All services must make adjustments so every child can access support. Schools follow standards and publish SEND Information Reports. Extra help is available through health, early help, and inclusion teams.
Children with complex needs may get an EHC plan. Parents can contact the school SENCO or local services for more information.
All services in education, health and social care have a legal responsibility to make adjustments to make sure everyone can access the support they need.
Schools must meet the following:
Kent - Mainstream Core Standards Medway - Ordinarily Available Provision guidance
Schools must have a SEND Information Report on their school website. Parents can refer to this report which will inform them about the provision available at the school. This provision is available to all children, regardless of whether it is required as a short-term intervention or a longer term measure.
All support available to children is designed to ensure every child can be as independent as possible.
If parents require any further information, please speak to the school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator).
This page provides information on support available in all schools. For information on 'This is Me' or the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS), visit new projects for children and young people.
For information on Further and Higher Education, apprenticeships and vocational training, visit education, employment and volunteering.
The School Health Service provides support for primary and secondary-aged children with a variety of health issues and will refer to specialist services, when needed.
These include:
In Kent, referring to one of the school health teams can be done via:
0300 123 5205, option 2
kchft.schoolhealth@nhs.net
In Medway, the school nursing team can be contacted via:
0300 123 3444, option 4
medch.childrenscommunity@nhs.net
This service can offer support if:
Your child's GP or preschool/school can make a referral on your behalf.
If you live in Kent, more information can be found at www.kelsi.org.uk/earlyhelp.
The Early Help triage team can be contacted on earlyhelp@kent.gov.uk or 03000 41 92 22.
If you live in Medway, you can discuss Early Help with your local Children and Family Hub.
You can contact the helplines Monday to Thursday from 8am to 5pm, or on Fridays from 8am to 4.30pm. The helplines are closed during weekends.
In Kent, if the staff at your child's school need additional advice, training or support to help your child, then the SENCo can make a referral to the Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT). You will need to give consent for this to happen.
At the LIFT meeting the SENCo will share the needs of your child and explain what has been tried to date to enable progress. Other settings/schools and professionals, for example, an educational psychologist or specialist teacher may suggest further strategies that can be tried.
The outcomes of the LIFT meeting should be shared with you by the SENCo. This will then enable targets to be set for your child and a plan to be prepared with you.
An education, health and care (EHC) plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
EHCs can be requested via Kent County Council or Medway Council, depending on where you live.
Not all children with a diagnosis will need an ECHP and some children with an EHCP will not have a diagnosis.
All children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have a legal right to an education that meets their individual needs.
IPSEA is the leading charity in the field of SEND law in England - they provide free and independent legal advice and support to families of children and young people with SEND.
The Health Visiting Service provides support and confidential health advice. They can advise you on:
In Kent, the Health Visiting Service is provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust.
In Medway, Health Visiting is provided by Medway Community Healthcare. They can be contacted on 0300 123 3444.