Medway SENDIAS

Medway Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Advice Support service (SENDIAS) provides a range of free and impartial help to parents/carers, children and young people.

We hope to make children and young people with SEND more aware of what they’re entitled to, and the options available to them, and their parents and carers.

Through the provision of information, advice and support we promote informed decision making and our service is free to access, accurate, confidential, comprehensive and easy to understand.

How it works

The service provides impartial advice and support to children and young people aged under 25 via telephone support, email, website, social media and face to face contact, at both our office and in the community.

We also offer support with filling in paperwork and support young people to express their views, wishes and feelings, both on a one to one basis and at meetings with schools and the Local Authority.
We provide information and advice about:

• The law on special educational needs and disability
• Education, health and care plans and the procedures surrounding them
• Personalisation and personal budgets
• The Local Offer – this gives information about Medway services for young people and parents
• Managing mediation, tribunals, appeals, exclusions and complaints
• SEND support in early years provision, mainstream schools and post-16 institutions
• Local provision in mainstream, resourced mainstream and special schools
• Where to go for additional support locally or nationally
• What to do when things go wrong

We are also committed to involving those using the service and provide volunteering opportunities for those who want to increase their involvement.

If you would like to find out more about our services download our service leaflet, or our leaflet for young people.

How you can help

If you have time to spare during the daytime and would like to support local families who have children with special educational needs or disabilities take a look at our Volunteering with Medway information sheet and complete and return your Volunteer Application Form.

We look forward to hearing from you.