Dudley Special Educational Needs & Disability Information, Advice and Support Service
Dudley SENDIASS provide a range of impartial information, legally based advice and support to help parents/carers, children and young people on all matters relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We are here to help you make informed choices and enable parents/carers to play an active role in their child's education.
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
Who is the service for?
Parents of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities
Children with SEND
Young people up to 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?
What do we do?
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
Support to request an EHCP and understanding the process
Personalisation and managing a Personal Budget
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
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
Contact us
Referrals can be made by:
Parents and carers
Young people aged 16 - 25
Professionals
Call the service mobile number 07900 161363
Leave name and contact number.
Business hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
The service is experiencing high numbers of enquiries from parents and young people.
We will endeavour to return your call or email within 7 working days.
In addition to the service helpline we are also engaged with ongoing case management and meetings with parents and young people.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Workshops and Events
We provide a range of termly workshops and events to help parents, carers and young people develop their knowledge and understanding of special educational needs and disability issues.
Information Leaflets for Parents, Children & Young People
Dudley SENDIASS has prepared a series of leaflets for parents, children and young people. These are also available in community languages.
Young Persons Information Hub
We can provide information for young people with special educational needs and/or a disability between 16 and 25 years old.
Access our Young Persons Information Hub
Dudley SENDIASS hosts Post 16 transition events with the aim of supporting young people with SEND to make the transition into Post-16 settings/training and adulthood by understanding the support available to them.
Young Persons Case Officer
If you are a young person aged between 16 and 25, with Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability you have the right to contact SENDIASS separate from your family or carers. You will get access to a Young Person’s Case Officer who will be able to:
Provide legally based information around SEND, be it education, health or social care.
Signpost you to appropriate agencies if necessary
Explain what type of support a school or college may offer you
Support and advise you around the education, health and care needs assessment process and documentation
Advise you on complaints around SEND issues and the appeal process around the EHCP
Help in understanding mediation
Personal budgets
Dudley’s Local Offer and how we can use it to help find the support
Information around mental capacity and making decisions
Advocacy
Health and Social Care within Dudley
In line with the Children and Families Act 2014 (Section 25) and the SEND Code of Practice 2014 (Chapter 3), a duty is placed on Local Authorities to make joint commissioning arrangements between the LA and CCG (now ICB) to ensure integration between educational provision and training provision, health and social care provision, where this would promote well being and improve the quality of provision for children and young people (0-25 years) with SEND, with or without EHC plans. NHS Dudley ICB is the NHS organisation responsible for commissioning (planning and buying) healthcare services for people registered with a GP in Dudley.
Dudley SENDIASS is the jointly-commissioned service between Dudley LA and Dudley ICB providing impartial information, advice and support to parents of children with SEND and Young People (up to 25), with SEND with or without EHCPs, on matters around health and social care services and therapies that are available within the Dudley area.
Services and therapies available to children and Young People up to 25 years of age with SEND
Local SEND Updates & Information
Latest Inspection
The latest visit by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission found improvements in Dudley’s SEND services but concludes that more needs to be done.
Further information and links to the Ofsted and CQC full letter can be found in the statement from Catherine Driscoll, Director of Children’s Services Dudley and Neill Bucktin, Dudley Managing Director, Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group.
Joint Local Area SEND revisit announced for 31 January
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carried out a re-visit to Dudley on 31 January 2022.
The purpose of the re-visit: to determine whether the local area has made sufficient progress in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in the written statement of action (WSOA) that was approved by the Department for Education in December 2019 following the borough's joint local area SEND inspection in May 2019.
During the re-visit, Ofsted and CQC inspectors spoke to as many children and young people and their parents and carers as possible, specifically about the weaknesses identified in the WSOA.
The inspectors gathered the contributions of parents and carers through an online survey and a range of other methods.
SEND News Updates
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.
Will Quince MP, Minister for Children and Families at the time wrote an open letter to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), their families and those who support them regarding the SEND Review and SEND Review Steering Group.
Policy & information from the Dudley Local Offer
Dudley SEND Strategy 2021 - 2024 - 'All Different All Equal'
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.
Useful websites
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.