Dudley SENDIASS - Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice, Support Service

We offer free, confidential and impartial support to children and young people aged 0-25 years old with SEND and their parents and carers.

• Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years

• Parents of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities 0 – 25 years of age
• Children with SEND 0 – 16 years of age
• Young people 16 - 25 years of age with SEN or disabilities

Many children will access information, advice and support via their parents, but young people may want to access the service separately from their parents.

Young people can access the service and will receive confidential and impartial, information and support that will allow them to participate fully in decisions.

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.

• IASS video for Parents - what they are/how they can help?
• IASS video for Children and Young People - what they are/how they can help?

We provide free, accurate, impartial, confidential, information, advice and support relating to special educational needs (SEN), disability and related health and social care issues. This covers:

• 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 SEND provision available in education settings for children and young people who do not have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) in place
• Information to understand the EHC Needs Assessment (EHCNA) request process
• Information about Personal Budgets
• Support relating to disagreement resolution and 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
• Dudley's SEND 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
• We offer telephone and online consultations

We regularly work with nursery, primary and secondary schools, academies and post 16 settings, to promote positive engagement with parents, children and young people.

• On 2nd March 2023 the Government published the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan. The plan sets out changes to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision system in England.
• New Area SEND inspections framework which comes into force on 1st January 2023.
• SEND Review: Right support, right place right time: Green Paper published March 2022, the Government are seeking views on the green paper about the changes they want to make to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) system in England. The government is committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those in alternative provision.

Dudley SEND Strategy 2021 - 2024 - 'All Different All Equal'

Education Travel Support

Elective Home Education

EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than At School)

Parent Carer Forum - to enable the voice of families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to be heard in the local area.  

We Love Carers - aim to empower carers and their families by ensuring they have access to all the information they require. a

Lifted Spirits - a support group for families and carers of children and young people with disabilities.

All Stars Youth Club - caters for young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities ages 11-25 years.

Me & U Youth Club - for autistic young people.

1. Afasic- voice for life
2. Autistica
3. British deaf association
4. Carer UK
5. Contact A family
6. Coram Children legal centre
7. Council for disabled children
8. Disability rights UK
9. Equality & human rights commission
10. Family lives
11. Speech and Language UK
12. Makaton charity
13. Mental health foundation
14. Sense
15. Together for short lives

Further information is available from the The Information, Advice and Support Service Network (IASS Network). You will also find useful resources providing information relating to children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.