Chaos & Calm

15/12/2025

It is finally time for our Christmas party on Friday 19th December - all of our families are welcome to attend even if you normally attend on a different day! We are having a visit from Father Christmas who is scheduled to land at 13.30!

We will still have out toys and sensory play and Father Christmas is very relaxed and happy to take his time with each child even if they can't come and sit with him he will visit them whilst they play.

We look forward to seeing you x

12/12/2025

Super pleased to spot this reduced at Tesco in Southend (the large one on the A127) £3 each and they can be made switch adaptable for kids who need that level of access by using a battery interrupter which you can find online ..

https://www.liberator.co.uk/battery-device-adapters

https://www.inclusive.com/products/battery-switch-adaptors?srsltid=AfmBOoppJONppUbKJ4aikVYiQezdZyyV1doCtVBPqFVN2ueU8ytiHxXw

Please feel free to share any great Christmas gift ideas you may have

10/12/2025

We are hoping to get more information on exactly what support will be provided very soon but we are always in support of any measure that will improve early intervention and support for our kiddos and their families .. please share anything you would like to see included in this. X

🧩👪 During my conversations with SEND parents, professionals, and charities, I've heard time and again how crucial early intervention is - and I completely agree.

As part of my report that I only recently submitted to the Minister, Georgia Gould - MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale, I shared local thoughts and recommendations around this directly to the Government.

We knew that Best Start could be a fantastic opportunity to embed early intervention for families, and I'm so pleased to see the Government agrees with the views of us here in Southend West and Leigh and will ensure that every Best Start centre has a SEND professional and specific services available! 👪🧩

You can read more here!
👇
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/access-to-early-send-support-through-best-start-family-hubs

03/12/2025

Music session tomorrow SAVS Southend - we will be having lots of musical fun tomorrow including a few Christmas numbers to help with the festive mood!!! Come and join us at your usual session time! Little Heroes ASD SupportCity Family Southend Family Centres

28/11/2025

We are looking forward to a few weeks of festive fun ahead - we know this time of year can get a bit overwhelming for both us adults and the children so we try not to go too mad with it all but we have lots of winter themed sensory fun ahead and on our last session on December 19th we are hoping we have all been good enough that Father Christmas will stop by! Next week Thursday at our sensory storytime session we will be having a music time and will feature a couple of Christmas numbers alongside all our usual songs and instruments and our legendary dancing!! We can’t wait to see you all x City Family Southend Family CentresSouthend SEND Local Offer

10/11/2025

Join us in making one of Autumn themed sensory bottles....

We love sensory bottles and they don't have to be liquid filled - we had some filled with leaves or conkers which made fabulous sounds!

The more glue you add the slower the objects inside will move - I generally do about 40% - 50% glue - using warm / hot water will mean the mixing is quicker whilst you are making the bottle!

17/10/2025

Elaine will be at this event and would love to see some familiar faces passing by to say hi…. It could be a really worthwhile event for families looking to
Find out more about local service providers.

🌟Southend SEND Information Day 🌟

Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF), and the Southend SEND Local Offer Team are delighted to invite parent carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND), as well as professionals to our SEND Information Day.

📅 6 November 2025
🕘 9:00am to 3:00pm (drop in anytime)
📍 Southend Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, SS2 6ER.

Come and meet a wide range of local services and organisations who support SEND families across Southend-on-Sea at our SEND Marketplace. You'll be able to speak with teams including The Specialist Teaching Service, Educational Psychology Service, Early Years Team, and many more.

There will also be talks on key topics:
▪ 10am to 11am: Transitions from the Children with Disabilities Team to adult social care
▪ 11.30am to 12.30pm: Health information session; Decision making; young people with additional needs
▪ 1pm to 2pm: Collaboration Counts: Supporting your young person with SEND in education

No booking needed, just drop-in at a time that suits you.

Free tea, coffee and water will be available. Food can be bought from the Civic Centre cafe, or people are welcome to bring their own. Civic Centre parking is limited, so attendees are advised to use public transport or town centre car parks.

Please note, the event is for adults and there will not be a creche provision or activities for children. The marketplace is open to all, but we kindly ask that babies and young children are not brought into the information sessions.

Please contact the Local Offer Team at localoffer@southend.gov.uk with any questions.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Visit: www.livewellsouthend.com/SENDInformationDay

ID: A graphic promoting the Southend SEND Information Day. Details about the events are included in the caption. There is a graphic of a line of people's profiles.

15/10/2025

We have had a busy first half term .... Our usual five face to face sessions per week, an extra session for our friends at Little Heroes ASD Support, and Southend SEND Independent Forum and delivering a course for professionals from City Family and other local organisations. We love what we do!!!

25/09/2025

These are our weekly term time sessions for children who have limited mobility they may be creeping, crawling, rolling or lying but haven't yet found their feet. Lots of children who attend these sessions require extra or specialist equipment so please don't worry if you need a plug socket nearby or space for a specialist seat we can accommodate you and look forward to welcoming you!

24/09/2025

We run lots of different sessions every week and are confident we have something for everyone....

These two sessions are suited to children who are independently mobile, who like to run, walk and jump! Our sessions are very relaxed and informal and children are invited to engage in a wide variety of activities.

One of our most asked questions is about our story time sessions 'Does my child need to sit still? - because they can't'!! The answer is absolutely not - these story sessions are fully interactive and active participation is encouraged - we have lots of resources to explore as well as singing and opportunities to develop communication skills through Makaton and symbols.

If you are curious about our sessions please do get in touch, we would love to meet you ....

08/09/2025

Awesome Alfie was a huge part of our inspiration to set up Chaos and Calm and we continue to be inspired by his legacy at Alfies A Team. They have supported so many of our wonderful families with micro grants so if you can support this amazing event please do…

We’re excited to announce that tickets for our annual Halloween Party are now on sale!! 🎃🎃🎃👻👻👻 🧟 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️
Friday 31st October. 730pm start. The Royal Hotel, Southend high street.
Tickets are £20 each
Fancy dress is compulsory

Dj Ghoulish Greg May and Devilish Dj Damo Stone are confirmed.

Please message me if you want tickets and you can pay via bank trasnfer or PayPal to he added to the

Account name : ALFIES A TEAM
Sort Code: 821208
Account Number: 20161047
Or
PayPal

05/09/2025

Come on down for all things farm sensory play today including our ultra slimey tapioca duck pond! We are at Blenheim children’s centre group 1. 13.00 and group 2. 14.15 we can’t wait to see you all - new families always welcome so please do get in touch!