Who can refer

• Young people, parents and carers can refer themselves to SSENDIAS.

• Professionals are not able to refer families but can speak to SSENDIAS for generic advice.

Guidelines for referrals

• Child or young person 0- 25 has special educational needs. They do not need a diagnosis.

• Child or young person does not need to attend a Sheffield School/ college but must live in Sheffield.

How to refer

Young people, parents and carers refer themselves to the service.

• Tel: 0114 273 6009

• Email: ssendias@sheffield.gov.uk

• Website: www.sheffieldsendias.org.uk

Read our full referral policy here

The service does not take sides and bases all advice on the law, helping people understand their options, make informed decisions and communicate effectively with professionals.

People can contact SSENDIAS anonymously, and their information is kept private and secure, with nothing shared without consent unless there are safeguarding or safety concerns.

The service is impartial from the local authority and health bodies, has a clear complaints process, and may end involvement when support is no longer needed or appropriate, always signposting to other help where necessary.

We offer

• Parent Information Sessions and webinars on FAQ’s (frequently asked questions)

  • SEN Support

  • EHC Needs Assessment

  • Checking a draft plan

  • Transition and your options.

• A website containing useful SEND information.

• A newsletter each term.

• Social media channels on Facebook

• An advice line to discuss your query and offer information and advice.

Read our full service policy here

Sheffield SENDIAS considers requests to attend meetings such as those with schools, local authority officers, mediation or tribunals, but cannot attend all meetings due to demand and staff availability.

Meetings may be attended in person or online, depending on availability and practicality. SSENDIAS will only attend meetings at the service user’s request and will not attend if the service user is not present. If SSENDIAS cannot attend, we can still provide support before and after the meeting.

Read our full support in meetings policy here

Any Information you give to Sheffield SEND IAS will be:

• only that which is essential and relevant to the matter in hand

• securely stored on their cloud based database

• will be all the information SSENDIAS will have unless you give specific permission to have information from any other source

• the database is independent of Sheffield LA

• the database will only be accessed by members of the SSENDIAS team

• completely confidential and not shared with anyone else unless you have given specific permission or there are safeguarding concerns

• ‘forgotten’ if you ask this to happen

If you would like to give us consent to speak to any professionals on your behalf, please complete our consent form

SSENDIAS can help by providing a range of support around topics including SEN support, education health and care plans, exclusions, mediation and Tribunals

Find out more about how we can support here

The law requires local authorities to provide free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and to their parents or carers, so they can understand their rights and take part in decisions about education, health and social care. In Sheffield, this support is provided by Sheffield SENDIAS. Being impartial means the service does not take sides, is impartial from the local authority and health services, and bases all advice on the law and the SEND Code of Practice. Sheffield SENDIAS offers clear, unbiased information, advice and support in a range of ways and keeps all personal information confidential, unless there are safeguarding concerns.

You can find out more here