In This Article
- What the SEND Local Offer is and who it’s for
- Why a single point of information matters for SEND families
- Education support, including EHCPs and school travel assistance
- Health services available to children and young people with SEND
- Support for families, including short breaks and parenting help
- The SEND Directory and how to search for local services
- Support for young people and professionals
- Staying informed with SEND news and updates
- How to get in touch with the SEND team
What Is the SEND Local Offer?
The Local Offer is Haringey Council’s central hub for anyone connected to a child or young person with special educational needs or disabilities. It provides information and support for children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities, their families, and the professionals who assist them. Rather than searching across multiple council pages or contacting several different teams, families can find education, health and care information gathered in one accessible place.
The site includes details on Education Health Care Plans (EHCP), specialist teams, travel assistance, and resources to help young people prepare for adulthood, alongside listings of local SEND events and wider community services. It’s designed to be a starting point, whether a family is just beginning to explore what support looks like or is already further along in the process and needs a specific service.
Why a Single Point of Information Matters
For many parents and carers, one of the biggest challenges isn’t a lack of support, it’s knowing where to find it. SEND journeys often involve several different services working together: schools, health teams, transport providers, and council departments. Having all of this organised under one Local Offer means families spend less time trying to work out who to contact, and more time accessing the help that’s actually relevant to them.
This joined-up approach also benefits professionals, who can direct families to the right resources quickly, and young people themselves, who have their own space to find age-appropriate information and support.
Education Support and School Travel
Education sits at the heart of the Local Offer. Families can find guidance on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which set out the support a child or young person needs to succeed at school, college, or another education setting. These plans are often central to how a child’s needs are identified, reviewed, and met over time.
The education section also covers specialist teams working across Haringey schools and settings, providing expert input for children with a range of needs. Alongside this sits information on school travel assistance for children who need help getting to and from their education setting safely.
For many families, reliable transport makes a genuine difference to a child’s daily routine and confidence, particularly where a school placement is some distance from home, or where a young person has additional mobility, sensory, or communication needs that make independent travel difficult. Consistent, familiar transport can also reduce anxiety around the school day before it has even begun.
Health Services for Children and Young People
The Local Offer also links to health support tailored to children and young people with SEND, recognising that education and health needs are often closely connected. This includes speech and language services, mental health support for children and young people, routine vaccinations, and free annual health checks for those aged 14 and over.
These services are designed to work alongside education support, so a child’s wider wellbeing is considered as part of their overall care, not just their time in the classroom. For families, having health information sit within the same Local Offer as education and travel support makes it easier to see the fuller picture of what’s available.
Support for Families at Home
Beyond education and health, the Local Offer signposts help closer to home. This includes parenting support for families who want extra guidance, short breaks and respite care for those who need a pause from caring responsibilities, and early help services for families going through a difficult period.
There’s also guidance on youth services for young people themselves, and financial or debt support for families who need it. Taken together, these resources reflect an understanding that supporting a child with SEND often means supporting the whole family around them.
Finding the Right Service: The SEND Directory
Families can search the SEND Directory to find services and support filtered by age, need, and type of assistance. This makes it far easier to find something specific, whether that’s a local activity group, a health service, or a specialist support team, without having to browse through the entire website. For busy parents and carers, this kind of targeted search can save considerable time.
Support for Young People and Professionals
The Local Offer isn’t just for parents and carers. There are dedicated sections for young people themselves, including a SEND Youth Space designed with them in mind, as well as a SENDCO Space for professionals working in schools and settings across the borough. This reflects a joined-up approach where everyone involved in a young person’s care, from family members to educators, can access information relevant to their role.
The Local Offer also highlights Haringey’s SEND Working Together Charter, a shared commitment to inclusive and collaborative working across the borough’s SEND system, involving families, schools, and services alike.
Staying Informed
Families can keep up to date through the SEND newsletter and the latest SEND news updates published on the council’s website, as well as a dedicated SEND Instagram account. Staying connected to these updates can help families keep track of new services, upcoming events, and changes that might affect their child’s support.
Getting in Touch
Anyone with questions about the Local Offer, or about their child’s specific needs, can contact the SEND team directly through the council’s website, where further guidance and support is available.
Find more details here.
Making Every Journey Easier
Getting to school, appointments, or activities is one of the most practical challenges families raise, especially for children with SEND who need consistent, safe, and comfortable transport. Reliable travel support can ease pressure on the whole family, giving parents and carers one less thing to coordinate on busy mornings. Let Jimac Cars provide safe and reliable transport for families and young people with SEND needs, making every journey easier and stress-free.
