If you’re thinking of getting in touch with this service, please take some time to read the information on this page to learn more about how we can support you. Our website has a wealth of legal advice where you may also find the information you require, so do take a look at our free guides, resources and template letters before booking an appointment – you can also use our website search function if you’re not sure where to find the information you need.

Who is our Advice Line for?  

Our Advice Line is an appointment based telephone helpline for parents, carers and family members of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and for young people with SEND who would like our support.

If you are receiving ongoing support from a solicitor or other advocate then regrettably IPSEA is unable to give you advice. This is to avoid the potential for conflicting advice, and to ensure our helpline is available for parents and carers not receiving any other support. 

Our advice relates to the law as it applies in England.   

Please note, we’re unable to take calls from professionals or other third parties without the consent of the child/parent/young person to process their data. 

How can our Advice Line support you?  

Our volunteer advisers can give you  free and independent legal information, advice and support on any educational issue that is a result of a child or young person’s SEND. 

Some examples of issues we advise families about include:  

• SEN support at school  
• Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments  
• EHC plans  
• Annual reviews  
• Exclusions 

To make the best of your 30-minute call, we suggest reviewing the guides and resources on our website, and narrowing down the key issues you wish to discuss. 

If you have a right of appeal, an ongoing appeal, or a claim for disability discrimination in the SEND Tribunal and would like our support, please book an appointment on our Tribunal Helpline.  

Booking an appointment on the Advice Line  

Our helpline services are delivered by volunteers. Appointments are made available by our volunteers as and when they know their availability and can be released up to 4 weeks in advance, any day or time. Demand for our Advice Line is very high, so you may have to keep checking our booking calendar for available appointments.  Please do not book more than 1 appointment at a time, if you make multiple bookings they will be cancelled.

If English is not your first language, our advisers can dial in an interpreter to assist with your call. Please let us know if you need to use this translation service, including the language you require, when completing your booking form. 

BOOK ADVICE LINE APPOINTMENT

Please note, as we are using a new booking system, our advisers will not have access to any historic information if you have called before.

Preparing for your call  

Once you have booked an appointment, we recommend preparing for your call by:  

• Looking at the guides and resources on our website 
• Making a note of the key issues you wish to discuss ready for your call  
• Finding a private, quiet place where you can talk 
• Having a pen and paper to hand to make notes
• If possible, having a device available during your call where you can access our website – our volunteer adviser may talk you through where to find our online legal guides and resources for additional information  
• Setting aside up to 30 minutes for your call  

During your helpline call, our volunteer adviser will ask you for personal information about you and the child/young person your call is regarding. Full details about how we use this information can be found in our privacy policy.    

Privacy policy and data protection  

Please be aware that helpline calls are recorded for monitoring and training purposes, and any details or notes that are recorded will never be passed on to a third party and are kept completely confidential.  

At the start of your helpline call, our volunteer adviser will ask you for personal information about you and the child/young person your call is regarding. If you do not wish to answer any or all of the questions asked by our adviser, you do not have to do so, but without this information we may not be able to advise you.    

The information captured also helps us to identify gaps in our service provision, make improvements, and ensure that services are delivered in a fair way to all users. The information you provide will be kept confidential, and we will not share your name or personal information with anyone else.  

By using IPSEA’s Advice Line, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and also our privacy policy.   

IPSEA volunteers frequently receive offers of gifts in thanks for their advice. Whilst this is much appreciated, our volunteers are unable to accept. If you would like to support our work, a donation to IPSEA would be gratefully received.  

The advice and support we offer is free and confidential, and ensures that families understand their children’s legal rights and entitlements. We can only deliver these important services with fundraising efforts and donations from members of the public. You can make a donation here.