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SEND Family Guidance

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The Role of SEND Support Services for Parents

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SEND Support

When a child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), navigating the education, health, and social care systems can feel confusing and overwhelming. Parents and carers often find themselves trying to understand complex processes, policies, and paperwork while ensuring their child receives the right help. This is where SEND support services play a vital role offering clear guidance, practical advice, and emotional reassurance throughout every stage of a child’s journey.

At SEND Family Guidance, we work alongside families and professionals to make sure children and young people with SEND receive the help they deserve in school, at home, and in the wider community.

What Are SEND Support Services?

SEND support services are local and national organisations that provide advice, information, and advocacy for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Their aim is to help parents understand their rights, access the right assessments, and ensure that education, health, and social care work together effectively.

Under the SEND Code of Practice, every local authority must offer an Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) that is free, confidential, and impartial. This service supports parents, carers, and young people in understanding SEND law, the Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan process, and how to work collaboratively with schools and professionals.

These services can explain what support is available, guide you through paperwork, and help you prepare for meetings about your child’s needs. They are especially useful for families who may be new to the SEND system or unsure where to start.

How Support Services Help Families

SEND support services assist families in a range of ways, including:

• Explaining how to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

• Supporting communication between schools, health professionals, and parents.

• Helping families understand the graduated approach used in mainstream schools.

• Providing emotional support for parents and carers during stressful periods.

• Advising on early intervention and mental health support options.

• Offering guidance on appeals, complaints, and tribunals if disagreements arise.

These services act as a bridge between families and professionals, ensuring that everyone involved works together to meet the child’s individual needs. For many parents, having someone explain each step of the process in plain language can make a huge difference in confidence and clarity.

Working with Schools and Professionals

In most cases, your child’s school will be your first point of contact for SEND support. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) oversees how the school identifies and assists pupils with SEND. They follow a graduated approach, meaning the level of support increases if your child’s needs become more complex or require specialist help.

SEND support services can attend meetings with you, help you interpret reports, or suggest questions to ask. They can also help you understand how your child’s support fits within the Education, Health and Care Plan framework, ensuring that teachers and professionals deliver what’s outlined in the plan.

Collaboration between families and professionals is key. When communication is open, children receive more consistent and meaningful support. Whether your child attends a mainstream school or a specialist setting, these services ensure that your voice as a parent is always heard.

Early Support and Accessing Help

Early support is one of the most important factors in improving outcomes for children with SEND. By acting early, schools and professionals can put strategies in place before difficulties escalate. SEND support services can help you access early years assessments, speech and language therapy, or mental health support for your child.

If you’re not sure where to begin, your local authority’s Local Offer is a good starting point. It lists local support groups, early intervention services, and other resources for families. Support services can guide you through this information, making it easier to find what’s relevant for your child.

Why SEND Support Services Matter

SEND support services empower families by giving them the knowledge and confidence to advocate for their children. They ensure that parents understand their rights under the SEND Code of Practice and can hold local authorities accountable for providing appropriate education and care.

By working together, families, teachers, health professionals, and social care teams, we can build a system that truly supports disabled children and young people. The role of these services is not only to guide parents through processes but also to promote understanding, compassion, and inclusion across the education and care sectors.

Empowering Parents and Building Confidence

At SEND Family Guidance, we believe informed parents make empowered decisions. Whether you need help understanding your child’s EHC Plan, preparing for a review meeting, or finding emotional support, we’re here to guide you.

SEND support is about partnership. It’s about creating an environment where every child, regardless of disability or need, can reach their full potential. With the right information and advice, parents and carers can navigate the SEND system confidently and ensure their child receives the education, health, and social care support they deserve.

Why Northants SEND Family Guidance?

been through the EHCP process and I have battled the system.

let me help, support, listen and offer guidance in anyway I can.

over 20 years of experience and a special interest in neurodivergence.

A highly rated and qualified Children's Nurse

Seeking assistance in navigating the EHCP process? Share your details, and we'll reach out promptly. Your tailored guidance awaits - we are here to support you!

Upload professional reports. eg One Page Profile, Educational Psychologist, Occcupational Therapy

services offered

EHCP Support

Support with all stages of the EHCP process including:

  • Requests for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment
  • Understanding professional reports
  • Responding to draft EHCPs
  • Ensuring provision is specific, quantified and legally enforceable
  • Advice on suitable educational placements

This service helps ensure your child’s EHCP accurately reflects their needs and protects their support long-term.

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Critical Review of Draft EHCP

A detailed professional review of your child’s Draft EHCP. This is usually time critical as you only have 15 days to submit your request for amendments.
You will receive a document outlining recommended amendments to ensure:

  • Needs are fully reflected
  • Provision is clearly specified
  • Language is legally enforceable
  • Important support is not missing

This can make a significant difference to whether provision is properly delivered.

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School Meeting Support

School meetings can sometimes feel intimidating, particularly when important decisions are being made about your child’s education and support. I offer support to parents by helping you prepare for meetings, understand your child’s rights and ensure that the provision outlined in their EHCP is being properly discussed and implemented.

I can also attend meetings alongside you where appropriate, helping to ask the right questions, challenge unclear information and ensure that conversations remain focused on your child’s needs. My role is to help parents feel confident, informed and heard, so that decisions are made in the best interests of the child.

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DLA and PIP Application Support

Completing forms for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can feel overwhelming, especially when you are already managing the day-to-day needs of your child or family member.
These forms require detailed information about how a condition impacts everyday life, and many families struggle to know how to present this clearly.

I offer support with completing these applications, helping you explain your child’s needs in a way that accurately reflects the level of support required. This can include working through the form with you, helping to word responses appropriately, and ensuring the full impact of your child’s needs is recognised.

My aim is to make the process less stressful while giving your application the best possible chance of success.

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Child Needs Assessment

I offer a comprehensive assessment of your child’s needs, designed to build a clear picture of their strengths, challenges and the support they require to thrive both at home and in education. This assessment considers areas such as emotional regulation, sensory needs, learning profile, behaviour, communication, and how demands in everyday environments may be impacting your child.

The process includes gathering information from parents, discussing your child’s experiences at home and school, and observing patterns in behaviour, regulation and engagement. Following the assessment, you will receive a written report outlining key areas of need alongside practical recommendations and supportive strategies that can be implemented at home or within school.

This assessment can also help parents better understand their child’s profile, support conversations with schools, and provide useful information when considering additional support or future EHCP applications.

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More from Northamptonshire Send Family Guidance & Advocacy Service

What does everyone Say?

Vikki put together a comprehensive report which will be incredibly useful going forwards including links to evidence and helpful suggestions for strategies to help both at home and at school. We will definitely be calling on her again for future support. Most importantly she put my son at ease straight away and also made sure to include his positive attributes and strengths in the report - something which is so often left out of the endless forms that can feel so negative.
Heather Smith
Rated 5 out of 5
At first I was very nervous about using this service but I’m very glad I did. My son was on DLA and I needed to apply for PIP, I find the process can be very difficult so really needed help filling in the form and sending the right evidence for his claim. Vikki was amazing, understood my child’s needs and really listened to everything, I feel so much more at ease now it is all complete and would most certainly use her again if needed. Thank You Vikki.
Sarah Aughey
Rated 5 out of 5
Vikki’s knowledge and calm support has been invaluable in both the EHCP process and in face to face meetings with the school. Her background professionally and personally means she has a depth of understanding in both the practical and emotional side of this whole process. If you are unsure if you require Vikki’s services then just drop her a message to enquire, it took a lot of the stress and paperwork time out of the EHCP process for me and I would fully recommend her.
Zoe Ruth
Rated 5 out of 5
I'm so grateful. Vikki is helping me through the process, had meetings with me with staff and SENCO's. She has formulated emails for me, completed so much paperwork and trawled through so much evidence to support the requests for support and ultimately a special school setting. She is so calm and has helped me feel more confident about navigating this process which I feel is a minefield. She is highly professional - I couldn't have got as far as we have without her support. Thank you Vikki.
Victoria B
Rated 5 out of 5
Such an amazing service to find, when running on empty and not knowing what to do for your send child you need all the help and support you can get and that's exactly what Vikki gave me, helped me understand my daughters ehcp, helped me with secondary schools, , helped me get a response for my case worker. Very responsive and professional. Will definitely recommend to other parents.
Cara Tate
Rated 5 out of 5
Having struggled to get any communication or assistance from West Northants Council or the Local Authority for my Autistic Son, I called this service today and was met with the most understanding information and assistance I have received in a LONG time. Huge thanks to Vikki who was incredibly helpful and gave me contact information for departments and places I had no idea even existed, despite having had to fight for the rights and needs of my Autistic Son for years now. This is an excellent service and I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling to get what their SEND child or family member needs.
Viktoria Brice
Rated 5 out of 5
I'd highly recommend Vikki. She recently did a consultation with our child to help us better understand how we can support them. Vikki quickly built a connection with our child that helped them to relax and she let the meeting run as long as was needed so we didn't feel rushed.
Natalie Breslin
Rated 5 out of 5
Vikki is an absolute gem. I'm so glad I came across her. I was feeling completely overwhelmed and stressed about my child's EHCP amendment, off site schooling situation, and to secure a specialist provision for my Autistic child with a complex needs. I was struggling to get my voice heard by the school and local authority.
Mercy Ozim
Rated 5 out of 5