You shouldn’t need a law degree to help your child
If you’ve ever spent an evening trying to work out whether your child qualifies for school transport, or how to challenge a reduced timetable, or what a mandatory reconsideration actually involves, only to feel more confused than when you started, you’re not alone.
The SEND system is full of acronyms, forms that assume you already know the process, and official guidance written for professionals rather than parents. It feels like it was designed for people who already knew how it worked.
That’s exactly why this blog exists.
The blog and the free assistant
You might already know SEND Parents Help as a free AI assistant that covers over 100 SEND topics, from benefits and school support to tribunals, social care, and transitions to adulthood. You can ask it almost anything about the SEND system and get a clear, sourced answer.
If you have a question right now, you don’t need to wait for a blog post to cover it. The free assistant can answer specific questions about your child’s situation straight away, sourced from official SEND guidance for England.
The blog works alongside the assistant rather than instead of it. It’s for the stuff that works better as something you can read at your own pace, share with a partner, or bookmark for later. When benefit rates change in April, a short post can explain exactly what’s different and what it means for your family. And sometimes a bite-sized guide is exactly what you need.
Not everyone wants to chat with an AI. Some people just want to read. This blog is for them too.
What you’ll find here
Practical guides are the backbone. These are step-by-step walkthroughs for specific processes, written the way a friend would explain things over a cup of tea, not the official government version that assumes you’ve read the legislation. A good place to start: what an EHCP is and whether your child needs one, how to apply for DLA for a disabled child, or where to begin if you’re new to the SEND system.
Policy updates cover changes to SEND legislation, benefit rates, and local authority processes. The focus is always on what’s actually changed, who it affects, and what you should do about it.
Tips and strategies come from what I’ve learned researching how the system actually works. Things like how to frame evidence for a benefits application, or what to do when your local authority misses a statutory deadline.
Answers to common questions tackle the things parents and carers ask again and again, where a longer post can cover the nuances that a quick reply can’t.
Written by a parent, not a committee
This blog isn’t written by a team of content strategists. I built SEND Parents Help because I wanted something that brought everything together in one place, explained things clearly, and was free to access.
The tone you’ll get here is honest, practical, and never condescending. I won’t pretend the system is easy. It’s confusing, and sometimes it’s genuinely unfair. But I’ll always try to help you understand your options and feel confident about your next step.
How to keep up
New posts appear on the blog page, and the homepage highlights anything recent. If you’d like to be notified without checking the site, there’s an RSS feed you can subscribe to in any feed reader.
If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered, or a process that’s causing you stress, I’d genuinely like to hear about it. You can use the feedback option on the website, no account needed.
You’re already doing the right thing by looking for help. I hope this blog, and the rest of SEND Parents Help, makes the next step a little clearer.