Every family's circumstances are different and the type and level of support they need will be too. Show empathy and understanding by adapting to the individual needs and preferences of parents/carers. This will be highly appreciated by families. Learning your child has SEND can be life changing for some families, so it is important to be sensitive to this, as one Bury SENCO shared “…it can be a hard journey for some of our families".

Asking parents/carers about the kind of support they need is helpful and valued.

Parents/carers tell us that knowing there are wider services and support groups available helps them feel less alone. Having this information readily available in school is helpful (e.g. information leaflets in the entrance or Reception area). Please see the signposting section for further information on local services and the Parent/carer section of the toolkit for resources written specifically for parents and carers.

An Early Help assessment may help to coordinate the support around families. To refer to Early Help, the Story So Far form can be found in the 'related files' section.

Information about Early Help locality teams and contact information can be found in the 'related files' section.