What to expect from SENDIASS

SENDIASS provides the Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) in County Durham. We aim to empower parents/carers, children, and young people to play an active and informed role in making decisions about their education, health, and social care.

Our role as an Information Advice and Support Service (IASS) is to help parents/carers, children and young people build their knowledge, understanding and confidence in SEND procedures, policies, practices, and law and enable them to communicate with their own needs, wishes, aims, and rights.

SENDIASS is:

Free: There are no fees to pay no matter how much or how often you receive support.
Impartial: We provide information based on current law. We do not take sides where there are identified issues and treat all parties respectfully. We have no vested interest in any of the outcomes of any discussions. You can view our impartiality policy on our website.
Confidential: We keep your details on a secure and independent database and will not share your details or discuss your case with anyone else without your permission.
Independent: SENDIASS is separate from educational settings, the Local Authority and Health Services. SENDIASS is a statutory service (required by law under the Children and Families Act 2014). SENDIASS is provided by the Local Authority (Durham County Council) and works at arm’s length.
Fully trained: Our staff have extensive training in SEND law, safeguarding, data protection and are all DBS checked. Staff have completed IPSEA SEND Law training.

Who can use SENDIASS

We can only work with those who live in County Durham.

Young people (aged 16 to 25)

Young people (aged 16 to 25) who have or think they may have a special educational need or disability (SEND) can use our service independently to ensure their views are shared, they understand educational processes and can contribute to decisions about their future.

Parents, carers and foster carers

Parents, carers and foster carers who have a child or young person with special educational need or disability or think they may have SEND, about their rights, as well as processes and policies. They may also use our service for practical guidance and support in voicing their views.

Professionals

Professionals are able to use the information advice and support to build their own knowledge and understanding. They can also enable children and young people, as well as parents and carers to access SENDIASS.

What we cover

SENDIASS can offer impartial and confidential information, advice, and support to make your own choices in the following areas:

The Graduated Approach to SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability) Support in early years, school, or college.
Improving communication with educational settings, local authority, health, and social care.
Transition between educational settings, phased transfer or moving between Children and Adults services.
Advice about Durham County Council transport.
EHCP application and needs assessment.
Annual Review of Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Mediation.
Appeals to Tribunal for refusal to assess for an EHCP, refusal to issue an EHCP, contents of an EHCP, placement and ceasing to maintain an EHCP.
Suspension, permanent exclusion.
Part-time timetables.
Disability discrimination.
Resolving disputes and complaints.
Health and social care queries related to the child or young person’s SEND.
Attendance and not in full time education.
School admissions.
Home education.
Alternative provisions.
Personal budgets.
Education Other Than At School (EOTAS).
Anti-bullying.
School trips and visits.
Clarifying misinformation.
Complaints procedures.

What we do

Provide a SENDIASS website for information and advice.
Provide a range of information resources.
Provide a dedicated telephone helpline.
Provide a telephone appointment so we can understand and determine support to meet your needs.
Provide a dedicated email enquiry service.
Provide SENDIASS drop-in sessions within the Family Hubs across County Durham.
Provide a Facebook page for information.
Attend SEND events where possible.
Work in partnership with MCT Durham Parent Carer Forum.
Provide workshops, and information sessions to support your learning in specific SEND topics.
Promote self-advocacy by empowering parents/carers/young people to feel confident to express their views.
Assist parents/carers/young people to understand statutory SEND processes and policies within the Graduated Approach to SEND.
Help parents/carers/young people to understand how to exercise their rights.
Explain jargon.
Enable parents/carers/young people to be more confident when communicating with professionals.
Support parents/carers to understand their options so that they can make informed decisions.
Help parents/carers/young people to prepare for meetings.
Help parents/carers/young people to navigate the SEND Appeal & Tribunal Process.
May accompany parents/carers to meetings and tribunals. Please see ‘Support at Meetings & Tribunals Document for further details and terms when this applies.
Provide templates and example letters for paperwork.
Navigate and signpost to local and national sources of information, advice, and support, including the Local Offer.

What we do not do

Offer counselling. Enquiries must be based around a question related to SEND.
Deliver emergency support and interventions.
Make decisions for you, you know your child’s or your own wishes and needs best.
Attend all meetings. Please see ‘Support at Meetings & Tribunals Document for further details and terms when this applies.
Routinely arrange meetings on your behalf*
Take minutes at meetings.
Routinely write letters or emails on your behalf*
Routinely complete paperwork on your behalf*
Routinely read or check EHC Plans.
Spend disproportionate amount of time readdressing an enquiry that has already been addressed by our service.
Complete DLA or PIP forms.
Home visits*
Routinely provide transport to meetings or school visits*
Hold power over Local Authority or school policies, practices, or procedures.

*Unless you have additional support needs that mean you cannot undertake these actions independently and we have agreed that we have the capacity to support you at that time.

Additional support needs

The aim of SENDIASS is always to enable parents/carers and young people to make confident, independent, and informed decisions. We will therefore assess every situation to understand the level of support required.

This includes those where the parent/carer has additional support needs. This ensures that we only provide support that builds confidence rather than support that promotes reliance on SENDIASS.

Please tell us if you need any additional support at your first contact with us, this could be by using our contact form, telephone, or email. The sooner we know the better we can help you.

Protocol when families are in crisis

SENDIASS is not an emergency service.

There may be times that we, or families, need to raise a Child Protection or Safeguarding concern by informing the Local Authority Children and/or Adult Services as per Safeguarding procedures.

First Contact: Report a concern about a child (Durham County Council)

When SENDIASS is not available you may also want to seek advice or support from:

How to contact us

We will respond to each enquiry within 3-5 working days.

Please use one of the methods below to make contact with SENDIASS. Please do not use more than one method of contact. If you are working with us please do not ask another professional to ‘chase up’ our contact or response to you.

If you have not contacted us before, or not for at least six months – please complete our Contact form as a first step. This will allow us to best respond to your enquiry. You can find other ways to get in touch on our Contact Us page.
If you have contacted the service more recently, or you are having trouble completing the form you can still contact us in the following ways.
- Phone: 0191 5873541 or 03000 267007
- Email: sendiass@durham.gov.uk