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Information and Advice

Finding the right advice and support can often be very difficult.  In this section you will find details of local, regional and national organisations and services who can offer advice and support to you and your family.  You can either "View all services" or use the Category buttons to narrow your search.

Together for Children and Sunderland City Council cannot recommend or endorse any providers or services listed.  Please read our full disclaimer here.

We have provided some information below which you may find useful:

Sunderland SEN Information Pack - Support

Together for Children Sunderland have designed a booklet to assist parents / carers of disabled children and young people.  The booklet contains general information, advice and guidance around all aspects of support available to children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families.

The booklet is split into categories that mainly follow the categories within the Local Offer. A  copy of the Support section is attached.

A copy of the whole booklet can be found on the SEN Information Pack Advice and Guidance page, where you can download a copy if required.

Sunderland SEN Information Pack - Money and Benefits

Together for Children Sunderland have designed a booklet to assist parents/carers of disabled children and young people.  The booklet contains general information, advice and guidance around all aspects of support available to children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families.

The booklet is split into categories that mainly follow the categories within the Local Offer.  A copy of the Money and Benefits section is attached.

A copy of the whole booklet can be found on the SEN Information Pack Advice and Guidance page, where you can download a copy if required.

What is meant by SEN?

The term special educational need has a legal definition.  A child with special educational needs will have a learning difficulty or disability that will make it harder for them to learn compared to most children of the same age.

A child with special educational needs may need extra support or help that is different to that given to other children.  A child with special educational needs may need extra help because of a range of needs, such as thinking and understanding, physical or sensory difficulties with speech and language or how they relate and behave with other people.

What do I do if I am worried that my child has special educational needs?

If you think your child may have a special educational need that has not been identified by the school or early education setting, you should talk to your child's class teacher, Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) or to the Headteacher.

They will be able to tell you about the setting's policy for special educational needs, the support and resources that the setting can provide and help available from outside.

If your child has not started school but you are concerned they may have special educational needs there are several services that may be able to offer support and advice:

  • Health Visitor
  • Doctor
  • Social Worker
  • Pre-school or nursery group
  • Portage
  • Educational Psychology Service

What is an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?

An Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will describe the needs of the child or young person, the services required to meet those needs and the suitable educational placement. 

It will be developed in partnership with you and your child or young person and will be carried out within 20 weeks of the assessment.

You can get advice and support regarding EHC plans from the Sunderland SEND Information, Advice and Support Service.

How can I request an EHC Plan?

You, your child's teacher or others who work with your child (such as doctor, nursery nurse or health visitor) can ask the Local Authority for an EHC assessment to be carried out.

The Local Authority (Together for Children) then has up to 6 weeks to decide whether it intends to carry out an EHC needs assessment and they will ask you and others involved with your child to provide them with information to help them decide.  You can collect any reports from those who know your child and any assessments already done to give to the Local Authority to help them make a decision.

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