Community & Support • SEND
You do not need to know the right jargon before you ask for help.
If your child is struggling at school, you are waiting for an assessment, or somebody has suddenly started talking about SEND, SEN Support, Local Offers and EHCPs, it can feel as though everyone else has been handed a dictionary you missed.
This guide is the starting point. It brings together the main official SEND routes across Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley, Lewisham and Kent, explains what the language means, and shows you where to go next without expecting you to know the name of the service first.
Last checked: 17 September 2026. Eligibility and services can change, so use the official links for the latest position.
Quick finder: what do you actually need?
Start with school/setting and your borough Local Offer.
Support is not automatically dependent on a diagnosis.
Speak to the SENCO and look at SENDIASS/IASS.
Read the EHCP section before drowning in acronyms.
SENDIASS/IASS is an important route.
Check short-break eligibility in your Local Offer.
Look for Preparing for Adulthood support.
Start with the Local Offer or SENDIASS/IASS.
What do all these words actually mean?
SEN means special educational needs. Broadly, it describes a learning difficulty or disability that means a child or young person needs special educational provision.
SEND means special educational needs and disabilities. You will see both SEN and SEND used by councils, schools and support services.
Local Offer is not a discount scheme — despite the name. Every local authority must publish information about SEND support in its area. It is usually the best official doorway into education, health, social care, activities, short breaks and preparing-for-adulthood information.
SENDIASS/IASS is an information, advice and support service for children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers. The exact name varies by area. These services are designed to provide impartial information and can be especially useful when you are trying to understand education processes, meetings, reports, EHCPs, disagreements or your options.
EHCP is the commonly used abbreviation for an Education, Health and Care plan (officially an EHC plan). It is a legal document for children and young people whose needs require provision beyond what can reasonably be provided through ordinary SEN support. An EHC needs assessment does not automatically result in a plan.
Early Help is support intended to help children and families before difficulties become more serious. What sits under Early Help varies locally.
Short breaks are services or activities that give disabled children and young people positive experiences while also giving families/carers a break. There can be universal, targeted and specialist provision, with different eligibility rules.
Preparing for Adulthood is planning for life beyond school, including education/training, employment, independence, community inclusion and health. For young people with EHC plans, planning should become an explicit part of the process from the teenage years.
Reasonable adjustments are changes made to reduce disadvantages experienced by disabled people. In education, the exact duties and appropriate adjustments depend on the setting and circumstances.
For the statutory framework in England, see the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years.
I don’t know where to start
“My child is struggling, but I don’t know why.” You do not have to diagnose the problem yourself. If they are in school or nursery, talk to their teacher/SENCO or setting about what they are seeing and what support is already being tried. Your Local Offer can then show you the wider local routes.
“I think my child might be autistic or have ADHD.” Assessment and diagnosis pathways are separate from many education-support decisions. Ask the school/setting or GP about the appropriate assessment route, while also asking what support can be put in place for the needs already identified.
“We’re waiting for an assessment.” A waiting list does not automatically mean nothing can happen meanwhile. Ask the education setting what support is being provided for the needs your child is showing now and use the Local Offer to look for services that do not require a diagnosis.
“I need somebody impartial to explain this.” Look at SENDIASS/IASS in your borough. This is one of the most useful routes when the system itself is the confusing bit.
“My teenager is approaching adulthood.” Go straight to the Preparing for Adulthood section of your Local Offer rather than waiting until they are nearly 18.
Do we need a diagnosis first?
Not always. SEND support and a medical diagnosis are not the same thing. For example, Bromley’s official IASS guidance states that children can have SEND without a diagnosis and that most needs can be supported through mainstream SEN Support. Kent likewise says mainstream settings have obligations to support children with SEND. Individual specialist services can still have their own diagnosis, assessment or eligibility requirements, so check each service rather than assuming one rule applies to everything.
If you are concerned about development or health as well as education, speak to the appropriate health professional too. Clarissa’s Corner is signposting rather than diagnosing.
What is an EHCP — and where do I start?
An EHC plan sets out a child or young person’s needs, desired outcomes and the provision required to support them. It is issued by the local authority and is legally binding. Most children with SEND will not need an EHC plan because their needs can be met through SEN Support; an EHC needs assessment is considered where more support may be necessary.
Parents/carers and, in relevant circumstances, young people themselves can request an EHC needs assessment. Schools and other education settings can also make requests. If you are wondering whether this is the right route, your borough’s SENDIASS/IASS can help you understand the process and options without making the decision for you.
Greenwich
FREE ADVICE SELF-REFERRAL 0–25
Greenwich SENDIASS
This is a particularly strong first stop if you need somebody to explain education concerns, letters or reports, meetings, disagreements and appeals, or future education options. Royal Greenwich says the service is free, impartial and available to children and young people up to 25 and their parents/carers. The directory says families and young people are encouraged to self-refer, with phone, email and in-person support.
The Woolwich Centre listing also publishes practical access information including wheelchair-accessible entrance, lift, accessible toilet and adults’ changing facilities.
Greenwich SENDIASS — official directory listing
Local Offer: use the Royal Greenwich Community Directory’s Children & Young People with Additional Needs area to explore local SEND services and eligibility.
Bexley
Bexley SEND Local Offer
Bexley’s official Local Offer is the main council gateway for SEND information. Its current EHC information confirms that a parent/carer, a young person aged 16–25, or an education setting can request an EHC needs assessment. If an assessment leads to a plan, the council works with families and professionals on needs, provision and outcomes.
Bexley SEND Local Offer — official council route
Bexley’s family information also points parents/carers of children with SEN towards its Information Advice Support Service. Use the Local Offer to reach the current service/contact details rather than relying on an old saved number.
Important: having an EHC plan does not automatically mean a child qualifies for every SEND service. Bexley explicitly states, for example, that an EHC plan does not automatically confer entitlement to SEND travel assistance.
Bromley
FREE IASS 0–25 EHCP
Bromley SEND Local Offer
Bromley’s Local Offer covers ages 0–25 and brings together education, health, social care, neurodivergence, activities, preparing for adulthood and an Adult Learning Disability Hub. The council also says information can be requested in alternative formats.
Bromley SEND Local Offer — official council route
Bromley IASS
Bromley IASS is free, impartial and confidential. It supports children and young people aged 0–25 and parents/carers, including with communicating with schools, reports, EHC plans, transition reviews, mediation, post-16 options and SEND Tribunal information/support.
Bromley IASS — official information
Bromley’s guidance is also refreshingly clear on diagnosis: a diagnosis can be useful, but it does not guarantee support, and children can have SEND without a diagnosis.
Lewisham
Lewisham SEND Local Offer
Lewisham’s Local Offer brings together education and learning, health and wellbeing, preparing for adulthood, activities, short breaks, financial support and parent/carer information.
Lewisham SEND Local Offer — official council route
Lewisham SENDIASS
Lewisham SENDIASS offers free independent information, advice and support. The council says it is available to borough residents caring for a child or young person with SEND up to 25, and directly to young people with SEND aged 16–25. It can also connect families to disagreement-resolution/mediation information.
Lewisham SENDIASS — official council information
Lewisham’s current EHCP information also makes an important point: parents and young people can make a direct request for an EHC needs assessment; it does not have to come only from a school.
Dartford & wider Kent
SEND INFORMATION HUB FREE IASK
Kent SEND Information Hub
Kent calls its Local Offer the SEND Information Hub. It covers services and activities for ages 0–25, including education, health, social care and moving towards adulthood, and includes a Local Offer Directory for groups, activities and charities. Kent also publishes an Easy Read guide and accessibility information for the hub.
Kent SEND Information Hub — official council route
Information, Advice and Support Kent (IASK)
IASK is Kent’s free, confidential and impartial information/advice service for families of children and young people aged 0–25 with SEND. It can help with meetings, paperwork, statutory assessment, annual reviews and understanding other agencies and processes, with support available online or in person.
Information, Advice and Support Kent — official council information
Short breaks: useful, but check eligibility
“Short breaks” can mean very different things, from ordinary community activities to targeted or specialist services. Do not assume that an SEND diagnosis or EHCP automatically qualifies a child for every short-break scheme.
Kent, for example, distinguishes universal, targeted and specialist short breaks for disabled children and young people aged 0–18, with different levels of need and assessment. Lewisham’s Local Offer has a dedicated short-break route, while other boroughs publish their own criteria through their Local Offers.
Before booking/applying, check: age, disability/SEND criteria, residency, whether an assessment/referral is required, cost, venue access and what support is actually provided.
Preparing for adulthood: start earlier than you think
Preparing for adulthood is not just an “after school” problem. It can include education, training, employment, supported internships, volunteering, independence, community life and health.
Bromley currently publishes routes from Key Stage 4 through post-16 and post-18 options, including supported internships, work experience and volunteering. Kent publishes Preparing for Adulthood standards and guidance covering education, employment and independence. Lewisham’s Local Offer also has a dedicated Preparing for Adulthood area.
This is where Community & Support connects into our Skills, Work & Opportunities route and our Volunteering & Work Experience guide.
Useful Clarissa’s Corner guides
- Accessibility & SEN
- Inclusive Theatre Adventures
- Support Cards for SEN & Autistic Visitors
- SEN Family Theatre Journey
- Relaxed Performances for SEN Families
- Theatre Guide for Autistic Adults
- Autism Assessment Day — a personal family archive
- Autism and Eye Contact — a personal archive
If what you need is parenting/family support rather than SEND-system navigation, our Free Parenting Courses & Family Support in South East London and Kent guide is being built alongside this one as part of the new Community & Support hub.
Your simplest next step
1. Write down the actual problem you are trying to solve — school, communication, assessment, activities, EHCP, transition, family support.
2. Open your borough’s Local Offer.
3. If the system itself is confusing, contact SENDIASS/IASS.
4. Check the eligibility for the individual service rather than assuming diagnosis or EHCP status automatically qualifies — or disqualifies — you.
5. Ask about access requirements before attending if the provider has not published enough information.
Clarissa’s Corner provides discovery and signposting information, not medical or legal advice. SEND services, eligibility and contact arrangements can change. Always check the linked official provider before applying or attending.
