Introduction
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) offers information, advice and support for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This service is also offered directly to young people aged 16 and over.
The service is free, impartial and confidential.
It is a legal requirement that all local authorities commission a SENDIASS.
Why we are consulting
The current contract is due to expire 31 March 2023, so we are consulting to understand what parents and carers and children and young people want the future provision to look like.
What we are hoping to achieve
Achieving for Children are looking to complete a full co-produced consultation with families in Richmond and Kingston, which reflects the commitment to co-production (opens a new window)
This represents the beginning of the commissioning process and will help inform the whole commissioning cycle.
How we will consult with parents, carers and young people
The consultation will be in two parts: parents and carers consultation, and children and young people consultation.
Parents and carers
Parents and carers will be invited to workshops as part of their consultation. Parents will also be consulted regarding the development of service specifications and be on the evaluation panel of submitted bids.
Richmond Parent Carer Forum led on a survey and workshops and 1 to 1 phone calls with parents and carers in Richmond. This took place in March 2022.
AfC will lead on a survey and workshops for Kingston parents, and any Richmond parents that would like to communicate to AfC directly.
Children and young people
Children and young people can get involved by speaking with our Participation Officer for children and young people with SEND, Grace Over. Grace will be contacting schools and colleges to ask children and young people if they want to discuss their experiences of SENDIASS or would like to offer their views.
Email: grace.over@achievingforchildren.org.uk
Completing the survey
Achieving for Children SENDIASS Survey (opens a new window)
Easy Read SENDIASS Survey version (pdf)
Important:
To fill in the Easy Read version electronically you need to :
- Save the form on your own device.
- Edit the form by adding your answers.
- Save the form with your answers.
The form can then be emailed to: terry.tottman@achievingforchildren.org.uk
You can complete the survey straight away or wait and take part in one of four workshops listed below. Two workshops will be online and two held face to face.
There will be a recording of at least one of the presentation parts of the workshops that will be made available on this website for people who were not able to attend.
Register for a workshop
Attend one of our workshops to hear a short presentation giving information about the SENDIASS. There will be 30 minutes for you to ask questions. At the end of the session we hope you will be more informed and ready to answer a short survey.
The dates and times of the workshops are shown in the table below. You can use the online form to register for a date and time convenient for you.
You can also register for one of the feedback sessions which will be held after the consultation has ended. We will present a summary of what AfC were told and how it might affect future plans.
Workshops |
Date | Time | How and where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop 1 (presentation, Q&A, survey) |
9th May 2022 | 11am to midday | online |
| Workshop 2 (presentation, Q&A, survey) |
11th May 2022 | 8pm to 9pm | online |
| Workshop 3 (presentation, Q&A, survey) |
16th May 2022 | 10am to 11am | Face to face at
Everyday Church (Kingston Town Centre) 46 Union Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1RP
|
| Workshop 4 (presentation, Q&A, survey) |
25th May 2022 | 1pm to 2pm | Face to face at
Twickenham Exchange (opposite Twickenham Station) 75 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 1BE
|
Feedback session |
|||
|
(A summary of what AfC were told and how it might affect future plans) |
15th June 2022 | 12 midday to 1pm | Online |
|
(A summary of what AfC were told and how it might affect future plans)
|
16th June 2022 | 8pm to 9pm | Online |
| Evaluation |
Late October/early November |
Time to be advised | In person |
Other ways to tell us your views
If you would like to communicate thoughts and feelings about SENDIASS in a way not listed, you can contact Terry Tottman directly by email: terry.tottman@achievingforchildren.org.uk
When will consultation end?
The consultation will close on 6 June.
Current status of SENDIASS
In Kingston and Richmond, this service is provided by "KIDS", a national charity which provides a number of these services across the country. Each KIDS SENDIASS has a local website with their contact details, local information and local resources.
The current provider of SENDIASS is led by SENDIASS Team Coordinator Jonathan Rourke.
They have been delivering the SENDIASS for families in Kingston and Richmond since 2015.
Minimum Standards
The local authority (or in Kingston and Richmond, Achieving for Children) has a statutory duty under s32 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (opens a new window) and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (opens a new window) to provide a SENDIASS.
The service is required to meet Minimum Standard for SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (opens a new window)
Easy Read version of the Minimum Standards (opens a new window)
This video explains what a SENDIASS should offer.
Commissioning Team
Suzanne Toomer
Strategic Head of Commissioning
Achieving for Children
07902 402059
suzanne.toomer@achievingforchildren.org.uk
Terry Tottman
Senior Commissioning and Procurement Manager
Achieving for Children
07849 309070
terry.tottman@achievingforchildren.org.uk