Meet the team
Welcome to York SENDIASS. There are some important things to know about our service and what we offer you from this team.
It is confidential
We do not share information you tell us, unless there is a safeguarding concern or you give us permission to talk with relevant services.
It is impartial as we do not take sides
We aim to give you information about the options available to you, then you can make the best choice for your situation. We will not promote one option over another unless there is no alternative. Every Local Authority in England must have a SENDIAS service but we are separate from the Local Authority departments.
It is a free service.
We will accept referrals from parents, carers, guardians and children and young people from 16 years to 25 years old. We also accept professional referrals if consent has been given.
Any difficulties in accessing our website?
If you have communication difficulties or English as a second language, we will always try our best to offer a way to make this information accessible to you. You will see this sign at the top left edge of the website page. It can adjust the pages to suit your needs when you use this accessibility tool. When clicking into it you can change how you want to hear or see the information on this website.
SENDIASS are based on relevant law.
Our team have relevant training about areas such as SEND support, EHC plans, suspensions, preparation for adulthood and many other important issues that impact on children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities from 0-25 years old. We signpost you to other services about issues such as government benefits, child care and young person with SEND thinking of applying to university as this is not within our statutory role.
How referrals into the helpline are responded to.
We operate on a first come, first served basis. All referrals come to our helpline and are listed in date order. We prefer receiving the referral form that has been completed on our website as this means all the information we need should be included and avoids delays. We do find that sometimes an email or voice message results in us trying to make contact to gain additional information which can delay things. Professionals should complete our referral form so we know consent to share information has been given. It is important to give us at least 7 days’ notice if you want support in preparing for a meeting or if you have a draft EHC plan as we are a busy team that does not want to disappoint. We have so far managed to answer referrals well within 5 working days but at busy times this may extend to 10 working days. If you have not heard from us by then, please contact our helpline again to check.
Our service is for anyone living or moving to York
This means where your child or young person lives as their main address. If you are a foster carer and have a child, young person in your care then they will be known to City of York Local Authority. If you are planning to move to or from York and your child, young person has an EHC plan then we can advise too.
If you do not live in York and need to contact your local SENDIASS, you can find the details for other SENDIAS services on our national website which is Find your local IAS service.
Melanie Leighton, Manager
About Me
Hello, my name is Melanie Leighton. I am the manager of York SENDIASS. Our website offers impartial information, for 0 to 25 year-olds with special educational needs and disabilities. We welcome parent carers, young people and professionals to refer into our service. Although we are a small team, we want to give the best service we are able so please help us by using our website and by coming along to drop-in sessions that will be advertised through our York SEND Information Advice Support Service Facebook group. We welcome you sharing your views and ideas on how to make this an even better service.
How will I support others?
Others often say l am patient and kind. I will take time to listen as l want to understand. I will always remain impartial which means l will not take sides. This is our SENDIASS duty so l will advise on options and ways to try to resolve any difficulties with the focus on being correct within SEND law. We are expected to help empower others to make their own decisions for their child or for you as a young person.
What I need from you?
I may need to stop you during our talk to ask questions to make sure l understand. If this is difficult for you, please let me know as l do not want to interrupt your conversation. I like people to tell me if I have misunderstood, so l can try to understand better. l will tell you if I do not understand or need something repeating, so you might need to be patient.
Sarah Cope, Case Officer
About Me
Hello, my name is Sarah Cope. I am a Case Officer within the York SENDIASS Team. It is my job to offer impartial advice to support children and young people 0 to 25 years old with Special Educational Needs and/ or Disabilities, their parents, carers and the professionals who may be working with them. I also run our Facebook page York SEND Information, Advice and Support Service which I hope you will follow for regular updates and interact with to help us grow our service offer.
How will I support others?
I am curious, friendly and respectful of the ways we are all different. I try to collaborate with parents, carers, young people and professionals to find out what types of support works for you. We can offer confidential advice by email, telephone, virtual and/ or face to face meetings so that you have the information you need to take part in important decision making relating to Special Educational Needs and/ or Disabilities (SEND).
What I need from you?
I might summarise information to check my understanding with you and find it helpful for you to tell me if I have not got something quite right. It is important to me that we have a shared understanding of what is going on and what might help. Writing things down helps me to think about and remember key information and solve trickier situations so I might need some time to do this before or after a call or meeting.
Elizabeth MacDonald, Case Officer
About Me
Hello, my name is Elizabeth MacDonald, I am a Case Officer. It is my job to provide impartial and confidential advice, information and support to children and young people from birth to 25 years; and their parent carers on matters relating to special educational needs or disability.
The people I support say that I’m friendly, kind and approachable.
How will I support you?
I find it helpful to take time to listen. I write down points, so I have a good understanding of your situation and/ or matters which concern you. I ask questions and / or summarise information to check my understanding. I will not make decisions for you but talk about your options.
What I need from you?
- to have you correct me if I have misunderstood or not got something quite right.
- to have time to think about our conversation and reflect on my written notes, and you may need to be patient.