The Child Development Centre (Margaret Wells-Furby) supports local children from birth to 5 years who have moderate to severe and complex special educational needs.
We work closely with families to make sure children receive the early support they need. Our services include specialist groups, drop-in sessions and home-based support. We tailor all services to meet the individual needs of each child and family.
We also offer guidance, advice and training for professionals in pre-schools and foundation stage classes (nursery and reception).
Types of support
Types of support available are:
- specialist and targeted groups
- family groups
- drop-in sessions
- home learning
- visits to pre-schools and schools
- events for SENCOs (special educational needs co-ordinators)
- school holiday events
- training for professionals and parents
Referring children to our service
Children are often referred at an early age, typically by their hospital consultant or health visitor.
Any child from birth to 5 years can be referred to the centre by a pre-school, a school or a healthcare professional, like a speech and language therapist. Parents can also self-refer.
Referrals can come from:
- health professionals, such as paediatricians, health visitors or speech and language therapists
- preschools, nurseries and schools
- local authority teams, such as Early Help or MASH
If you think your child should be referred, we recommend discussing it with professionals who are already familiar with your child. This could be a teacher, health visitor or speech and language therapist.
After referral
If your child's pre-school or school refers them, a team member may visit the setting. They will want to meet with you to talk about the support your child might need.
If your child is not yet in a pre-school or school, we suggest attending our drop-in sessions to help us understand your child’s needs. This will help us determine the best support for them until they start a Bracknell Forest early years setting or school.
In some cases, a keyworker may be assigned to your child. If this happens, you will become familiar with your keyworker, who may visit your child at home or in an early years setting.
If you do not want to use the service or are unhappy with the service
Our service is available to provide support and advice, but you are not obliged to use it if you prefer not to.
If you are dissatisfied with the service, we encourage you to raise your concerns with a member of our team. If the issue remains unresolved, please contact the manager of the Child Development Centre.