Our purpose
We help every family with a child who has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to:
Feel empowered to champion the needs of their child and their family
Feel listened to and able to influence the help they need
Our values
Our five values underpin everything that we do and how we do it:
We help children achieve their positive life outcomes
– our sole focus is on ensuring that every child who has SEND is able to achieve their hopes and aspirations.
We inform and empower
– our information and advice help families, teenagers and young adults, to self-advocate so that they can reach their personal ambitions.
We are here for every family
– our targeted advice and support is available for those who require more complex help or have additional accessibility needs.
We remain impartial and non-bias
– our advice is impartial, we do not take sides and, although we are legally part of Hertfordshire County Council, we work at ‘arm’s length’ from all organisations.
We maintain confidentiality
– our staff and systems uphold the trust and confidence of the families we work with by maintaining confidentiality about our case work.
Who we help
We provide help to families who meet all the following criteria:
The child, teenager or young adult lives in Hertfordshire
The child, teenager or young adult is under the age of 25
Professionals can use the use our information and advice to build on their own knowledge and understanding. They can also support the teenager or young adult they are working with, as well as their families, to access our service themselves.
What we do
We have three levels of service based on the needs of the child, teenager or young adult, and their family.
Information →
Advice →
Support →
Our staff
All our staff are fully DBS checked and are trained by IPSEA through the National IASS Network. Each of our team complete 90 hours of accredited legal training so that we can give you information and advice based on the law rather than local policy. We receive regular training updates to ensure that the information and advice we share is correct and up to date.
Learn more →
Policies
Inappropriate behaviour →
Accessibility statement →
Disclaimer and privacy →
Get in touch with us
If you can't find what you need, feel free to get in touch with us. Our opening hours are:
- Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 3pm
- Friday from 9.30am to 2pm
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 3 working days.
Other sources of help and support:
Hertfordshire Local Offer
The Local Offer lets parents and young people know what special educational needs and disabilities services are available in Hertfordshire, and who can access them.
Visit the Local Offer →
Contact
A charity for families with disabled children offering information and advice.
Visit Contact →
HPCI
An independent parent carer organisation ensuring family voices are heard.
Visit the HPCI →
IPSEA
Independent information, advice and support, with free guides, resources and template letters.
Visit IPSEA →