Support for parents of children with SEND

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Parent Zone

Parents from our parent groups across the Bi-borough have proposed a range of questions across education, health and social care that they would like to have answered. In our new Parent Zone, we publish these questions alongside answers from staff at the Local Authority and our partners. 

Click here to visit the Local Offer Parent Zone

 


Parent Carer Support Group (Full of Life)

Full of Life logoParent Carer Support Groups are a helpful source of information and guidance as well as support for families of disabled children.

Parent support groups keep parents and carers informed through coffee mornings, events, websites, training and workshops. They give free practical independent advice to parents and young people.

The local Parent Carer Support Group for Kensington and Chelsea is Full of Life.

Full of Life holds a Parent Carer Forum on a Wednesday every two weeks, from 10am – 12.30pm. Workshops on relevant topics are held on these days regularly where parents can learn more about the support that is available. All parents of children with a disability are welcome to attend, share their experience and get advice from others who have been in similar situations. 

Other services offered by Full of Life include:

Full of Life logo

  • Family Support Service – independent information and advice for parents/carers of children aged under 14.
  • Carers’ Advocacy Service – independent advice and support navigating the transition from child to adult services
  • Information Service – practical information for parents of children with SEND of any age (0-25).
  • Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) – independent information and advice about all issues related to SEND.
  • Centre for Young People – specialist service focusing on communication and personal development for young people with complex needs.
  • Community Living Well is a primary care mental health service for people aged 16 and over who need support with their mental health and wellbeing. Community Living Well offers a different kind of mental health support. It makes it easy for you, and anyone who cares for you, to access a wide range of clinical and wellbeing services.

 

Full of Life has also appointed a Local Offer Parent Champion who works with the local authority to:

  • train parents on using the Local Offer website and assist with any problems navigating the site.
  • collect parent feedback on the Local Offer website allowing improvements to be made.
  • ensure parent carer representation in plans to develop the website.

For more information on the range of support provided by Full of Life, please email info@fulloflifekc.com or call 020 8962 9994

 


Information, Advice and Support Service

The Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) is a free confidential service available to parents, children and young people who live in Kensington and Chelsea.

They can help by providing access to impartial guidance and support on matters including:

  • SEN and disability law
  • Local policy and practice
  • The Local Offer
  • Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
  • Health and social care

Any information and advice provided is independent of the Local Authority.

The IASS can also support with individual casework, including filling in forms, support in preparing for meetings, resolving disagreements, and signposting to local or national support services.

For a brief introduction of the kind of support the IASS can provide watch the following video from Full of Life:

The IASS for Kensington and Chelsea is provided by Full of Life. Click here to find out more about it and to get in contact.

 


Citizens Advice Bureau

Logo for Citizens Advice Kensington and ChelseaCitizens Advice Kensington & Chelsea provides free, confidential and impartial information and advice to all residents oin the borough. They can help you with a wide-range of problems, including legal and money matters. 

You can call Westminster Citizen's Advice on 0300 330 1174 (open weekdays 10am - 4pm). Or come along to one of the regular drop-ins for your chance to speak to an advisor in person. 

Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) can help you with your application for benefits, and to understand your legal rights and responsibilities. Watch the video below to see more about the way CAB can help families like you:


Disagreements, Mediation and Tribunals

All local authorities are legally required to have an independent service to help in situations where parents/carers, young people, schools, health care services and the local authority cannot agree on how to meet a child/young person’s needs. This service is called a mediation and dispute resolution service.

‘KIDS’ is an organisation contracted through the Local Authority to deliver mediation advice and support. You can speak to a mediation advisor by calling 0207 359 3635.

For more information on the mediation and disagreement process, please click here.

Related Pages

  1. Support for disabled children and their families

Downloads

  1. Bi-Borough Inclusion Service
  2. BIS Parental Training Offer

Page last reviewed: 11/03/2024

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