Type of service: Family support and information services, Parent partnerships, Parent partnerships

Website: http://www.dudley.gov.uk/dudleysendiass

Dudley Special Educational Needs & Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) (formerly Dudley Parent Partnership Service) provides a range of information from education law to related law on disability, health and social care to help parents, children and young people in making informed choices and this enables them to play an active role in relation to educational decisions. We can offer support if you have concerns with or without an Education Health Care Plan in place for the child or young person. The service offers casework support, support in meetings and training and development seminars throughout the year. The service works with nursery, primary and secondary schools, academies and post 16 settings, to promote positive engagement with parents, children and young people. Who does the service provide for?; Parents of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities; Children with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities; Many children will access information, advice and support via their parents, but older children may want to access the service separately from their parents; and Young people up to 25 years of age with SEN or disabilities. Young people can access our service. They will receive confidential and impartial, information and support that will allow them to participate fully in decisions about the outcomes they wish to achieve. We can also work separately and impartially with both the parents and the young person, where there is a disagreement on an issue related to SEND. What does the service do?: We provide free, accurate, impartial, confidential, information, advice and support relating to special educational needs (SEN), disability and related health and social care issues. Including: Education law on SEN and related law on disability, health and social care; Support to understand and interpret information relating to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND); Initial concerns related to potential SEN or disabilities; Advice on the special educational needs and disabilities provision available in education settings for children and young people who do not have an Education Health Care Plan in place; Support to request an Education Health Care Plan (EHC Plan) and understanding the process; Personalisation and managing a Personal Budget; Support relating to disagreement resolution; Support relating to managing mediation; Help in understanding the SEND Tribunal appeal process; Complaints relating to SEND including those relating to health and social care; Exclusions relating to SEND; Local policy and practice; The local offer; Parent carer support groups, local SEN youth forums, local disability groups and training events; Signposting to additional support services both locally and nationally where needed, including those provided by the voluntary sector; Access to regular free information workshops/events on matters relating to SEN and disability; A range of information leaflets. Available in a range of community languages and different formats on request. The service offers individual casework support including: Advice on gathering, understanding and interpreting information and applying it to your own situation; Support when a child or young person with a special educational need or disability needs extra help in an educational setting and no Education Health Care Plan is in place; Support in attending meetings, writing letters, contributing to assessments and reviews and participating in decisions about outcomes for a child or young person; Help when things go wrong. Advice and support on resolving disagreements and managing complaints related to SEN and disability; Advice and support to help promote independence and self advocacy for children, young people and parents; Supporting young people to participate fully in decisions about the outcomes they wish to achieve; Advice and support in relation to an Education Health Care Plan, which may include attending meetings or future reviews; and Support from an Independent Supporter, to help during the EHC assessment and the process of developing an EHC Plan, may be available to families and/or young people who request it.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Adult , Child , Parent/carer of a child, Parent/carer of a young person, Parent/carer of an adult, Young person

Gender: All genders

Specialisms: Generic