The Gateshead Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice Service (SENDIAS) helps the parents and Carers of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and the children and young people themselves to understand the SEN system and what is going on. We provide them with information and advice, support at meetings, help with getting their views across for statutory assessment leading to an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), help with review of the draft plan, letter writing (e.g. complaints), appeals re. SEN provision or placement. Gateshead SENDIAS, run by Barnardos, is a statutory service which all LAs must provide. Without the service parents, carers and young people would be left to navigate the SEN system alone and may well be considered not to have fair access as a result or be able to contribute fully. They would not know what their rights were, what the laws around SEN are and when the actions of schools, colleges or local authorities were incorrect or unlawful. We are often told by service users how grateful they are for our help and support.
We contact parents and carers to let them know about our service when their child is going through statutory assessment of their SEN, our service is advertised on the Gateshead LA website as part of the Local Offer, we contacts schools and colleges to let them know of the service we provide and liaise with SENCOs and head teachers re. service users. We are well known to local parental voluntary organisations, local professionals and services. We attend information and support group events etc. We have two paid part-time members of staff and 5 volunteers who are all trained in SEN and support, 3 of whom are trained as Independent Supporters through the Government funded Independent Supporter (I.S.) programme. How we deliver the service is described above.
