CENMAC Vision & Aims

CENMAC Raising Aspirations
We Believe in All Children and Young People - Seeing the potential in everyone -Celebrating small steps and big changes
Person-centred Approaches -Centering young views, experience & communication throughout our practice
Innovating Through Collaboration - Co-designing new technologies with students, therapists, compaines, universities
The Right to an Inclusive Education - Teaching and learning that is accessible - Promoting independence and self-determination
Engaging Family & Community -Listening to family, valuing culture & language -Working in partnership for better lives & learning
Upskilling Across Systems -Sharing specialist knowledge with partners: Teachers, TAs, SENCOs, families, health professionals ...
The Right to Assistive Technology - Regardless of age, diversity or need, inequitable systems or outdated policy
Holistic & Life Changing Outcomes -Removing barriers, finding creative solutions - Preparing for life after education
With Practice-Based Research - Improving the environment using evidence-based tools (SETT framework)

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Raising the aspirations and achievements of children and young people using assistive technology and/or augmentative and alternative communication.

CENMAC is a unique person-centred service supporting children and young people (aged 2 to 25), usually with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), experiencing barriers to their learning and/or communication in mainstream schools, special schools and educational settings or at home.

Our multi-disciplinary team of professionals, work together to provide assessments, reviews and the loan of a wide range of assistive technology (AT) and/or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support the needs of each individual child or young person.

We aim to raise the aspirations, enable the independence and self advocacy of every child and young person we support and celebrate their achievements.

SETT framework

Using the SETT framework CENMAC assesses the needs of each individual child or young person, and loans appropriate assistive technology for learning, communication, relationships and life skills.

We take into account the time it takes each individual to learn and to grow and we work with families and schools to test, prioritise and embed communication systems.

With ongoing targeted support, we aim to improve educational outcomes and have a positive impact on their communication.

Ongoing training

We offer regular and ongoing training for adults (including teachers, TAs, school leaders, health and other professionals, parents and carers), supporting the child or young person to ensure effective use of the assistive technology. We also respond to individual training needs as required.

Regular reviews

We conduct regular reviews of progress, and provision may be updated at any time in response to the changing needs of the child or young person.

We seek to raise the achievement of all the children and young people we support and have high aspirations and expectations about what is possible now, and in the future.

Collaboration

We collaborate with communities, businesses, universities and other organisations to influence policy and practice, funding, and the continual development of cutting-edge technology.

Our annual event Communication Works, held in May, celebrates the latest innovations in assistive technology and gives us an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the children and young people that we support.

Research

We support professionals adopting evidence-based approaches contributing to new research & innovation in education and assistive.

For more visit our website research page.

CENMAC are working on a project plan to develop our service. Please see some of initial ideas and aspirations for the future.

Graphic Facilitation by www.penmendonca.com