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Frequently asked questions about SEND in school

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Frequently asked questions about SEND in school

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Calderdale Local Offer for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 

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Calderdale Local Offer for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. 

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Local Offer for children with special needs or disabilities

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For information on services and support for children and young people aged 0 - 25, with special educational needs and disabilities.

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This website provides advice, information, support and signposting on local and national emotional health and wellbeing services that help children, young people and families who are going through a difficult time.

Get help now

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This website provides advice, information, support and signposting on local and national emotional health and wellbeing services that help children, young people and families who are going through a difficult time. Get help now

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Supporting families with disabled children.

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Experienced & knowledgeable staff.

Confidential & high quality services.

Welcome to Unique Ways

Supporting families with disabled children.

We are a parent-carer led organisation supporting disabled children and their families, helping them to lead ordinary lives. Our goal is to make sure that the voices of parent carers and their families are heard.
We provide a broad range of services for parent carers, from training courses and Independent Supporters to social events, focus groups and discounts on family days out! We don't restrict our services based on whether your child has a diagnosis or not, and instead work with anyone who feels they need our help.
Read more about Unique Ways
How We Can Help...

Information & Signposting

Providing guidance, and
pointing you in the right direction.
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Courses & Training

Free sessions focusing on
building resilience for parent carers.
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One2One Services

Individual support from our
practitioners, tailored to your needs.
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Children's Area

Everything from Toy Libraries to craft groups!
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Frequently Asked Questions

Answering some of the most common questions we're asked.
find out more

Peer Support

We provide peer support for members and non-members alike.
find out more

Our parents and carers forum, Family Voice Calderdale, ensures that you have a voice in shaping services for children with additional needs.

This active group of parent carers works in partnership with Statutory Service Providers to influence the design, development and delivery of services for disabled children and young people in Calderdale. The group encourages families to get involved, share experiences, and take an active role in shaping the services they use.
find out more
Tell us your current issues...

There's lots more support available at Unique Ways. How else can we help you?
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Latest News
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Welcome to Unique Ways Supporting families with disabled children. We are a parent-carer led organisation supporting disabled children and their families, helping them to lead ordinary lives. Our goal is to make sure that the voices of parent carers and their families are heard. We provide a broad range of services for parent carers, from [...]

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Our glossary explains some of the terms and abbreviations used in EHC plans and the Local Offer: Glossary of terms [PDF 37KB].

The EHC plan

The EHC plan allows for different services to work together. It identifies the best way to meet the needs of children or young people.

The plans detail the child or young person's story in relation to their education, health and care needs. It is a positive document highlighting the child/young person's strengths and abilities. It should be read with the overview that gives guidance on the various sections of the plan:

The plan is developed with children, young people and their families. It can support young people up to the age of 25, if they have educational outcomes to achieve.

Two animations for parents are available to view. They help to explain the EHCP process and its important relationship with the Person Centred Connection, visit: EHCP process animations .

An EHC Plan is reviewed every 12 months (or six monthly if your child is under five years old) based around an annual review meeting. The review will:

Involve the child/young person, parents/carers, the setting/school and any other agencies involved. (Such as, Family Support worker, health worker and careers adviser).

Discuss progress towards the outcomes. Check that resources identified in the Plan are still relevant. Make recommendations to the authority SEN Team for amendments, if required.

Set new short-term outcomes for the following year, based on the plan.

Focus on preparing young people for life as an independent adult, from Year 9 onwards.

Settings/schools are responsible for:

co-ordinating the yearly review meeting;

making sure that all involved are invited;

preparing the review 'paperwork', in advance.

Children/young people and parents/carers will always be asked to contribute a 'report' by the school before the meeting. The setting/school will circulate all review documentation two weeks in advance of the meeting. This is to allow all involved to properly prepare for the meeting. Review meetings are co-ordinated and facilitated by the setting/school and should be structured to allow all involved to contribute. It is expected that all children/young people will take part in a meaningful fashion, usually attending the meeting in some form.

At the meeting actions and recommendations are outlined and included in final review documentation by the setting/school and forwarded to the authority SEN Team. The SEN Team will then conclude the annual review process and inform parents/young people of any proposed changes to the EHC Plan.

Importantly, settings/schools will also regularly review progress against agreed actions and outcomes. This is through termly meetings in the setting / school, allowing all involved to work together in partnership.

Visit: Council for disabled children for more on the Education, Health and Social Care plans.

For more detail on the EHC Plan Annual Review process,contact:

Parents and young people can also contact SENDIASS for support around the EHC Plan annual review process.

Youth Custody

There is a plan in place for children and young people aged 18 or under, who have been detained in youth custody. This has been a statutory requirement since April 2015. The plan includes contact details and frequently asked questions on pages 5 and 6:

Moving out of or into Calderdale

If you are moving to another local authority, the SEN team will transfer your EHC plan to the new local authority.

The new authority will be responsible for managing the EHC plan and for securing the special educational provision it details. They must also review the plan before one of two deadlines whichever is the latter:

within 12 months of the plan being made or being previously reviewed by Calderdale Council;

or within three months of the plan being transferred.

If you are moving into Calderdale, your current local authority SEN team will transfer your EHC plan to us. We will be responsible for managing your plan and securing the special educational provision it details.

Full details on either process can be found in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (page 192, paragraphs 9.157 to 9.162). For more details, contact: SEND support.

Personal budgets

All families with a child that has an EHC plan will have the right to ask for a personal budget. It is money for those who need extra help, above that available through universal and targeted services.

Parents or young people will be given a choice of:

Their funds can be managed on their behalf by an agency.

They can get Direct Payments, so they can buy and manage services themselves.

Use a mix of both the above.

For more details, please read page 25 of the: SEND: Guide for parents and carers.

For more about the decision process, please read:

For help with the process, contact:

Personal health budgets

Anyone receiving NHS continuing healthcare has the right to a personal health budget. This is an amount of money to support a person's identified health and wellbeing needs, planned and agreed between the person and their local NHS team. It will give people with long-term conditions and disabilities a greater choice, flexibility and control over the healthcare and support they receive, see: Personal Health Budgets.

Resolving disagreements

Parents and young people have the opportunity to go to mediation before they can register an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal.

Wherever possible Calderdale Council and/or Health Commissioners will try and resolve issues or areas of disagreement by meeting and talking with those involved in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes parents, carers and also the children and young people themselves.

It is not always possible to reach a resolution without the help of a neutral third party. Mediation services are available in Calderdale and are delivered by Collis Mediation. They offer a variety of effective mediation services for people in dispute using trained and experienced mediators. They work hard to make sure that:

parties are as comfortable as possible during the process;

the final agreement meets the needs of both parties.

For more about this, contact: SEND support.

Single Route of Redress - National Trial

The Government have extended the powers of the SEND Tribunal to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. This is a two-year trial from 3rd April 2018. For more about this, please read: Single Route of Redress - National Trial [PDF 49KB].

Advocacy support

Young people over compulsory school age have new rights. Where there is a conflict of interests between the young person and the parent(s) during assessments/reviews of Education Health and Care plans, it is the view of the young person that prevails. Some young people will require the support of a skilled advocate to ensure their views are heard and acknowledged.

In Calderdale, advocacy support is provided by the:

Children's Rights, Advocacy and Visitor Service;

or Independent Support Coordinators, who are part of the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service, see: Getting independent advice.

The Children's Rights, Advocacy and Visitor Service

This service provides advocacy support for young people, who are over compulsory school age, during the assessment and/or review process for an Education Health and Care plan.

If you are a young person, advocacy can support you if you feel that people are making decisions about you without listening to what you have to say.

Advocacy can:

help your voice be heard;

make sure that you are being treated fairly;

support you in meetings;

support you to have your say about things that affect you;

help you understand what is happening and why;

help you make a complaint;

help you speak out for yourself.

For more details, contact:

Other useful links

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Our glossary explains some of the terms and abbreviations used in EHC plans and the Local Offer: Glossary of terms [PDF 37KB]. The EHC plan allows for different services to work together. It identifies the best way to meet the needs of children or young people.

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Advice and Support for parents of children with SEND

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Advice and Support for parents of children with SEND

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Our glossary explains some of the terms and abbreviations used in EHC plans and the Local Offer: Glossary of terms [PDF 37KB].

The EHC plan

The EHC plan allows for different services to work together. It identifies the best way to meet the needs of children or young people.

The plans detail the child or young person's story in relation to their education, health and care needs. It is a positive document highlighting the child/young person's strengths and abilities. It should be read with the overview that gives guidance on the various sections of the plan:

The plan is developed with children, young people and their families. It can support young people up to the age of 25, if they have educational outcomes to achieve.

Two animations for parents are available to view. They help to explain the EHCP process and its important relationship with the Person Centred Connection, visit: EHCP process animations .

An EHC Plan is reviewed every 12 months (or six monthly if your child is under five years old) based around an annual review meeting. The review will:

Involve the child/young person, parents/carers, the setting/school and any other agencies involved. (Such as, Family Support worker, health worker and careers adviser).

Discuss progress towards the outcomes. Check that resources identified in the Plan are still relevant. Make recommendations to the authority SEN Team for amendments, if required.

Set new short-term outcomes for the following year, based on the plan.

Focus on preparing young people for life as an independent adult, from Year 9 onwards.

Settings/schools are responsible for:

co-ordinating the yearly review meeting;

making sure that all involved are invited;

preparing the review 'paperwork', in advance.

Children/young people and parents/carers will always be asked to contribute a 'report' by the school before the meeting. The setting/school will circulate all review documentation two weeks in advance of the meeting. This is to allow all involved to properly prepare for the meeting. Review meetings are co-ordinated and facilitated by the setting/school and should be structured to allow all involved to contribute. It is expected that all children/young people will take part in a meaningful fashion, usually attending the meeting in some form.

At the meeting actions and recommendations are outlined and included in final review documentation by the setting/school and forwarded to the authority SEN Team. The SEN Team will then conclude the annual review process and inform parents/young people of any proposed changes to the EHC Plan.

Importantly, settings/schools will also regularly review progress against agreed actions and outcomes. This is through termly meetings in the setting / school, allowing all involved to work together in partnership.

Visit: Council for disabled children for more on the Education, Health and Social Care plans.

For more detail on the EHC Plan Annual Review process,contact:

Parents and young people can also contact SENDIASS for support around the EHC Plan annual review process.

Youth Custody

There is a plan in place for children and young people aged 18 or under, who have been detained in youth custody. This has been a statutory requirement since April 2015. The plan includes contact details and frequently asked questions on pages 5 and 6:

Moving out of or into Calderdale

If you are moving to another local authority, the SEN team will transfer your EHC plan to the new local authority.

The new authority will be responsible for managing the EHC plan and for securing the special educational provision it details. They must also review the plan before one of two deadlines whichever is the latter:

within 12 months of the plan being made or being previously reviewed by Calderdale Council;

or within three months of the plan being transferred.

If you are moving into Calderdale, your current local authority SEN team will transfer your EHC plan to us. We will be responsible for managing your plan and securing the special educational provision it details.

Full details on either process can be found in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (page 192, paragraphs 9.157 to 9.162). For more details, contact: SEND support.

Personal budgets

All families with a child that has an EHC plan will have the right to ask for a personal budget. It is money for those who need extra help, above that available through universal and targeted services.

Parents or young people will be given a choice of:

Their funds can be managed on their behalf by an agency.

They can get Direct Payments, so they can buy and manage services themselves.

Use a mix of both the above.

For more details, please read page 25 of the: SEND: Guide for parents and carers.

For more about the decision process, please read:

For help with the process, contact:

Personal health budgets

Anyone receiving NHS continuing healthcare has the right to a personal health budget. This is an amount of money to support a person's identified health and wellbeing needs, planned and agreed between the person and their local NHS team. It will give people with long-term conditions and disabilities a greater choice, flexibility and control over the healthcare and support they receive, see: Personal Health Budgets.

Resolving disagreements

Parents and young people have the opportunity to go to mediation before they can register an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal.

Wherever possible Calderdale Council and/or Health Commissioners will try and resolve issues or areas of disagreement by meeting and talking with those involved in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes parents, carers and also the children and young people themselves.

It is not always possible to reach a resolution without the help of a neutral third party. Mediation services are available in Calderdale and are delivered by Collis Mediation. They offer a variety of effective mediation services for people in dispute using trained and experienced mediators. They work hard to make sure that:

parties are as comfortable as possible during the process;

the final agreement meets the needs of both parties.

For more about this, contact: SEND support.

Single Route of Redress - National Trial

The Government have extended the powers of the SEND Tribunal to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. This is a two-year trial from 3rd April 2018. For more about this, please read: Single Route of Redress - National Trial [PDF 49KB].

Advocacy support

Young people over compulsory school age have new rights. Where there is a conflict of interests between the young person and the parent(s) during assessments/reviews of Education Health and Care plans, it is the view of the young person that prevails. Some young people will require the support of a skilled advocate to ensure their views are heard and acknowledged.

In Calderdale, advocacy support is provided by the:

Children's Rights, Advocacy and Visitor Service;

or Independent Support Coordinators, who are part of the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service, see: Getting independent advice.

The Children's Rights, Advocacy and Visitor Service

This service provides advocacy support for young people, who are over compulsory school age, during the assessment and/or review process for an Education Health and Care plan.

If you are a young person, advocacy can support you if you feel that people are making decisions about you without listening to what you have to say.

Advocacy can:

help your voice be heard;

make sure that you are being treated fairly;

support you in meetings;

support you to have your say about things that affect you;

help you understand what is happening and why;

help you make a complaint;

help you speak out for yourself.

For more details, contact:

Other useful links

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our glossary explains some of the terms and abbreviations used in EHC plans and the Local Offer: Glossary of terms [PDF 37KB]. The EHC plan allows for different services to work together. It identifies the best way to meet the needs of children or young people.