Islington SENDIASS

SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service.

It is a free, impartial, and confidential service offering information to young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and to their parents and carers.

Child sitting on mothers lap looking at the camera

Impartial advice and support

We provide free, impartial, confidential, and accessible information, advice and support about matters relating to SEN or disabilities, including education, health, and social care.

We ensure children and their parents and young people have the information and support necessary to participate in decision making.

We help you understand your rights under SEND law and navigate the education system.

Who can use this service?

Parents and carers of children with SEN and / or disabilities aged 0 to 25 and young people aged 16 to 25 living in Islington.

How to access?

You can self-refer to access this service. Simply get in touch with our team using the link opposite.

Two people sitting in chairs chatting at a desk

About this service

We know that understanding SEND processes can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our team is available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, all year round. However, there may be times when staff are out at meetings, events, or working flexibly to meet service needs. You can always leave us a message at 020 3031 6651 or email islingtonSENDIASS@ldnlondon.org. We aim to respond to initial enquiries within three working days and provide ongoing support as needed.

If you are in crisis or require urgent mental health support, contact the Islington crisis team on 080 0917 3333 (support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Whats on

Come along to our coffee mornings and workshops

Get to know us better at our monthly coffee mornings and workshops at the Lough Road Centre 10am-12pm. This is a supportive environment for parents/carers. You can meet other parents over coffee, along with our case workers. Please note, this is for parent/carers only. Please find the timetables for our upcoming sessions below:

Coffee mornings

Drop in from 10am at Lough Road Centre

Thursday 16^th April

Thursday 14th May
Thursday 18^th June
Thursday 9^th July

Download our timetable

Workshops

Understanding the Annual Review Process: Wednesday 6^th May, 1pm-2:30pm @ Centre 404

Transition to the next stage (Nursery-Primary, Primary-secondary, Secondary-adulthood): Wednesday 20^th May, 10am-11:30am @ Lough Road

Types of support

We provide free, impartial information, advice, and support on all matters related to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This includes:

Local policies, practices, and the Local Offer
Information about Personal Budgets
SEND, health, and social care law
Understanding and applying information to your situation
Transition to adulthood and adult services
Resolving disagreements with the local authority
Information and advise around short breaks and applying for short breaks.

People walking together along a garden path, with one person holding hands for support.

How we help

Advice & Guidance – On education, health, and social care issues
Workshops & Events – Parent/carer coffee mornings and themed SEND sessions
Empowering Families – Helping parents, carers, and young people express their views
Meeting Support – Assistance at school and local authority meetings
Paperwork Help – Guidance on SEND-related forms, including EHCPs
Dispute Resolution – Mediation support and tribunal preparation
Signposting – Information on specialist services, both local and national

We’re here to ensure you have the knowledge and support you need to navigate the SEND system with confidence.

A table with pencils and sensory activites laid out

Are you a young person aged 16-25 with SEND living in Islington?

Would you like to be involved in shaping how we support families with SEND? Then we’d love to have you involved! Islington SENDIASS are looking for young people to support our service by attending our Service Monitoring Group Meeting and Youth Forum.

Apply here

We have produced a range of information to support you

Choosing a schoo l

This factsheet is intended to provide guidance to parents living in Islington who are applying for a school place for their child with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).

Exclusions

Being excluded from school can be very upsetting for you and your child or young person. This information factsheet will help you to understand your child’s exclusion, your rights and will tell you where you can get further information and help.

EHCP annual review

If you/your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), The Islington 0-25 SEN Team must review all EHCPs at least once a year to monitor progress and make sure the EHCP continues to meet the child/young person’s needs.

How to get support with health

This is a brief guide to inform families how children with health and medical needs should be supported. It will touch on what the law says and what to generally expect from an education setting.

Moving to a new school

As a parent or young person with an EHCP you have a legal right to request that a particular school or college is named in an education, health and care (“EHC”) plan (or to express a preference for an independent school, college or other institution).

Naming a schoo l

When considering what school to request for your child or young person, you may find it helpful to know as much as possible about each school you and your young person might be considering.

Needs assessments

When considering what school to request for your child or young person, you may find it helpful to know as much as possible about each school you and your young person might be considering.

SEN Support

This information is about the support that mainstream schools must and should provide for children with special educational needs (SEN).

What to do if I do not agree with decisions

This information is about what you can do if your child has special educational needs (SEN) or a disability and you are unhappy about the help they are getting.

Questions to ask when looking at secondary schools

Useful questions to ask when visiting High Schools with a view to a placement for a young person with special educational needs?

What our families have said

Thank you so much for all your help during our conversation today, along with your email with everything I need for the next steps. Thank you I really appreciate it and it’s extremely helpful that you have sent me all the links too. Your professional advice was very much needed. I will definitely try my best to get things going in all departments.

Parent

It was lovely speaking to you. Thank you for taking your time explain the process of getting my daughter the right help. I will follow up with my daughter’s doctor for the referral, and I’ll try to attend some of the sessions at the Hubs for the time being.
Thank you again!!!

Parent

Just wanted to let you guys know… the LA has managed to secure my young person a place at the secondary school of his choice! My son is over the moon. Thanks for all your help, I would never have got through this without all you amazing, kind and fabulous ladies
I will always be grateful for all your help and guidance.

Parent and young person