Cumberland SEND Information, Advice and Support Service

About Us

We provide different levels of involvement dependent on your needs.

If you would like to learn more about how we consider your needs, please read our Service Offer policy which gives further explanation on the circumstances we consider when deciding on an appropriate level of involvement from the team. 

Our aim is to empower parents/carers and young people to feel confident with: 

  • Self-advocacy - expressing their views and wishes on their child’s/their own needs.
  • Their rights under SEND Law and Legislation.

Website -  Cumberland SENDIASS website includes useful information about Special Educational Needs/Disability (SEND) related topics, links to YouTube videos and signposting to other useful websites. If you are unable to access these, we can arrange to email relevant information to you. Our website is also accessible via the Local Offer.

Advice and Follow Up Information -  From first contact, as a part-time service, we will aim to return your call/email within 5 working days. We will provide detailed advice and information which aims to help you feel more knowledgeable and confident to self-advocate in further discussions with others and engage in SEND related processes. This may be by phone call and/or an email.  If the initial contact is a phone conversation, a follow up email may be sent outlining the information and advice provided if required. This can include our service information sheets, signposting to other services or providing links to helpful documents for example statutory guidance, legislation, or policies. Service users may need to contact the team again for further information and advice when going through specific processes e.g. the Education Health and Care (EHC) assessment, or following suspensions/exclusions from schools. 

One off support - If your situation is complex and/or you have needs of your own, we will consider if additional support is required, e.g. attendance at a meeting with a school/college, or to help start a SEND related process.  Our team will agree to support you with you for a specific activity, throughout this work we remain committed to empowering you to play an active and informed role and consistently encourage self-advocacy. You can read more about how we support parent/carers and young people with self-advocacy in our Advocacy policy

Ongoing support through a SEND related process If we feel your situation is particularly complex and/or you have needs of your own, we will consider if additional support is required while you are going through a specific SEND related process, for example, EHC processes, suspensions/exclusions (where SEND is an important factor), mediations and tribunals. Throughout this work, we remain committed to empowering you to play and active and informed role and consistently encourage self-advocacy.  We will send you a Service Agreement outlining what support we have agreed to provide to ensure you are fully aware of what you can expect from the team.

SENDIASS will …. 

  • Explain jargon
  • Assist you to understand policies and procedures
  • Share information from legislation and statutory guidance with you so you feel clearer on specific processes that are bound by legal duties
  • Empower you to feel confident to express your views and wishes
  • Help you to understand and exercise your rights
  • Advise you of your options so you can make an informed decision
  • Provide templates and examples for letters, emails, and paperwork
  • Provide resources in various formats to support your enquiry (e.g. YouTube videos and information sheets)
  • Help you to prepare for meetings, mediations and tribunals
  • Accompany you to meetings if appropriate*
  • Attend mediation meetings if the situation is complex and we feel our support is required*
  • Support at tribunal hearings if we feel you would benefit from our support**
  • Help you to review documents and forms e.g., EHC Needs Assessment requests, draft and final EHCPs, appeal forms

* We will consider each person’s individual needs when making a decision on an offer for the service to attend a meeting/mediation.

** We will consider each person’s individual needs when making a decision on an offer of support with presenting an appeal at a tribunal hearing.

SENDIASS will not ….

  • Offer support service when alternative arrangements for SENDIAS have already been arranged with an alternative SENDIAS organisation/charity, independent SEND Advocate or legal professional  
  • Make decisions for you - you know your child’s, or your own, wishes and needs best
  • Attend all meetings (we will only attend meetings where appropriate and when we have availability)
  • Arrange meetings or take notes* 
  • Write letters or emails for you* 
  • Complete paperwork on your behalf* 
  • Review benefits forms e.g., DLA or PIP (we signpost to other services for this type of support) 
  • Take sides during discussions or provide you with our personal opinions of your situation. Please take a moment to view our impartiality policy SENDIASS does not have power over local authority and school policies, procedures and practices and is unable to influence decision making processes.

*Unless you have additional support needs meaning you cannot undertake these actions independently and they are required to ensure participation in SEND processes.

Support from SENDIASS will end when one or more of the following is met:

  • The outcomes of your original enquiry have been met. 
  • You have reached a stage where you feel you can proceed without support, or you no longer contact us. 
  • The support you need to achieve further outcomes is outside of the SENDIASS remit. In this case you may be signposted to relevant services where appropriate.

Parent/carers and young people may need to contact SENDIASS again for additional information, advice and support if circumstances change.