Best Education Resources for Parents of Children with Special Needs
It's not always easy to find educational resources for parents of children with special needs - and life is stressful enough without the hassle of trying to find much-needed information and advice online. With that in mind, in this blog SpecialKids Company has listed the best education resources for parents of children with special educational needs.
IPSEA (Independent Advisor of Special Education Advice)
Website: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/
Link to book a helpline appointment: https://database.ipsea.org.uk/book/al
If you’re based in England, IPSEA can offer you free and independent legally based information, advice and support to get the right education for your child with special needs. They also offer training on the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework to parents, carers, professionals and other organisations.
IPSEA’s website has a legal guides and resources that you can download for free. There are also two helplines; one which offers support and advice on educational issues that are the result of a child’s disability and another which offers support and tribunal advice for those going through appeals and disability discrimination claims to the SEND tribunal.
Enquire
Website: www.enquire.org.uk
Helpline: 0345 123 2303
If you live in Scotland, Enquire is the national advice service offering special education information for parents and carers. It’s a fantastic website, which provides a telephone helpline, guides, factsheets and outreach work. Enquire’s easy to read guide to additional support for learning in Scotland helps parents and carers understand their child’s rights and local authorities’ duties.
Snap Cymru
Website: http://www.snapcymru.org/
Helpline: 0808 801 0608
Similar to Enquire, Snap Cymru is available for parents and carers in Wales, offering free, impartial advice, support and information for children and young people in special education. They offer a telephone helpline, specialist casework, independent specialist advocacy and disagreement resolution.
The Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC)
Website: http://www.senac.co.uk/
Helpline: 028 9079 5779
SENAC is available for those based in Northern Ireland, providing independent advice and advocacy on behalf of children and young people up to the age of 19 who attend school and have special educational needs. Like the other websites listed, SENAC offer free independent advice and information on all aspects of the statutory framework of SEN provision in Northern Ireland.
SENAC offers a telephone helpline, email service, information packs and an appeals advice and tribunal support and representation service.
Contact
Website: https://contact.org.uk
Telephone: 0808 808 3555
Contact is a charity that offers support to families throughout the UK. They have an online resource library and can offer advice for parents and carers in relation to special educational needs, getting a diagnosis and medical information, benefits and sources of financial help and information in relation to the services that your family might be entitled to.
You can also speak to them online via their social media channels and by email.
Council for Disabled Children
Website: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/resources-and-help/im-parent
The Council for Disabled Children website is another great website which offers a fountain of knowledge - and knowledge is power! There is an online library full of resources written with parents in mind. The website also has links to every Information, Advice and Support (IAS) service in England, which provides advice to parents and carers as well as young people.
We really hope that these special needs education resources help you to find any information or advice you need.