What is a SENDIASS service?

SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services.

How They Can Support

The service is there to provide free, impartial and confidential information, advice and support for parents and carers, children and young people with a special education need and disability (SEND).

They provide advocacy support for individual children, young people, and parents to support them to express their views and wishes and to help them to understand and exercise their rights in matters including exclusion, complaints, SEND processes and SEND appeals. SENDIASS can also signpost to additional local and national sources of information, help with paperwork and preparation for meetings, discussing what questions to ask, or explaining jargon.

The support should be offered in a range of ways including face to face, a telephone helpline, email, website and social media.

You can read the ‘minimum standards’ here. Many local authorities have pages on their website, which provide more detail into what their SENDIASS service includes, and Shropshire Council gives a good example.

Where They Are Based

Each local authority has a duty to commission a SENDIASS service, but it must be at arm’s length. They are usually based in premises separate to the local authority and schools.

How to Access Their Support

You can find your local service by visiting the Council for Disabled Children website here.