The East and Purbeck Locality SEND team are offering parents and carers of children and young people who are undergoing an EHC needs assessment, or who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) the opportunity to book a telephone appointment with their named SEND Provision Lead.
The named SEND Provision Lead is the first point of contact. They have full oversight of the child's case and will be able to provide you with the most up to date information.
Eligibility
This appointment system is available for individuals who:
- live in East and Purbeck Locality within Dorset Council area
- have a named SEND Provision Lead
- have queries or concerns about a child or young person who is undergoing an EHC needs assessment or who has an EHCP
For children and young people with an EHCP who live in another locality area, contact their named SEND Provision Lead directly to arrange a telephone appointment or meeting.
For children and young people without an EHCP, please reach out to the Family Support and Advice Line.
Topics covered
There will be an opportunity to discuss the following topics:
- an update on the status of a ‘live’ EHC Needs Assessment
- progress following an Annual Review
- information regarding processes and next steps
SEND appointment details
Each consultation is 15 minutes, with SEND Provision Leads offering appointments every week during their working hours. All calls are confidential unless there is a risk of harm to you, your child, or someone else.
Booking a SEND appointment
A booking link is available beneath the email signature of your named SEND Provision Lead. You can use the link to book a telephone consultation online. If you cannot book online, call 01305 224995 and a member of the business support team will make an appointment for you.
To support your named SEND Provision Lead to provide the right information during your consultation, please provide the following details when booking your telephone consultation online:
- your full name
- your email address
- your contact telephone number
- the child’s full name and date of birth
- the reason for requesting a telephone consultation
We may not be able to accept your appointment booking without these details.
What to expect from the consultation
Before speaking to your named SEND Provision Lead, please note:
- each bookable slot is for 15 minutes
- all parties will respect confidentiality
- we are here to help you and thank you for treating us with respect
What a typical consultation includes
Your named SEND Provision Lead will:
- confirm the aim of the consultation and what you want to achieve from the discussion
- ask a range of questions to understand your query or concern better
- provide support to identify next steps or resolve any concerns
- provide a summary of the session, which will be emailed to you following the call
For parents and carers
You are also able to contact your named SEND Provision Lead directly at any time by email or by telephone. They will aim to provide a full response to the points you have raised within our service standard of 5 working days. During busy periods or where they are away from work, it may take them longer to respond to emails or a request for a call back. We appreciate your patience where this is the case.
If your request is unable to wait for a response, for example, if the child’s school placement is ending suddenly, please call 01305 224995 and a member of our business support team will try to connect you with another member of the team.
Before making a SEND appointment, it may help to talk to your child’s class teacher or tutor first. Alternatively, you can consult the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) at your child's school. If your child's needs are complex, the SENCO can discuss the possibility of involving an Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher.
For schools
All children and young people have a right to receive an education where they are included and make progress. This includes those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
There are 3 different levels of support in education:
- Universal support: All children and young people should receive high quality teaching through ordinarily available provision
- SEN (Special Educational Needs) support: Some children and young people need additional and different targeted or specialist support
- Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP): A few children and young people have higher support needs. They will need personalised support and may need an EHCP
Educational settings should use a person-centred approach to make sure support is suited to each child or young person.