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Croydon SENDIASS

SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service.

This is the SENDIASS service for people living in Croydon.

It’s a free, impartial, and confidential service offering information to young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and to their parents and carers.

Who is it for?

Families of young people aged 0 – 25 with special educational needs and disabilities. The service is open to parents and carers, and to young people themselves.

When is it open?

We are open Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm.

How much does it cost?

The service is free to access.

How do I contact you?

We have a drop-in service every Friday or you can contact us using the form below.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Croydon SENDIASS.

We aim to promote good working relationships between children, young people, parents, education settings and the Local Authority (Croydon Council), whilst seeking to empower parents to play an active and informed role in their child’s education.

We can support children, young people, parents and carers, in a number of ways and provide a range of services which include:

  • Providing impartial & confidential advice and information for families on SEND around Education, Health and Care.
  • Offering support with Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP), including annual reviews, informal & formal mediation and tribunals.
  • Supporting you to work with education providers to ensure your child / young person’s needs are met.
  • Offering support and advice on transport, exclusions – related to SEND, disability discrimination, elective home education and personal budgets.
  • Support with writing letters and completing forms, and assistance with discussions and meetings with schools, the Local Authority SEN team and SEND professionals.
  • Support with resolving disagreements helping you to consider and determine the best way forward.
  • Providing information and signposting to support services in your area.

Drop-in sessions

We offer drop-in sessions every Tuesday during term time. We can offer legal advice, support, or assistance with any of the following:

  • EHCP process or reviews
  • Requesting EHC needs assessment
  • Appealing Local Authority decisions
  • Tribunal process
  • Meetings with school or local authority on SEND

Where: Carers Support Centre, 24 George Street, London, CR0 1PB
When: Tuesday 10.00am – 12 noon during term-time only

Come along or book a session by contacting us.

Local contacts

Local offer

The Local Offer is your one-stop directory of SEND services in Croydon.

SEND Mediation

Mediation is a free dispute resolution service for families who disagree with a decision that the local authority has made. Croydon’s SEND Mediation is provided by Global Mediation.

Contact

Contact is a charity for families with disabled children. They support families, bring families together and help families take action for others.

IASS Network

The IASS Network is the umbrella body for SENDIAS service providers like Kids.

Off the record

Off the Record Croydon provides free and confidential counselling services to young people living in Croydon.

Kooth

Kooth is a free online counselling and emotional wellbeing support service for young people. It is a safe, secure and anonymous way to access support from a professional team of qualified counsellors.

IPSEA

IPSEA is a charity which offers legal advice, support and training to ensure children and young people with SEND access the right education.

Family fund

Family Fund is a charity providing grants for disabled children and their families.

Information & advice

Our advice guides offer information on a wide range of topics relating to special educational needs and disabilities.

Advice

Understanding SEND

An introduction to SEND for people at the start of their SEND journey

Advice

National organisations

National organisations that provide support for families with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Advice

Who’s who in SEND

A guide to the titles and roles of various professionals you might come across in your SEND journey.

Advice

SEND Glossary

There are lots of abbreviations used in the world of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Find explanations of the most common ones in our glossary.

Advice

What are Special Educational Needs?

Read out guide if you want to find out what special educational needs are.

Advice

The Local Offer

Find out what a Local Offer is and how it can help you find services for special educational needs and disabilities.

Advice

School meetings

Attending a meeting about your child at school can be difficult. Find out how to get the most from school meetings.

Advice

School refusal

How to support a child who is refusing to go to school.

Advice

Personal budgets

Explore the range of personal budgets available to families of children and young people with SEND.

Advice

Choosing a primary school

Top tips on choosing a primary school for a child with special educational needs or disabilities.

Advice

SEND support in schools

Schools are required to provide support to young people with SEND. Find out more in this guide.

Advice

SEN Funding

Schools receive funding to support children with SEN. Find out how you can ensure your child gets the support they need.

Advice

SEND in early years

Discover the support that is available in the early years for children with special educational needs and disabilities

Advice

School exclusions

Find out when and how school exclusions can happen and what your rights are if you or your child is excluded.

Advice

Transitioning to adulthood

Navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Advice

Appealing to the SEND Tribunal

If you want to appeal a decision in your EHC Plan you need to appeal to the SEND Tribunal. This guide shows you how.

Contact us

You can contact us by filling in the form below or by phone, email, or by sending us a message via our Facebook page.

We are open Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Outside these hours you can leave a message on our 24 hour answerphone.

We aim to respond to all queries within 2 working days.

We ask for this so we can make sure you are eligible for this service
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Impartiality and quality

Croydon SENDIASS is a completely independent and impartial service. For more information about how we ensure impartiality and confidentiality please read our SENDIASS policies.

Our SENDIAS services strive for the highest quality. The government publishes Minimum Standards for SENDIASS. Kids aims to meet and exceed those standards in all our work. Our staff are all highly experienced and knowledgeable. They receive regular training and updates on all aspects of SEND policy and law and have a detailed knowledge of Croydon education services so they can advise you on your family’s rights and options.