Join us and discover the best ways to support your child in the water and how to encourage water confidence in a fun, friendly environment.
Learning to swim is a rite of passage for many children; it is a fun and healthy activity, as well as a valuable life skill. Sadly, for many children and young adults with disabilities, accessing swimming lessons with appropriate pools, equipment and instructors, is no mean feat.
Here at Seashell, we are proud to be able to offer fully inclusive swimming opportunities for both our students and members of the community – and have done so for many years. Our state-of-the-art swimming pool (The Bertie Broome Swimming Pool) complete with moveable floor and self-depositing steps make our environment totally inclusive and make for a highly dignified swimming experience.
Our new parent and baby sensory swim sessions will include lights and music, as well as sensory toys and activities for your child to swim with.
Our Swim instructor, Katherine says: “I love working with children of all ages and have been a Swimming Teacher for over 5 years. I have experience delivering swim sessions for younger children, aged from 6 weeks to 4.5 years, and I will be using my experience to create fun, sensory sessions here at Seashell.”
Sessions are held every Tuesday 12.15-12.45pm and are £8 per session.
Our Seashell Matters newsletter is all about thanking our supporters for all that they do. This edition highlights the life changing impact this support has on our students and wider community…
This issue includes details of numerous exciting events on our campus, including a visit from Children in Need’s Pudsey Bear, the launch of our Mandatory Qualification in Multi-Sensory Impairment (MQ MSI PGDip) where we will be teaching the next generation of MSI Teachers, not to mention welcoming Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh to Seashell. It’s safe to say, there’s never a dull day at Seashell!
We hope you enjoy reading this issue of Seashell Matters – if you would like to receive a printed copy of our newsletters, contact our team on info@seashelltrust.org.uk you can also sign up to our e-news mailing list by clicking the link below!
Join our inclusive community cycling sessions, based on our learn to ride track!
The ‘Learn to Ride’ track is a safe space for young riders of all abilities to enjoy the opportunity to develop their riding skills and in turn, their confidence and wellbeing.
Our Community Cycling Sessions offer fun, family cycling in a safe, traffic-free environment. There are a combination of different surfaces, pathways and working traffic lights for riders to navigate, along with replica road signs and markings to follow.
We have a range of adapted cycles, including bicycles, tricycles and tandems to help participants build confidence, skills, and fitness.
Sessions include access to our cycle track and trail, as well as our cycle fleet and helmets (you are also more than welcome to bring along your own bike and helmet). We will have our cycle team around to support you.
Sessions are taking place every Tuesday and Thursday, 4:30-5:30pm throughout January 2025.
Join us!
Sessions are £6 per participant, parents and carers can attend free of charge.
Are you looking to become a specialist in the field of SEND?
Want to know more specifically about multi-sensory impairment (MSI) and train to be a Qualified Teacher of MSI?
Seashell have launched a new MQ MSI PGDip (Mandatory Qualification for Multi-Sensory Impairment Postgraduate Diploma), with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). We are taking expressions of interest for our second cohort, starting in September 2025 and are keen to hear from you!
In the meantime, if you would like to meet us and hear more about our new, exciting, practice-based course please sign up to our online information session.
The sessions will run from 7-8pm, on Microsoft Teams on the following dates: 22 January, 5 March, 23 April, 4 June and 16 July 2025
Watch the video from the launch of this years course…..
This week, health care professionals from across the country celebrate Occupational Therapy (OT) Week to help raise awareness and promote the enormous difference OT has on so many people’s lives.
At Seashell, we are incredibly lucky to have a multidisciplinary team of clinicians based on our campus, including Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists, Audiologists, Physiotherapists, Assistive Technologists and of course, Occupational Therapists! This team expertly support our students in school and college, as well as disabled children and young adults nationally.
So…what is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy (OT) is the implementation of strategies that help people do the things they want and have to do at home, work and everywhere else in between. That could mean overcoming challenges learning at school, going to work or taking part in physical activities.
It’s also a science-based, health and social care profession that is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.
What are occupations and why are they important?
An occupation is any activity that we need, want or like to do to live and look after our physical and mental health. We do occupations throughout our life, both independently and with others.
Examples of occupations are:
Self-care – such as washing, eating or sleeping
Productive – such as work, study, caring or domestic activities
Leisure – such as playing sports, hobbies or socialising.
Occupations vary depending on our environment, interests and values, they also change and develop throughout our lives.
What do Occupational Therapists do?
Occupational Therapists (OT’s) help break down barriers that might make an activity or an ‘occupation’ difficult to access. They look at how an activity, or the physical or social environment it takes place in, can be modified or adapted to make things easier. Just as importantly, they will work in collaboration with the person receiving therapy and their support network to ensure a holistic approach is taken.
Some examples of how our Occupational Therapy team support students at Seashell…
A student who has muscle weakness in their hands, may struggle with basic hygiene activities. Their OT would provide therapeutic strengthening and coordination exercises to help hold a toothbrush, hairbrush, and clothing.
A student who struggles with noisy, crowded environments meaning they cannot take part in certain experiences. Their OT would work to help them manage the extra audio input and respond appropriately by using specialised sensory integration techniques.
We are very proud of our Occupational Therapy team at Seashell, who work hard to transform the lives of children and young adults with the most complex disabilities.
Seashell’s OT Team
This week, we were delighted to see the launch of our new Mandatory Qualification of Multi-Sensory Impairment Post Graduate Diploma (MQ MSI PGDip) at our campus.
Excitement was in the air as the next generation of QTMSI gathered together for the first time, ahead of the two year course. This will be one of five residential weekends.
Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) means that a person has impairments with both sight and hearing – their sensory loss may be present at birth or acquired later. Most people with MSI will have some useful vision and hearing; however, there are some individuals who are completely deaf and blind.
The combination of sight and hearing impairments can actually cause additional challenges for the individual – such as problems with balance and spatial awareness – this is why we talk of multi-sensory impairment (MSI), but you may also hear the term ‘deafblind’.
MSI is a low incidence condition, meaning that it occurs in low numbers/is less common, within the general population. Language in the education, health and care settings can vary, making understanding this population of learners challenging. In fact – this was one of the first topics that was discussed with the cohort during the residential weekend, alongside gaining a deeper understanding of MSI young people.
“Deafblind (MSI) children and young adults require highly specialist teachers to maximise their potential to learn. This qualification will provide our students with the specialist knowledge to ensure those learners have the best opportunities in preparation for adulthood.” – Caireen Sutherland, MQ MSI PGDip Course Leader
Seashell is one of just two providers delivering this specialist course in the UK. This is welcome news for the Sensory Impairment (SI) sector and for MSI especially, as it will give more opportunities for MSI learners, their families and naturally, the professionals working with them.
We are proud to have this course validated by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)
Find out more about the MSI Support at Seashellhere.
October is AAC Awareness Month and here at Seashell we want to use this time to celebrate and raise awareness. Seashell Speech and Language Therapist, Sarah has written a blog with a focus on the amazing range of strategies that our students use to communicate.
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Augmentative meaning enhancing or supplementing speech and Alternative meaning used instead of speech.
Examples of AAC can include:
Sign language
Facial expression
Body language
Gesture
Pictures and symbols
Electronic communication devices
The Speech and Language Therapists here at Seashell work with the children and young adults, and the team around them, to ensure that the right strategies are being implemented and modelled to help these individuals to communicate as effectively as possible, in as many situations as possible.
10 tips for AAC!
Model, model, model! When you use AAC, you demonstrate to the individual how they can communicate. For example, with a communication book, point to the symbols whilst saying the key words. Model all types of communication, including requests, comments and questions.
Make it fun! Be playful and creative and tap into the individual’s interests. This will help motivate them to communicate.
Wait, watch and listen. Allow the child/young person time to process and think about what you have said, as well as time to respond. Pausing is a natural part of communication.
Ensure the AAC is available, always! If the individual’s AAC system is not to hand, they can’t use it! Consistent access to communication encourages spontaneous expression and reduces frustration, making it easier for individuals to communicate whenever they need to.
Ascribe meaning. If the individual expresses something that may appear as a mistake or their meaning is unclear to you, respond to their message as best as you are able as though they meant it. This allows them to explore language and understand the meanings of words through context.
Never be afraid to make mistakes. Your mistakes help the child/young person understand how to solve their own communication breakdowns. For example, ‘oh dear, I’ve made a mistake, let’s delete that word’ or ‘oops that wasn’t the right category, let’s go back!’
Help the child/young person learn new language by repeating their words back to them using their AAC and then add another word. For example, if they say ‘cat’ you could say ‘black cat’.
More comments, less questions! This allows the individual to share their thoughts and experiences without feeling pressured to respond directly, this can create a more relaxed and engaging interaction.
Create a language rich environment for the individual, this will actively encourage communication and development. Ensure you are using and modelling descriptive language, labelling items and narrating actions through their daily activities to expose them to new vocabulary.
Keep trying! It may not work first time but consistency is key.
The Speech and Language Therapists at Seashell have also created an A-Z of AAC which has been displayed around campus…
Our Lead Nurse, Sam Wong has been at Seashell for nearly 3 years, but has been working as a nurse for 21 years. Her experience includes epilepsy, forensic nursing, but predominantly supporting people with Learning Disabilities who have Mental Health difficulties.
Sam has a keen interest in history. In this blog, she delves into Seashell’s past, particularly in relation to her field of expertise – nursing.
Being a Salford lass (Mancunian when united are winning) and after reading ‘A Beacon of Hope’ (Ed Baines) I was always intrigued to know the exact location of the first school for the Deaf, where Seashell began. Ed had identified the Lying-in hospital as the location so naturally as a nurse I wanted to know more and how this related to the nursing and midwifery history in Manchester.
Manchester and Salford are well known for their outstanding hospitals and nursing/midwifery schools. The University of Manchester School of Nursing and Midwifery is currently ranked as 7th best school in the world.
Saint Mary’s Hospital was founded in 1790 (the same year New Bailey prison opened) by Dr Charles White in a house in Old Bridge Street, Salford as the “Lying-in Charity”. Five years later in 1795 the charity became the Manchester Lying-in Hospital residing in the Bath Inn, Stanley Street, Salford. This is shown just to the left of New Bailey Prison before its expansion.
The Bath Inn was one of the first in Manchester. It was a four-storey pub overlooking the river with a number of rooms and apartments, as well as stables. The pub was named after an ancient spring which was turned into a cold spa, however James Maguire who had opened the Bath Inn decided the pub suffered from poor location (next to a prison and dirty river), and closed it just a year after it opened, in 1793 .
In the Bath Inn, midwifery training for women was provided and the building was felt to be very suitable. The bar was used as the medication store (apothecary). The hospital had private baths sourced from the spring and public bathers were charged for use and the profits went to the charity. The hospital even performed Caesarean sections. Inpatient accommodation was available for widows, deserted wives, and others whose homes were below standard for a proper birth. In 1800 there were 177 inpatients and 800 home patients for women in early stages of pregnancy or suffering from child-birth related disorders, and for children under the age of two. The charity recruited a list of midwives, who were paid two shillings and sixpence for each delivery. In 1819 it moved to smaller premises at 18 King Street Manchester, but moved back to Stanley Street in 1822.
Dr White gave lectures to the midwives of the charity and to students. The training of midwives was emphasised, and it was one of the first hospitals in England to do this.
Like many charities at this time there were financial difficulties, and the rising costs of treating in-patients, led to attempts to reduce the numbers and in 1813 in-patient use ceased leaving large parts of the building unused. Female midwifery pupils however could now stay with the midwives in the hospital, and accompanied them on rounds in the community. The hospital also was involved in small-pox vaccination and later delivered care to children up to the age of seven. An increase in the numbers of male and female mid-wives was needed and Thomas Radford was appointed as a man-midwife, a term later (1828) replaced with surgeon. The name of the hospital was changed to the Lying-in Hospital and Dispensary for Disease of Women and Children in 1822. The hospital continued with financial difficulties and increasing patient numbers and demands. From 1835, pregnant patients were required to pay, if able, two shillings upon admission.
Hugh Hornsby Birley was Treasurer at the lying-in hospital and already involved in the formation of an Institution for the Education of Deaf and Dumb Children and no doubt highlighted the previous Bath Inn as a potential accommodation for the school. Possibly the available nursing staff within the building was also considered beneficial. It also meant midwifery students would become familiar with deaf students and their unique needs. The following artist’s impression shows the New Bailey Prison on the right, with the Lying-in hospital far left, looking carefully it is also possible to make out the School for Deaf and Dumb right next door. Evidently the picture was created between 1824 and 1837, the time the school existed there.
As we know the school moved from Stanley Street in 1837, away from the prison, river and Salford City. It wasn’t ideal, with no play ground and the propensity for the childhood illnesses of that era.
By 1840, the hospital had also moved on and the site became an iron foundry, seen on the picture below as well as the now extended New Bailey Prison which met Irwell Street (now part of New Quay Street).
In 1854, the hospital was renamed St Mary’s, remaining today as part of the Manchester Foundation Trust, continuing to provide clinical excellence before, during and after birth.
Whilst members of the nursing team were off to sunny locations, I seized the opportunity to visit Stanley Street.
Attempting to recreate the view from J Davies depiction, the location of the Bath Inn is under development behind the black hoarding.
The site of the New Bailey Prison has also been transformed, but keeps the name synonymous with its past.
When I completed my nurse training I chose to branch into learning disability nursing, and have never regretted doing so.
Leading the nursing team at Seashell is demanding but supporting the health needs of our amazing students is possibly the best job in the world. And the nursing link with Seashell’s past continues today. We welcome numerous nursing students from universities across the north west, nurses studying adult, child, mental health and learning disability nursing. Some students are completing joint programs to also become social workers. The experiences of these nursing students at Seashell are often profound. Their learning opportunities at Seashell will influence their future practice. More recently we are seeing trainee nursing associates visit and complete placements and after confirmation of our ideal learning environment have one of our own Nursing Assistants embark on the program in September 2024.
We are delighted to share that we have been able to offer a series of free workshops for parent carers of children and young adults with the most complex disabilities thanks to sponsorship from Slater and Gordon Lawyers.
So far, sessions have included Sleep Support, Internet Safety and a workshop focussing on wellbeing and self-care.
Still to come this year is legal support from Slater and Gordon themselves, Benefits advice, Mental Capacity Act information and an Understanding Behaviour session delivered by industry specialists.
We are so grateful that Slater and Gordon Lawyers were interested in supporting Seashell’s family services. So far the partnership has reached 40 parent carers, with many more to come.
Parent carers of disabled children face significant financial inequalities. Many are unable to work due to care responsibilities and the lack of/cost of appropriate childcare, so being able to remove financial barriers and deliver this support for free is invaluable.
The most recent workshop – wellbeing and self-care – was particularly well attended and feedback has suggested that it is an area that our families would the opportunity to engage with more in the future.
An attendee of our most recent workshop on wellbeing said: “It has been incredibly helpful and so lovely to feel listened to and seen as an individual.”
Another parent carer said: “It’s the first time we have been able to attend something as a couple for a long time.”
Rosalyn, a Principal Lawyer at Slater and Gordon said: “Although I regularly meet with families of children with complex needs and disabilities there is usually an agenda and endpoint to the meeting, and so it was a privilege to be able to just listen and absorb information and stories, which I hope will give me a greater degree of empathy and understanding generally.”
Jenny, Family Support and Participation Manager at Seashell said: “The partnership with Slater and Gordon has meant that we have already been able to host some really beneficial workshops for families, as well as some exiting plans for the autumn term. The feedback we get from families attending these events just shows how vital it is that we continue to offer parents the opportunity to attend workshops that not only empower them to increase their knowledge but also to look after their own health and wellbeing.”
The workshops have been delivered both online and in person, in the hope that as many families can access the support as possible.
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