Who to speak to
If you think you child has SEND or you’re worried about their progress speak to:
- their nursery worker
- their teachers, form tutor or Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).
- their GP
The first point of contact is your child’s school or nursery.
If they are at school, you can contact their form tutor, subject teacher, or SENCO.
You can find the contact details for these people on your child’s school website.
The school is best placed to access support and help from outside agencies, such as Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Specialist Teachers.
You can also contact their GP. A GP cannot make a diagnosis but can help recognise if there is a mental health or neurodevelopment issue.
Types of help
These conversations may lead to your child getting extra support.
The help your child will get may include:
- a special learning programme
- extra help from a teacher or assistant – including help from a teacher who specialises in your child’s condition
- working in a smaller group
- help to take part in class activities
- help to communicate with other children
- a referral to the educational psychology service.
This help may be laid out in a:
- SEND Support Plan
- Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP)
Your child’s nursery, school or college may create a SEND support plan. It will set out the extra help and support that your child will get.
An EHC Plan may be an option if you need extra help. It is a legal document which details the child’s needs and how they will be supported. EHC Plans are for complex, long-term needs and when a child’s progress suggests they need more targeted support.
Useful resources
Dimensions of Health and Wellbeing is a free, online tool providing self-care information to support adults, children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire. Self-care information is tailored to a person’s own needs and the challenges they face and is available 24/7.
Warwickshire SENDIASS supports children and young people with SEND and, and their parents. They work with families to know their rights and explore their options.
Rise CAMHS is a family of NHS-led services providing emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire. It aims to build resilience and empower children and young people.
Top Tips from Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice
Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice (WPCV) is an independent, parent carer led organisation for everyone with a child or children with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 0 -25. Here are their top tips for your first steps:
- Get a notebook and record every meeting, discussion and observation with dates
- Get a folder to keep all the paperwork you receive
- Build your support network – peer support is invaluable
- You can watch the Parent/Carer Webinar on having Early Conversations on YouTube
- You can join WPCV to meet people and have your voice heard
- Most importantly: Take time to process what is happening and be kind to yourself.