Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS)

What do SENDIAS do? 

The SENDIAS service provides free impartial support, information and advice. It is aimed at parents and carers of children and young people aged up to 25 who have a Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND). It also supports the children and young people with education, health and social care.

Harrow's SENDIAS Service is run independently by Family Action.

About SENDIAS

SENDIAS helps service users foster good relationships with schools, colleges, the local authority, and others. This in turn secures the best outcomes for the person with SEND. It offers families support on their rights, roles and responsibilities within the SEND procedures. 

It aims to empower parents, carers and young people to achieve their full potential. This is done by promoting a partnership approach between families, schools and other agencies.  

SENDIAS involve young people in decisions made about their education, health and care. It works closely with other professionals to ensure that families’ voices are heard. 

What does the service provide? 

• Free, confidential and impartial advice, information and support on education, health and social care issues 
• Support for parents/ carers and children/young people to express their views and wishes 
• Support at meetings with nurseries, schools, colleges and the Local Authority 
• Assistance with SEN and disability related paperwork 
• Explaining SEND procedures 
• Information, advice and support to help resolve conflicts and disagreements. For example with schools, colleges and the Local Authority 
• Advice on Health and Social Care, Personal Budgets, the law on SEN and Disability 
• Support for the Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC) process. This includes Independent Support for parents and young people undergoing statutory assessment for EHCPs. 
• Confidential and impartial advice on SEND procedures, including moving schools and exclusions. 
• Signposting service users to local and national provisions, and help to refer to services 

Who can SENDIAS help?

SENDIAS supports parents/carers as well as children and young people themselves, who have any kind of educational additional need. This covers learning, social, physical, and medical. Service users must be 0 to 25 and live in Harrow, even if they go to school or college elsewhere.