There are lots of ways to support your child without a diagnosis. By recording information about your child's needs and finding services available locally, you'll build a support network to help your child going forward.
Every local council will have a "SEND Local Offer" website, which provides information on local services that support children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This page will cover the Local Offer and practical first steps that you can take.
Keeping notes can help you to understand patterns and trends in your child's behaviour and characteristics, whilst being able to have a timeline of their needs as they grow older. These can be incredibly useful to professionals, and help you to recognise triggers to understand how to support your child.
You can include comments made by friends and family, and professionals working with your child, for example, childminders, teachers, your family GP, health visitors and services like the Healthy Child Programme.
It's useful to have examples of any observations you record when you are talking to professionals. Examples could include:
Speaking to your child's setting, school or college about your child's needs means they can begin to support them with their learning. This could be by adding reasonable adjustments to their day-to-day activities or getting professionals from outside the school to come in and offer advice.
Your child's setting or school will not need your child to be assessed or have a diagnosis to provide support.
Communicating your child's needs to extracurricular clubs and activities can also allow staff to adjust how they teach or plan their activities to support your child.
Talking to other parents who are in a similar situation to yours can also be helpful in providing tips or advice.
Doing some research on your areas of concern can help to highlight local support that is on offer. Reading through the Neurodevelopment Toolkit can offer links to charities and services both locally and nationally which can provide some insight into other children who have similar differences to your child.
SEND Local Offer
Each council has a "SEND Local Offer" which is a hub for local support and services. The website can help you to:
If you have recognised that your child needs some support and are unsure where is best suited to ask for help, Norfolk & Waveney's Healthy Child Service can offer advice and refer your child to appropriate services to provide assistance and further assessment.
In Norfolk, call Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or text Parentline on 07520631590. Opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
In Waveney, contact the Health Visiting Team on 0345 607 8866 or email childrenshealth@suffolk.gov.uk. Opening hours are 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays).
The Healthy Child Service offers support from the Occupational Therapy Service, Speech & Language Therapy Service, and Mental Health Support Teams along with advice and guidance from Health Visitors and Children's Nurses.
Looking after a child with special educational needs and/or disabilities can feel lonely and isolating at times. You may feel you are going through a maze of appointments with professionals in healthcare and at your child's school.
It can be good to talk to other parents and get advice from those who have been in similar situations. Many local support groups have been set up to support children and their families. Support groups are ideal to:
Find out more about local SEND support groups and events here
Let us know what you think!
We've been working together in Norfolk and Waveney with families and professionals to put together information, advice and resources that are helpful to families. Let us know what you think, and anything we could change or add to make it even better.
If you live in Norfolk
You can contact the Healthy Child Service team by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
If you are 11-19 you can text ChatHealth on 07480 635060 for confidential advice from one of our team.
If you live in Waveney
Norfolk SEND Local Offer provide information and advice on services for young people with additional needs in Norfolk.
Suffolk SEND Local Offer provide information and advice on services for young people with additional needs in Waveney.
Mencap is a national charity who support people with learning disabilities. They offer a free Learning Disability Helpline with advice and guidance. Call 0808 808 1111 to speak to a trained professional.
Kooth offers online counselling, advice and emotional well-being support for anyone aged 10-18, seven days a week until 10pm.
Family Hubs bring together a range of services so you can access advice and support on parenting, your lifestyle and family when you need it. Family Hubs operate online and in person with seven Family Hubs sites across Norfolk, where parents and carers can drop in for support.
