SEND support services for parents/carers

Local Offer: The one-stop-shop for all things SEND. Find information ranging from childcare to leisure opportunities to events in your local area and talk to other parents and carers through an online forum which suits your need.

SEND Advice Surrey: Provides impartial, confidential and free support to empower parents and SEND children to express their views and make informed decisions.

Family Voice Surrey: Giving Surrey parents a strong collective voice, a forum to share knowledge and empowerment to improve opportunities for SEND children in Surrey.

National Autistic Society: Uks leading charity for autistic people and their families, offering support, advice and guidance. 

National Autistic Society Surrey Branch: Volunterr run group founded by parents to support other parents. They offer regular support meetings, signpost to clubs for young people.

Action for Carers: Offers information and practical support to carers.

Surrey Independent Living Charity: Offers a range of services, including advocacy for disabled people 16+, understanding direct payments and supporting making a complaint about NHS services.

Citizens Advice: Provides free, confidential advice on everything from employment rights and benefit entitlements to family and social care services.

Surrey Adult Learning: Family Learning courses are free for parents and carers to help and support your child's learning and development.

Family Information Service: Details of support services and activites for families in Surrey. 

Waverley Family Centre: Offers support and guidance for families with children aged 0-11 years old on all aspects of family life. 

21 and Co: A aprent run support group based around Surrey dedicated to giving support to famililes who have children and young people with Down's syndrome. 

Young Epilepsy: Offers information, frirndly advice and practical help for children and young people with epilepsy and their families.

Mindworks Surrey: Emotional wellbeing and mental health service for children and youing people in Surrey. They offer a crisis line for support during a mental health crisis, call 0800 915 4644 open 24/7 for children, young people and parents.  

Contact: Free advice and information helpline for parents/carers with a disabled child aged from birth to 25 living in the UK. 0808 808 3555 Open Monday-Friday, 9.30am - 5pm.

Turn2Us: Free and easy-to-use benefits calculator and grants search to check the benefits yuo may be able to claim and granst you may be able to apply for. 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA): Information about DLA, eligibility and application process. 

Personal Independance Payment (PIP): Information about PIP, eligibility and application process. 

Benefits and financial support: Government website outlining benefits and/or support you mant be entitled to apply for. 

Crossroads Care Surrey: Offrers support and information to unpaid carers and their families. 

Barnardo's Positive Parenting: A programme of support and advice for parents and carers with children with a diagnosis/suspected diagnosis of ADHD.

The Zone: For families with ASD or additional needs in Hart, Rushmoor and surrounding areas. 

Surrey Welfare Rights Unit: Information for parents reagrding finacial support that you and/or your child may be entitled to claim. 

BRAAIN: Information on accessing professional help, finding clubs/activites for young people and support groups for parents and carers. 

OCD UK: Provide advice, information and support services for those affected by OCD. 

OCD Action: Offer online support groups where you can connect with others with simialr experiences and offering suport without judgement. 

Deputyship: Information about Deputyship and how to make an application.

My Adult - Still My Child (16+): A guide to parent/carers of adults (16+) who may not be able to make decisions. 

Connect to Support Surrey: Find local services, such as advocay, food banks, social activites and day centres. 

RADAR Keys: RADAR Keys explained: What they are, where they can be used and how to apply for one. 

Bus passes and discounts: A free bus pass allows Surrey residents (aged 5 to older persons eligible age) with eligible disabilities to travel on buses free of charge. It's valid between 9.30am and 11pm from Monday to Friday, and at any time on weekends and public holidays.

Pegasus Card: A scheme offered by Surrey Police for anyone who has a disabilty or illness that would make it difficult to communicate with emergency services in an emergency situation. 

Surrey Connect Bus Service: The shared bus service is available in areas of the county where there are fewer or no commercial bus services, to help residents to get around by public transport. Rather than being restricted by traditional bus timetables, the accessible minibuses are available for everyone when needed. The online map shows the areas covered by Surrey Connect bus services.

Beach safety: Advice on water safety at the beach

Colin the Coastguard: Interactive website with free downloads and stories about keeping safe by the water. 

Sun Safety: CBeebies video and advice about sun safety

NHS Sun Safety: Advice for adults and children on sun screen and sun dafety in the UK and abroad. 

Gatwick Airport special assistance and facilities information: Information about special assistance available at Gatwick Airport. 

Heathrow Airport special assistance and facilities information: Find out how to get support and help you require at Heathrow Airport. 

Free mental wellbeing services: Available to support mental health and wellbeing listed on the Healthy Surrey website.

Mind Matters Surrey: Talking therapies for anyone experiencing common mental health problems

Qwell: Online Emotional Wellbeing Support for Surrey parents/carers of children with SEND. Since June 2020, Qwell has offered online mental health and wellbeing support for parents and carers with children between the age of 0 to 25. Qwell is free to use and offers one-to-one online text chat counselling sessions with trained counsellors, along with access to self-help tools and forums. The Qwell counselling team are available from 12 noon to 10pm Monday-Friday and 6pm-10pm at weekends, 365 days a year.

NHS Royal Surrey: Helpful information if you need to access hospital, providing information about The Learning Disabilites and Autism Team, who can provide support in hospital, hospital passports and useful information about the hospital. 

​Social stories for Royal Surrey: Social stories about going to hospital and where does it hurt. 

Learning Disability Register: Information on how to join the Learning Diability Register at your local GP surgery. 

Annual Health Checks (14+): Information about how to access a annual helath check if your child is regsitered on the Learning Disability Register. 

SeeAbility: Supporting finding an optometrist for people with learning disabilities.  

Turn2Us: Check which benefits you're entitled and search for grants to help with respite or equipment.

Surrey Independent Living Council: support with managing direct payments

Family Fund: offers grants for clothing, equipment, furniture and respite

Family Holiday Association: offers breaks for families, and has lots of links to organisations that can fund breaks

GP Carer's Prescription: is a scheme that means your GP can ask for a donation for you to spend on something you need for yourself.

Guildford Poyle Charities: offer individual grants to people living in central Guildford.

The Respite Association: offers grants to fund respite care

Revitalise Support Fund: offers holidays, including grants towards a holiday, for young adults aged 18+

Sullivan’s Heroes: funds home adaptations for children with additional needs

Working Families: UK's national charity for working parents and caeres and provide free legal advice regarding their rights at work. 

The Hedgehogs Charity: Registered charity who raise funds for individuals and families in Farnham and the surrounding area. 

Mustard Seed Autism Support: Provide sensory, social communication and emotional wellbeing support for autistic children. 

Equipment 4 Disabled Children (E4DC): Provide funding for equipment for children to live mroe comfortably, play creatively or enjoy better mobility. Support families who live or have a child educated in South West Surrey.  

Challengers: providing exciting and challenging play and leisure opportunities for disabled children and young people, with play & youth centres in Guildford and Farnham, and community based projects across Surrey.

Cherry Trees: offers short break respite care for children and young people up to age 19 with learning and physical disabilities, and sensory impairments.

Crossroads: offers a range of support services, including respite, to families.

Disabled access and special/medical needs at Gatwick: information for travelling through Gatwick.

Disabled access and special/medical needs at Heathrow: information for travelling through Heathrow.

Dramatize: provides theatrical workshops and events for young people/adults with learning disabilities aged 16+

Halow Project: based in Guildford and nurtures young people with learning disabilities to fulfil their potential through exceptional person-centred care.

InterAKtive: a parent-led charity for families with children with ASD or a similar communication difficulty, to help you access support and activity events.

LinkAble: Woking-based charity offering activities and breaks for children and young people with learning disabilities.

Shooting Star Chase: hospice, respite and family support service for children 0-21 with life-limiting conditions. There are two hospices: Shooting Star House in Hampton and Christopher’s in Guildford.

White Lodge Centre: based near Chertsey, offers a range of services for families with children with additional needs.

YMCA East Surrey: provides short breaks services for children with SEND aged 5-18 years, and a Friday Night Project for young people with learning disabilities aged 16+. 

Challengers - The Hub: Based at Stoke Park (Guildford), The Hub offers informal drop-ins, coffee and craft sessions, workshops and events. Free Family Fun Days are run on a regular basis.

Harriet Davis Trust: Four self-catering adapted and wheelchair friendly hoiday houses in Pembrokeshire, Wales. 

Tourism for All: A registered charity dedicated to helping families with additional needs disabled friendly holiday destimations and places to stay. 

Riding for the Disabled (RDA): Find a local RDA group. 

Odeon: Autism friendly sessions. 

CEA Card: National card scheme for UK cinemas that enables a complimentary carer ticket. 

The Angel Blue Canal Boat: A purpose built canal boat that accommodates wheelchair users. 

Surrey Outdoor Learning & Development: Four centres across Surrey that offer thrilling outdoor adventure and learning activities.

Saturday Sports Club: Based at The Spectrum, the club provides fully inclusive multi-sport sessions for children aged 8+ with SEND. 

Sailability: Based at Frensham Ponds, sailability offres people who require support the chance to experience sailing. 

Parasports Holiday Caps and Adventure Days: Holiday camps, activity days and specialist sports provision for primary aged children with SEND. Based in Farnham. 

Wheels for All Woking: A nationally recognised programme that offers all-ability cycling using a fleet of adapted bikes. 

All Aboard Club: Inclusive train play sessions for SEND children aged 4+.

National Autistic Society Surrey Branch: parent-to-parent support group that organises local meet ups, workshops and family activities, as well hosting an online forum.

Barnardo's Positive Parenting: a programme of support and advice for parent carers with children with a diagnosis/suspected diagnosis of ADHD.

Can't Go Won't Go: information and advice for families with children who school refuse.

Challenging Behaviour Foundation: can help with managing behaviours that challenge in children and young people with severe learning disabilities.

Counselling Directory: offer advice and guidance on a variety of subjects including bullying, bereavement and staying safe online.

PSDS: supports children with down syndrome and their families.

The Zone: runs events for children and young people with additional needs on the Surrey/Hampshire border.

Young Epilepsy: is the national charity working for children with epilepsy, based in Lingfield. Support includes a helpline and training for parent carers. 

Action for Carers: Offers information and practical support to carers.

Carers UK: Information, advice and support for unpaid carers.

Surrey CC Transition Team: Find out about the Transition Team and how can they support you. 

My Family Your Needs: Provide information and guidance on all aspects of supporting a young adult with additional needs. 

Hampshire CC Independent Futures Team: Find out about the Independent Futures Team and how can they support you.

Supporting young people with disabilities as they become an adult: Services and support for children with disabilities when they transition to become an adult and move from services from children to services fro adults. (Surrey CC)

Halow: Community based provision that supports young adults with SEND through an informal education programme to social activities throughout the week, including evenings. 

Surrey Choices: Provide person-centred support to disacbled, autistic and neurodivergent young adults and adults to enable them to live active lives in their communities in the ways they choose. 

Post 19: Life Skills and Support Centre for young adults with learning difficulties, based in Farnham. 

LinkAble: Supports children, young people and adults with additional needs in Woking and the surrounding areas. They offer evening and weekend activites for under 18's and daytime, evening and weekend activities for over 18s. 

ArtVenture: Creative day centre for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and autism. 

The Therapy Garden: A horticulture and education charity that uses gardening to support adults with SEND. Set inj a peaceful 2 acre site in Normandy.

Care Act Factsheets: Information about the Care Act and duties and responsibilities of local authorities regarding care and support for adults. 

Access to Work:  Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a disability. 

My Adult - Still My Child: A guide for parent/carers of adults (16+) who may not be able to make decisions. 

Every child has a preferred method of communication. At Pond Meadow we work with our students, staff, families and therapists to support communication. Please find links below for more information and ideas to support communication at home. 

Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation of language and expression. At Pond Meadow we have a 'sign of the week' which encourages students and staff to have fun learning new words and signs.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) enables communication  using pictures. People using PECS are taught to approach another person and give them a picture of a desired item in exchange for that item. By doing so, the person is able to initiate communication. A child or adult with autism can use PECS to communicate a request, a thought, or anything that can  be displayed or symbolised on a picture card.

Communication boards - other names: aided language display (ALD) or theme board. Communication boards are a page of symbol and words that can be used to support an interaction around an activity. The pictures (words) on the board will enable a child and the adult supporting them to make comments, requests or give a direction to each other.

Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD) book: The aim of a PODD book is to provide vocabulary for use in multiple environments, with a range of messages, across a range of topics. Selection of words and symbols in the PODD can be made by pointing, looking or other combinations of methods.