Parent and carer guide

This guide is for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 years who have special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND).

You may find it helpful to use this guide if:

• You think your child has SEN.
• You’ve been told by someone – such as your child’s teacher – that they think he or she has SEN, and/or
• You know that your child has SEN and you want to know more about what services are available to support you and what to expect.

The 0–25 Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 and SEND: A guide for parents and carers (2014) are key sources of information for this document.

It also draws on the work of the Lewisham Parents Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Guidance Project, which involved representatives from Lewisham Parent Carer Forum, Contact, Signal, the local authority and the views of parents and carers obtained during a conference held on 4 June 2018.