The SEND Parents Help assistant runs inside ChatGPT, which is made by a company called OpenAI. To use it, you’ll need a ChatGPT account, and the good news is that a free one is all you need to get started. Setting it up takes about two minutes, and you won’t be asked for any payment to begin.
Before we start, one reassurance. You create your account on ChatGPT’s own website, at chatgpt.com, never here on our site. We’re an independent service. We never see, ask for, or store your password, and we’re not affiliated with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, or Apple. This page is just a friendly walkthrough.
If you’re already comfortable with the idea and just want to get an account open, read on. It’s simpler than you might expect.
What you’ll need before you start
Not much, honestly. You can sign up with an account you almost certainly already have. When you reach the sign-up screen, you’ll be offered a few choices, and you only need one of them:
- A Google account (any Gmail address)
- A Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, or a work account)
- An Apple ID
- Any email address at all, with a password you choose
If you’ve got any of these, you’re ready. There’s nothing to download yet, and no card details to enter.
Step-by-step: setting up your account
Here’s the whole thing, start to finish.
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Go to the ChatGPT website. Open chat.openai.com in your web browser. You’ll land on a welcome page with a Sign up button. Tap or click it.
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Choose how to sign up. You’ll see buttons that say Continue with Google, Continue with Microsoft, and Continue with Apple. Tap any one of these to sign up instantly using an account you already have. If you’d rather not link those, you can type in an email address and create a password instead.
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Verify your email, if asked. If you signed up with an email and password, OpenAI will send you a quick verification email. Pop into your inbox, click the link inside, and you’re confirmed. If it doesn’t appear, check your spam or junk folder. If you used the Google, Microsoft, or Apple buttons, this step happens automatically and you can skip it.
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That’s you in. You’ll arrive at the main chat screen, with a text box waiting at the bottom. You’re ready to open the SEND Parents Help assistant.
That really is all there is to it.
Do I need to pay anything?
No. The free plan works perfectly well for trying things out and asking everyday questions. It does come with some gentle limits, like a smaller number of messages in a stretch and a few file uploads a day, but for getting your bearings that’s usually plenty.
If you find yourself using it regularly, especially for working through SEND paperwork, a paid plan can be worth it for the higher limits and smoother file uploads. ChatGPT Go is around £7 a month and is the sweet spot for most parents. ChatGPT Plus, at around £20 a month, lifts the limits further still. Both let you cancel anytime. If ChatGPT ever nudges you to upgrade and you’re not ready, you can simply dismiss the message and carry on.
If you’re wondering whether uploading documents is sensible, our note on whether AI is safe for SEND paperwork walks through what to share and what to keep back.
Using ChatGPT on your phone
ChatGPT works fine in your phone’s web browser, so you don’t have to install anything. That said, there’s also a free app for iPhone and Android, and many parents prefer it. The app lets you use voice input, so you can speak your question rather than type it, which some people find far easier when they’re tired or on the move.
Trouble signing up?
A few things crop up now and then, and they’re all easy to sort.
The verification email hasn’t arrived. Give it a minute, then check your spam or junk folder. Gmail in particular sometimes tucks it away under the Promotions tab.
You think you already have an account. If you’ve ever used ChatGPT before, choose Log in rather than Sign up. Forgotten your password? There’s a reset link right there on the log-in screen.
You’re using a school or work email. Some organisations quietly block sign-up emails. If yours isn’t coming through, try a personal address like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo instead.
What’s next
With your account ready, you can open the SEND Parents Help assistant from our getting started page and ask it your first question, in plain English, about whatever you’re facing.
A good place to begin is a task you’ve been putting off. If a benefits form is hanging over you, for instance, our guide to using AI to fill in a DLA form shows exactly how the assistant can help you turn your child’s everyday reality into clear answers. You don’t have to get the wording perfect. Just tell it what’s going on, and let it help you from there.