About US

What we do

We’re here to help when you’re not sure of something. We can provide you with information, advice and support suited to your specific needs, as well as guide you through SEND processes and procedures relating to:

• The SEND law on education, health and social care
• The Local Offer (what is available in Derby)
• School choices and admissions
• SEND Support in school and college
• School attendance, including part-time timetables and exclusions
• Home to school transport
• Phase transfers
• Post-16 transitions and Preparing for Adulthood
• Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessments and Plans, including Personal Budgets and Annual Reviews
• Disagreement resolution, including Mediation and Appeals
• Signposting to other organisations

If you need information, advice or support on any topics not listed, please visit the Useful Links page, as we may be able to signpost you to another organisations. You can also find more information about us and what we do on the Resources page.

Please be aware that our full service offer is dependent on availability. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 working days. The level of support which we are able to provide will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How we work

Confidentially – we won’t tell anyone anything that you share with us, including school, the Local Authority, or your parents, unless you give us permission to, or there is a safeguarding concern.

Impartially – we can advise you on what your options on, are but we won’t tell you that one is better than the other. Although we are part of Derby City Council, we are separate from the Local Authority’s SEND team and departments and we don’t take sides.

Accessibly – we aim to support everyone that contacts us as well as we can. Our website can be translated into 104 languages and you can change the font size, as well as the colour of the background, to make it easier to read. Please let us know if you require additional support and we will do our best to arrange this for you.

Based on law – the whole team has undertaken all three levels of IPSEA SEND Law training and is familiar with what is set out in the SEND Code of Practice 2015, as well as the Children and Families Act 2014. The information and advice that we provide is based solely upon what is set out in law and never upon personal opinion.

First come first served – we respond to all enquiries in the order that they come through to us, unless there is a serious issue which requires urgent attention or a short legal timescale. Please be aware that in busy periods, it may take up to 5 working days for you to receive a response.

Free of charge – we will never ask you to pay for any information, advice or support that you receive from us.

Meet our team

All the team at Derby SENDIASS has undertaken the complete IPSEA SEND Law training (Levels 1-3) and hold Level 2 certificates in Information, Advice and Guidance. Between us, we have a many years’ experience in supporting families with additional needs. We regularly attend training events to ensure that we are up to date on all the latest policies, so that we can provide you with the best information, advice and support possible.