Advice & Information
Directory resultsAccessing the Local Offer
Here in Sunderland, we have developed our Local Offer with colleagues from education, social care, health, the private and voluntary sector, parents and carers as well as young people. We are still keen to gather as many thoughts, suggestions and opinions as possible, so if…
Disability Matters - Free resources
Disability Matters This is a suite of free resources that are designed to improve awareness of disability issues for everyone who may work or volunteer with disabled children and young people. Although not primarily intended for parent carers, the resources should be interesting and useful…
Feedback and comments
In this section we would really like to hear from you using our online survey about the content, how easy you find the site to navigate and search and what you liked/didnt like, so we can continue to improve the website to meets your needs. Sunderland…
Frequently Asked Questions - Parents & Carers
What is meant by special educational needs (SEN)? The term special educational need has a legal definition. A child with special educational needs will have a learning difficulty or a disability that will make it harder for them to learn compared to most children of…
Health Services and Support Organisations
Below are a list of national and regional organisations that offer services, help, or support and guidance for a large range of health issues. Each service entry has a link to the organisation's own website where you will be able to find further information about…
Jargon Buster
Professionals can sometimes use language, phrases, abbreviations and acronyms that are difficult for parents, carers and young people to understand. Sometimes acronyms or abbreviations may mean different things across two different sectors / professional bodies, which could lead to unnecessary confusion. As a result we have produced the guide below which…
Personal Budgets
Sometimes families need to access additional support for their child - this extra support might include: Additional support from education to ensure that a child’s learning needs are met Additional support from Health where a child has a complex, long-term and/or life limiting condition Additional…
Preparing for Adulthood
All young people face major changes as they move from being teenagers to becoming adults and need to make important decisions about their future. This change can be even more complicated if you have special educational needs, a learning difficulty or disability. It is important…
Single Route of Redress - National Trial
What is the National Trial? The Government is extending the powers of the First-tier Tribunal (SEND), sometimes referred to as the 'SEND Tribunal', to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans as part of a…
Sunderland's Preparing for Adulthood Pathway and Protocol
The Children and Families Act 2014 has brought about the most extensive changes to support for children and young people who have a special educational need and disability (SEND) for decades. The legislation delivers a clear message that agencies must work together to provide careful…
Support for pupils at school with medical conditions
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on governing bodies of maintained schools, proprietors of academies and management committees of PRUs to make arrangements for support pupils with medical conditions. In meeting the duty, the governing body, proprietor or management…
Useful documents - National Organisations
A number of organisations have produced some useful guidance documents and information relating to the new SEND reforms. We have included links to a few of these documents. The Council for Disabled Children: What are the SEND reforms? The Local Offer for SEND Support. Making…
Useful documents - Sunderland
Together for Children, working on behalf of Sunderland City Council has produced a number of advice, guidance or useful documents as listed below: Sunderland SEN Information Pack for parents, carers and young people Accessibility Strategy EHC Plan Process overview EHC Plan Process Overview - Parent…
What is the 'Local Offer'
As part of the SEND reforms under the Children and Families Act (2014), all Local Authorities now have to publish a Local Offer. The purpose of the Local Offer is to "offer" information in a single place, which can help you find and understand what services…
Where to get support whilst waiting for diagnosis
There are a number of places / organisations where you can get support while you are waiting for an appointment, waiting for a diagnosis or in case of any concerns. Sunderland Carer’s CentreThompson Park, Thompson Park Road, Sunderland SR5 1SFTelephone: 0191 549 3768Email: info@sunderlandcarers.co.ukWebsite: www.sunderlandcarers.co.uk…