How we work with professionals

York SENDIASS provide free, impartial and confidential information, advice and support to parents, carers, children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

We also provide information and advice to professionals in the City of York area (link opens in new window) who work with families and young people (aged 0 to 25 years) who have SEND.

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York SENDIASS

As part of the it is a legal requirement that all local authorities ensure children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers have access to an impartial Information, Advice and Support (IAS) service.

York IAS duties are delivered by York SENDIASS. We promote working together, participation and decision-making through communication of information, advice and support.

The service is available for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0 to 25 who have, or may have, special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities who live in the City of York Council area. We can also provide information, advice and support to young people (over the age of 16) directly.

We deliver an accessible service with information electronically available on our website and the for all service users, including professionals working with children and young people with SEND, parents and carers and others.

We work with the Parent Carer Forum York, other parent groups, youth and local area services, voluntary sector services and organisations in York.

Our SENDIASS Case Officers have completed legal training to make sure they are able to deliver the statutory information advice and support service local authorities must offer. This is in line with the expectation of the principles for SENDIASS set out within the guidance (sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.8).

The Council for Disabled Children have produced a video which explains SENDIASS in more detail: .

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York SENDIASS' services

Our service covers all aspects of SEND. We provide advice, information and support around:

  • the promotion of inclusion
  • addressing concerns, from the earliest stages of getting help
  • Early Years support
  • SEN support
  • SEN funding
  • statutory work, which may lead to an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
  • EHCP Annual Reviews
  • ways of accessing services to support education
  • Suspensions and exclusions where SEND maybe identified
  • personal budgets and direct payments
  • local policies and procedures
  • dispute resolution and mediation
  • social care and health concerns
  • support when things go wrong
  • appeals and tribunals
  • signposting to other services

York SENDIASS is free of charge to service users.

York SENDIASS is confidential. We will not share a service user's information with anyone unless they tell us we can.

In cases where we have concerns for the safety of a child or adult, we may contact Social Care and do not require consent to do this (although we will discuss this with the service user if it is safe to do so).

Read the .

York SENDIASS is impartial. This means that the information, advice and support that we offer is based on the law and the SEND Code of Practice.

Read the .

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Access to York SENDIASS

Children and young people with SEND can use our service independently to ensure that:

  • their views are shared
  • they understand educational processes
  • they can contribute to decisions about their future

Parents and carers with parental responsibility can use our service to:

  • better understand their own rights
  • understand the rights of their children and young people with SEND
  • provide an introduction to SEND processes and policies
  • support them with practical guidance and support in voicing their views

Professionals are able to use the information and advice we can provide to build on their own knowledge and understanding.

Professionals can also enable children and young people, parents and carers to access York SENDIASS by making a professional referral (they need consent to do this).

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Working in partnership with professionals

Professionals should work together to empower parents and young people with SEND, providing them with information, advice and support. Parents should be enabled to engage, participate and make decisions, allowing them to express their views and those of their child or young person, clearly and with confidence.

We can advise you on how to access the tools and information you need to help empower parents and young people with SEND to reach the outcomes they desire in education and training.

We can provide relevant information on SEND law and local services, as well as signposting you to resources which you may find useful in your role.

We can:

  • listen to and answering your SEND queries
  • help you to understand SEND law and the rights of the families you work with
  • provide information about SEN support
  • help with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
  • provide information about the Local Offer
  • accept eferrals from professionals (with consent),

You can complete our in order to refer families or young people to us, so that we may contact them to offer our support directly.

You must obtain consent to contact York SENDIASS from the young person you wish to refer if they're aged 16 to 25, or from their parent or carer.

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