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SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability)

What are additional needs?

If your child has a health or developmental condition that is impacting on their everyday life, this is often referred to as an additional need. This may have been present from birth or these may have become more obvious as your child has grown up.

Your child's additional needs could be developmental, physical, learning, behavioural or sensory. Their needs might be easily met with a regular plan of care or a creative approach to their management. Some additional needs may continue throughout life and as a family there will be times you may require support from a number of services.

All children should have access to the right services, at the right time, to make sure they can reach their full potential. We work together with other agencies to ensure that the right professionals are involved at the right time to meet the needs of you and your child.

What are Special Educational Needs and Disabilities? Watch this short video produced by Nasenonline [opens in new window]

What is an Education, Health and Social Care (EHC) plan? A short video produced by Council for Disabled Children [opens in new window]

Growing Up with Additional Needs 

In the early days when your child is being assessed or has a new diagnosis there can seem a lot of professionals involved in your child’s care.

As your child grows the amount of professionals tends to get less. This can be a big relief and lets you ‘get on’ with family life, but it can feel harder to know how to get the help when you need it. The Worcestershire Local Offer [opens in new window] is a directory of local support services available.

There are local services to help your child and family as listed below. The Starting Well Partnership is here to offer support and advice for all children and families aged 0-19 years.

Support offered by The Starting Well Partnership

We keep in closer contact with families with a child with additional needs and refer on to other agencies to ensure a seamless service throughout your child’s journey. We can call you by phone or offer a video appointment. If required we can book a face to face contact and we can come up with a plan of care together, this plan of care will often involve referral to other agencies in order to provide the most appropriate support for you and your child.

Remember you can call the telephone advice line to talk to a member of the public health nursing team about any concerns at any time on the 0-5 telephone advisory service 01905 520 032.  There is also lots of information about the health and development of children on our webpage for all parents. You will also find some extra resources for parents of children and young people with additional needs on the Worcestershire Local offer website [opens in new window].

For young people aged 11-19 we have our free confidential Chat Health text service which can be accessed on 07507331750 where a member of the school health nursing team can answer any questions you may have. 

The 2 ½ year integrated review which involves an integrated approach to reviewing children’s development between your child’s early years setting and the health visiting team. 

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Groups, courses and support for children and families with SEND

Teen Autism Confident — Free course for teens 

Teen Autism Confident is a free online 6-week course about autism for autistic teens aged 13-19. It is delivered by Autism West Midlands and is an opportunity for diagnosed and non-diagnosed autistic teens to learn more about autism in small, supportive group sessions and a one-to-one meeting with an autism advisor. The course will explore topics ranging from understanding autism to self-esteem and self-image. The sessions are every Monday from 9.30am – 11am starting 24th February.

Free training from SENDIASS

The SEND Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) delivers a range of free training workshops for parent carers. These include Autism & Me; What Does a Good EHCP Look Like; How to Check a Draft EHCP; SEND – What You Need to Know; Understanding Dyslexia. Professionals’ training workshops are also available including: Autism & Me; What Does a Good EHCP Look Like; SEN Support and the Graduated Response. Find out more on the SENDIASS website.

Free autism and ADHD workshops for parent carers 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB have commissioned Autism West Midlands & ADHD Foundation Trust to deliver a series of workshops for families of children with Autism. To find out more information or to book onto any of the below sessions visit the Autism West Midlands Eventbrite page. If you have any queries or need additional information please contact Autism West Midlands using the details below:

Can’t attend live? Catch up with a recording available for two weeks following the events. The webinars are open to parents and carers in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire area.

Webinars start at 10:30 am and run between 1.5 and 2 hours.

  • Weds 2nd April 2025 Autism and the teenage brain — Brain changes, how growing up and Autism interact, how to support your team and useful resources.
  • Weds 9th April 2025 Supporting your autistic teen — How to support your teen and useful resources.

Support groups

South Worcestershire Additional Needs Support Group (SWANS) 

Friendly, nurturing support group for parents, carers and family members of children with additional needs in South Worcestershire. Meet for a coffee, discuss your SEN journey and share your experiences and knowledge along the way.

We meet on the 2nd Monday of every month at Perdiswell Young Peoples Club, Worcester, WR3 7SN from 9:30am — 11:30am, and all are welcome regardless of whether your child has a diagnosis. For more information, join our SWANS Facebook group or email: Holly Carver 

Action For Children - Virtual support groups for parents and carers of children with additional needs from birth right through to adulthood.

There are several sessions available and are held to cover Malvern, Worcester and Wychavon geographically. We have different days and times available to try and accommodate as many people as we can and benefit from a vast number of guest speakers during our sessions who hold a vast wealth of knowledge and experiences.

These sessions are for any parent or carer to attend and is a safe place. If you require any more information or would like to discuss dates and times, please get in contact with either of the contacts below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Contact information

Barnardo's - Peer support group for parents/carers of children with SEND in Wyre Forest

The group has been set up by parents and volunteers to share information, gain support and socialise. Your child does not require a diagnosis for you to attend. To find out more information about the group please call: 01562 827207 or email: Starting Well in Wyre Forest.

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There are lots of groups and activities open to any child or young person who has a special educational need and/or disability. Families can access these groups and activities themselves and will need to pay a contribution to attend most groups.

Some groups are run by specially trained staff which means that parent carers do not have to stay with their children. You or a carer might have to stay with your child at other groups, depending on the group or the needs of your child.

You can also search for after school and holiday provision using the Worcestershire Children First childcare search engine This search engine also enables you to search for SEND specific after-school clubs and playschemes.  

You can find further information on support groups and holiday activities on the Herefordshire and Worcestershire SENDIASS A-Z of support page under the categories, play and recreation and holiday activities.