IPSEA was established in 1983 and currently supports thousands of children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND) across England every year. Our work helps to get the right education for children and young people with SEND.
Focused on empowerment, IPSEA delivers two free and independent telephone advice services to parents/carers and young people. Our Advice Line provides legal next step advice on any educational issue that relates to a child or young persons SEND, such as exclusion from school, discrimination, and the process for securing additional support.
Our Tribunal Helpline gives next step advice on proceedings in the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) more commonly known as the SEND Tribunal. This is also the gateway to our free Tribunal Support Service through which we support and represent parents/carers who are making appeals or claims to the SEND Tribunal.
Our helplines and Tribunal Support Service are largely delivered by around 100 volunteers, enabling us to provide our services to parents/carers free of charge.
The national range of services that IPSEA delivers places us in a unique position to identify and respond to trends and common issues with the way the legal framework on support for children and young people with SEND is implemented. We work to ensure compliance with the SEND law framework by challenging unlawful practice and influencing SEND policy development locally and nationally.
We are so grateful to everyone who is taking on the Royal Parks Half Marathon for IPSEA this year and to every person who kindly donates to support our runners! - Victoria Lewis, Fundraising Manager
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
