Frequently Asked Questions

RANi (Raising Awareness on Neurodivergent Individuals) is a community-led organisation that supports parents and carers of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) through guidance, workshops, peer support, and signposting.

Our services are open to all parents, carers, and families of children or young people with SEND — especially those based in Manchester and surrounding areas.

No — all our support groups, advice, and workshops are completely free to parents and carers.

No diagnosis is needed. If you have concerns about your child's development, learning, or behaviour — we are here to support and guide you.

Where possible, yes — a member of our team may be able to attend school or service meetings with you. This depends on availability and the nature of the meeting.

We offer impartial guidance based on SEND law, but we are not legal advisors. We may signpost you to services like SENDIASS or IPSEA for formal legal support.

Visit our Contact Us page, email us, or reach out through our social media channels. We're here to help!

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A child or young person has SEND if they have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most others of the same age.

SEN Support is help provided in mainstream settings (schools, nurseries, colleges) for children with SEND who do not have an EHC plan. It follows a cycle called "Assess, Plan, Do, Review".

An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan is a legal document that describes a child or young person's special educational needs, the support required, and the outcomes they are working towards. It may also include health and social care provision.

Children or young people aged 0 to 25 with complex needs that cannot be met through SEN Support alone may be eligible. A legal test must be met during an EHC needs assessment.

No. The process is free. Parents, carers, young people, schools, or professionals can request an assessment from the local authority.

You write to your local authority, explaining your child's difficulties and why they need more support than what is currently provided. Templates are available to help.

Yes, you can request one directly. Schools, GPs, and other professionals can also make requests, but the law gives you the right to request it as a parent or young person (aged 16+).

The whole process—from request to final EHC plan—should take no more than 20 weeks, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

EHC plans have several parts, including: Section A: Views of the child/young person and their family
Section B: Special educational needs
Section C: Health needs
Section D: Social care needs
Section E: Outcomes
Section F: Special educational provision
Section G: Health provision
Section H: Social care provision
Section I: Named placement
Section J: Personal budget
Section K: Advice and reports

The local authority writes the plan, based on evidence gathered during the assessment process. Families must be consulted before a draft becomes final.

Yes. You can request a specific school or type of school. The local authority must name your choice unless it is unsuitable for the child's needs or would negatively affect others' education or use of resources.

At least once a year, through an Annual Review. The plan can be amended or even stopped, but the local authority must follow legal processes.

You or the school can request an early review or a reassessment of needs.

Yes, if the young person is still in education or training and needs the support. It does not continue just because someone has a disability.

You can:
Raise concerns informally
Use disagreement resolution or mediation
Appeal to the SEND Tribunal (e.g., if the LA refuses to assess or issue a plan, or you disagree with what's in the plan)

You must at least contact a mediation adviser and get a certificate before submitting your appeal—except for Section I-only or discrimination appeals.

Yes. While legal representation is not required, advice is available from SENDIASS, IPSEA, SOS!SEN, or other SEND charities.

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Services) provides free, impartial, and confidential information to families about SEND processes.

A personal budget is an amount of money identified to support certain parts of the EHC plan. You can request to receive it as a direct payment (for example, to arrange your own support).

Yes, in most cases, but it's important to understand the consequences. For example, refusing an EHC plan or SEN Support may limit access to certain adjustments or specialist help.

SEND can be identified as early as birth, especially in cases of physical disabilities or developmental delays. Early years settings and health visitors often raise concerns before school age.

Yes. A formal diagnosis is not required for a child to receive SEN Support or for an EHC assessment. Support should be based on need, not on diagnosis.

Support may include differentiated teaching, additional adult support, visual aids, speech therapy, behaviour plans, sensory breaks, or adapted learning resources. Schools must use a graduated approach: Assess – Plan – Do – Review.

A SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) is a qualified teacher in a school responsible for coordinating SEND provision and ensuring legal duties are met.

Schools receive funding to support children with low to moderate needs. This is typically called Element 2 funding. It must be used to deliver SEN Support for children on the SEND register.

Useful evidence includes school reports, individual education plans (IEPs), professional assessments (e.g., from Educational Psychologists, CAMHS, Speech & Language Therapy), and parent/carer observations.

The local authority gathers advice from educational, medical, and social care professionals. Parents, carers, and the child or young person must also be consulted. A decision is then made about whether to issue an EHC plan.

Yes, but they must apply the correct legal test. You can appeal this decision to the SEND Tribunal.

Section B: Special educational needs
Section F: Special educational provision to meet those needs
Section I: The placement (school or college) where provision will be delivered

Provision must be specific, detailed, and quantified (e.g., "1:1 teaching assistant for 15 hours per week") to be legally binding.

Yes—if they educate or train the child, they belong in Section F and are legally enforceable.

Yes. You can request an early review or ask for a reassessment if needs have changed significantly.

It's a formal meeting involving the school, parents, and professionals. The local authority must decide whether to maintain, amend, or cease the plan within four weeks of the review report.

You can appeal if the local authority decides to cease the plan or if you disagree with amendments (or lack of them).

You can appeal:
Refusal to assess
Refusal to issue a plan
Sections B, F, and I of the plan (needs, provision, and placement)
Decision to cease the plan

It's an independent court where families can appeal decisions made by the local authority. It has powers to make legally binding decisions (except on health and social care, where recommendations are made).

You have 2 months from the LA's decision letter or 1 month from the mediation certificate—whichever is later.

Yes, under the Single Route of Redress. If you're appealing about education, you can also ask the Tribunal to consider related health or social care needs and provision.

Mediation follows a disagreement about an EHC plan and may be required before appealing.
Disagreement resolution is voluntary and available for other SEND-related disputes (e.g., between school and parents).

You must at least contact a mediation adviser. If you don't want to mediate, you'll receive a certificate allowing you to appeal.

Yes, it can continue into further education or training until age 25 if the young person still has SEND and is making progress.

Colleges must comply with their legal obligations under the EHC plan and the Equality Act, unless there are lawful grounds to refuse admission.

A personal budget is an amount of money identified by the local authority to deliver parts of the EHC plan. You can sometimes choose how to spend it (with agreement).

These are packages of support for children or young people with complex health needs, funded by the NHS, separate from the EHC plan.

If your child has social care needs (e.g., help with personal care, respite), this should be recorded in Sections D and H of the plan. You can ask for an assessment from the local authority.