Special educational needs & disabilities information, advice support service.

SENDIASS is a service run by the Citizens Advice Waltham Forest and is a statutory service that the Local Authority must legally provide under the Children and Families Act.

The service is commissioned by the Local Authority yet it is managed by a different agency that has its own company constitution and it provides; is a free, confidential and impartial service for children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers. Waltham Forest SENDIASS provides information, advice and advocacy support for children, young people, and parents/carers that empowers them to express their views and wishes and helps them to understand and exercise their rights in matters including exclusion, complaints, SEND processes, and SEND appeals.

How do I receive the support as a parent or carer of a child or young person with a special education need or disability?

You can make an appointment to have individual support or you could access any group support or any face to face support that the service offers. Sometimes SENDIASS may provide sessions on:

Helping children, and young people and their parents or carers to gather and understand information that relates to their specific needs.

Education law on SEN and related law on disability, health and social care.

Arrangements for transitioning between provision and services such as from primary to secondary schools.

SENDIASS provides support in the following areas:

• Listen to your concerns and querie
• Support around the legal framework for Educational Health and Care Plans
• Support around education placement choices
• SEND policy and practice
• Information on services available locally
• Personalisation and personal budgets
• Legislation on SEND
• Ways to resolve a disagreement or make a complaint, including mediation
• Help you prepare for meetings
• Training and events focused on SEND related topics
• Disagreement resolution and mediation
• Signpost to other sources of help and information
• Help you to get your views, the views of your child or young person known, understood and valued
• Help with paperwork and writing reports and letters
• Help you to look at all of the options
• Prepare you for appeal to the tribunal, and
• Independent support

You can make an appointment to have individual support or you could access any group support or any face to face support that the service offers.

For further information on this service and contact details please click SENDIASS.