Lots of people feel AI is everywhere right now, but fewer feel they understand it. This short guide explains what AI is, what ChatGPT is, and how SEND Parents Help uses them to give you real help with SEND paperwork and questions.
What is AI?
AI stands for artificial intelligence. It's software that can hold a conversation with you in plain English. You type a question; it writes back an answer. You can ask follow-up questions, share documents, and work through things together.
AI has been trained on a huge amount of text, which is how it can answer questions about almost any topic. It's not magic and it's not a person, but for many tasks it feels like having a well-informed friend you can ask anything.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is the most widely used AI assistant. It's made by a company called OpenAI and is free to use with a free account. SEND Parents Help runs inside ChatGPT as a "Custom GPT" - a version of ChatGPT that's been set up to focus on SEND topics in England.
How does SEND Parents Help use AI?
We've connected ChatGPT to a knowledge base written for SEND families in England. When you ask a question, the assistant looks up the most relevant guidance and answers based on that - so you get plain-English explanations grounded in real information about DLA, EHCPs, appeals, school support, and more.
What can I actually ask it?
Anything you'd ask a knowledgeable SEND parent friend. For example:
- "My child has just been diagnosed with ASD - what support can we get?"
- "Can you explain what Section F of an EHCP should contain?"
- "I'm filling in a DLA form. How should I describe the help my child needs at night?"
- "The council has refused to assess my child for an EHCP. What can I do next?"
Is it safe?
Yes. SEND Parents Help doesn't store your conversations or personal data on our side. Chats happen between you and ChatGPT directly. We never see what you ask. For sensitive documents, you can also use our Doc Tools to convert files to text privately in your browser before pasting into ChatGPT.
Do I need to be good with computers?
No. If you can send a WhatsApp message, you can use ChatGPT. The interface is a single text box at the bottom of the screen. Type your question, press send, read the reply.
Tips for getting started
- Start with a simple question and see what comes back.
- If the answer isn't quite right, ask a follow-up. You can say "can you explain that more simply" or "give me an example."
- Share documents. Uploading a council letter or a draft EHCP and asking for feedback is one of the most powerful things you can do.
- Don't worry about typos or grammar - it understands.