SEND support services

The SEND Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS) team is at arm's length from Buckinghamshire Council. They can help you to find accurate and impartial information about SEND and the law.

The Bucks SENDIAS Service has a range of information available. If necessary they can be contacted via their clickable contact form.

In addition to their contact form there is also a live web chat available during the following times during school term time:

• Mondays 1pm to 3pm
• Fridays 10am to 12pm

The live chat will be available by clicking the red button on their webpages during the times stated above.

Short for integrated special educational needs and disabilities service.

The iSEND service support children and young people who already have an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan or those referred for an EHC Needs Assessment.

The iSEND team can be contacted via email:

• Chiltern and South Bucks EHC coordinators [email protected]
• Wycombe EHC coordinators [email protected]
• Aylesbury Bucks EHC coordinators [email protected]
• Specialist Teachers [email protected]
• Educational Psychologists [email protected]

If your child has an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan, their school will have a dedicated EHC coordinator to contact.

Your EHC coordinator will give you advice, update you on your child, and advise on general special educational needs (SEN) issues.

View EHC coordinators

SEMH needs are special educational needs where a child communicates through behaviour in response to unmet social, emotional or mental health needs.

Children and young people with SEMH needs often have difficulties in managing their emotions or their behaviour. They can show inappropriate responses to their emotions. They can feel scared, anxious and misunderstood.

There are three main educational settings to support pupils with severe SEMH needs, commissioned by the council.

These are:

• Chiltern Way Academy secondary and primary schools
• Aspire Secondary Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) - Aylesbury Vale, Chesham, Wycombe, and the Chiltern Skills and Enterprise Centre
• Buckinghamshire Primary Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)

All mainstream schools and colleges should provide support for children and young people with SEMH needs.

There is a range of health teams commissioned by the council to help support children and young people with SEMH needs.

These include:

• CAMHS
• NHS therapies team

A SEMH Impact Group meets every half term to discuss how best to support pupils with SEMH needs. This is group consists of:

• school leaders
• parents and carer
• representatives from the council's education team
• social care
• health
• colleges

The Virtual School team helps Looked After Children (LAC) and children who have left care achieve their full potential at school.

The team of 20 staff work directly with schools, social workers, foster carers and the young person to improve their education.

• email: [email protected]
• phone: 01296 387 047

If you’re concerned about a child in Buckinghamshire contact the First Response Team.

The team will listen to your concerns and decide on the appropriate action. Reporting a concern online is the quickest way to let the First Response Team know about your concerns.

If anyone is in immediate danger, always call 999.

Report a concern online or by phone or email:

• call the First Response Team on 01296 383 962 between 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday
• Outside of the above hours contact the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 0800 999 7677
• email [email protected]
• Online

If you can't find what you're looking for or simply want to chat.

• email [email protected]
• phone 01296 383 293
• online contact form

The Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support is a new digital platform for parents/carers.

As part of the council's universal offer to families, the Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support (AES) was commissioned to provide free online support and guidance services for Buckinghamshire families, and professionals.

The parent's portal has been designed and created by AES who are a long-established local charity that specialises in early help and autism education.

Go to the Parent’s Portal by Autism Early Support

1. To make a simple search, type what you're looking for into the 'Search' box. Enter your town or postcode in the 'Where' box to find things that are close to you. Use simple words and phrases to get the best results.
2. To narrow your search, click one of the 5 circles. When you select a circle – for example, 'Things to do' – a menu called 'Categories' will appear.
3. When you click 'Categories', you will see a series of tick boxes that can be used to narrow your search further. The tick boxes you will see in 'Categories' change depending on which circle you have selected.
4. If you click on 'SEND needs', you will see more tick boxes that allow you to narrow your search even more.
5. Click on 'Ages' to reveal two text boxes, into which you can type a minimum and maximum age to refine your results.
6. If you click 'Only show', you can choose to only see activities, events and so on that are free of charge.