*SEND Family Services

The Family Services Teams are part of the Inclusion Service at Suffolk County Council. They work to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families and the education settings they attend.

The teams:

• Ensure that assessments, including Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs), are accurate and delivered within statutory timescales

• Guide children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and their families through their education and SEND journey

• Monitor the progress of children and young people with SEND in achieving outcomes from their Education, Health and Care Plans, to prepare them for adulthood, and offer guidance at times of transition

• Support children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans who are at risk of, or who have been permanently excluded

Contacting SEND Family Services

If you are an education, health or social care practitioner calling with a general query about SEND, please contact the Inclusion Support Line on 01473 265502 / localoffer@suffolk.gov.uk

If you are a parent/carer with a general query about SEND, please contact the Local Offer Line on 0345 606 1490 or email localoffer@suffolk.gov.uk

If you have a specific query about a child with an EHC Plan or where an EHCNA has been agreed, please contact your local Family Services Team:

• Lowestoft office: 01502 521516 / SENDLW@suffolk.gov.uk
• Ipswich office: 01473 260670 / SENDSS@suffolk.gov.uk
• Bury office: 01284 741234 / SENDWS@suffolk.gov.uk

If you would like to request an Education, Health and Care Assessment, please visit our online portal here: Suffolk Children and Young People's Portal. If you are not able to access the portal, experience any difficulties with it or have a query about an EHCNA in it's first six weeks, you can contact the EHCNA team on 01473 263688 / EHCNArequest@suffolk.gov.uk.   

Download the Family Services Contactsheet here.