SEND Local Offer - Other opportunities in the community

Find information on opportunities for young people with disabilities to participate in the community, including leisure or social activities and volunteering opportunities.

Young People's Zone

If you are under the age of 25, have special educational need and disability (SEND) and live anywhere in Nottinghamshire, the Young People's Zone from Ask Us Nottinghamshire can help you find information on support and services, including:

education
health
relationships
activities
money
work
preparing for adulthood.

The Young People's Zone has been developed with and specifically for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Visit The Young People's Zone (Ask Us Notts)

Leisure and social opportunities

Find information on activities that are happening in your local area, including groups and clubs on the SEND Local Offer: Things to do page

Find out how leisure activities has had a positive impact on one young person in this 2 -minute You Tube video:

Youth services and voice

Youth services are for children and young people between the ages of 10 to 25, if you have a special educational need or disability.

The youth service operates in all areas of Nottinghamshire. Sessions cost £1. There are also Link Youth groups for young people with disabilities.

The groups provide an opportunity to build friendships in your local area outside of school and offer a wide range of different activities.

For more information and to find details of groups in your area go to Nottinghamshire Youth Service (Nottinghamshire County Council)

Youth voice and youth parliament

Youth workers work closely with young people in lots of different ways to ensure young people have a voice, that they are heard, and that they have the skills and knowledge to make changes to their own lives and the world around them.

This is done in lots of different ways:

Management committees offer young people an opportunity to make decisions about how club money is spent, the activities that will be offered including trips and residentials.
District Youth Forums feature in each district of the county and enable young people supported by a youth worker to campaign on issues relevant to their local community.
Youth Parliament - Nottinghamshire elects four members of Youth Parliament and four deputy members for a two year period. Members of Youth Parliament will chair the local district youth forums and campaign on issues that are important to young people.

For more information, including how to get involved, go to Youth voice and Youth Parliament (Nottinghamshire County Council)

The Nottinghamshire Pioneers Youth Forum

The Pioneers Youth Forum are a group of young people with an interest in disability issues. They meet one Saturday a month, representing and enabling young people with disabilities to have a voice and be heard.

The group is open to those age 11 to 25 years who work together to make a difference for local young people supported by the Nottinghamshire Youth Service.

Find further details at on the Nottinghamshire Pioneers Youth Forum directory listing

Volunteering opportunities

Volunteering is someone spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment, local community or someone who they're not closely related to.

Having a physical or learning disability shouldn't prevent anyone from volunteering. There are countless volunteer opportunities out there with workers needed in a variety of areas. Organisations must make reasonable adjustments to make volunteer roles accessible to everyone.

How do I find the right volunteer role?

Think about what interests or excites you - This could be something that you have enjoyed doing before or something completely new.
Think about what time or skills you can give - With so many opportunities to choose from, it's a great idea to narrow down the choices by deciding what you're willing to give.
Contact your local volunteer centre.

For contact details of local volunteer centres and opportunities around Nottinghamshire go to, Work and Volunteering

You can also search on the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) website

For more about volunteering if you have a disability, visit:

Using the internet and social media

The internet and social media can be a place where young people feel safe, calm and in control. There are many positive opportunities for young people online, such as communicating with friends, watching videos or playing games.

However, using the internet and social media can carry risks for children and young people particularly those who are vulnerable due to disabilities, therefore it is important to be aware of the risks and how these can be managed.

Online safety teaching and guides

As part of the National Curriculum pupils in primary and secondary schools are taught about online safety and harms, including:

what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like
the effects of their online actions on others
how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online
where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

To learn more about this, speak to your child or young person's school or education establishment.

The following websites also have information for supporting young people with SEND online:

Cyberbullying and bullying on social media

Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones.

Find out more about cyberbullying, including what you can do to stop it at Bullying and cyberbullying (Childline)

To find out more about bullying on social media, including what you can do to stop it at Bullying on social media (Childline)