
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