Services
Search services for SEND, filtered by need, age, local authority, and how to connect.
Showing 1–50 of 198 services
Appeal a decision about your child's EHC needs assessment or plan
SEND Tribunal (HM Courts and Tribunals Service)
Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) if you disagree with a local authority's decision on your child's EHC needs assessment, the contents of their EHC plan, or the school/placement named in it. Free to use; you can represent yourself or bring support.
Appeal your child's EHC plan to the SEND Tribunal
SEND Tribunal (First-tier Tribunal)
If you disagree with a decision about your child's EHC plan, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Its extended powers mean it can also make recommendations about the health and social care parts of the plan, not just education, in the same appeal.
Apply for a Blue Badge parking permit
GOV.UK · Wakefield North
A Blue Badge gives parking concessions if a disability affects your (or your child's) ability to walk.
Apply for a disabled or blind person's bus and train pass
West Yorkshire Metro
Free travel on West Yorkshire buses and trains for people who are blind, plus free off-peak bus travel and half-fare off-peak rail for people with a qualifying disability.
Apply for a Disabled Persons Railcard
Disabled Person's Railcard
A third off rail fares for you and an adult companion. Children aged 5-15 who qualify don't get a discount themselves, but their accompanying adult does.
Apply for a grant to help raise your disabled child
Family Fund
Grants for practical items and services, parent/carer workshops on digital and financial skills, creative workshops for children and siblings, and a Discover More Support tool covering 180+ support organisations.
Apply for a grant to help with accessible transport
Motability Foundation
Grants to help disabled people access transport and make the journeys they choose - Motability Scheme-related grants, Access to Mobility grants, and grants to charities and organisations.
Apply for a grant to help you stay in work with a health condition or disability
Access to Work
A grant for practical support at work, help managing your mental health at work, or money towards communication support at job interviews.
Apply for a home adaptation grant
Calderdale Council
Get a grant of up to £30,000 to adapt your home if a disability, autism, or a progressive condition makes it unsafe to live in as it is.
Apply for Direct Payments for your disabled child's social care
Calderdale Council
Money paid directly to parent carers of disabled children to arrange and pay for their own social care support - daily living tasks, respite care or social activities - instead of the Council arranging it for you. Contact Gateway to Care to start an assessment.
Apply for Disability Living Allowance for your child
GOV.UK
Weekly payments (£26.90-£172.50) to help with the extra costs of looking after a child under 16 who has difficulty walking or needs much more looking after than other children their age.
Apply for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) at university
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)
DSA funding helps cover the extra costs of higher education for students with a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty - for example specialist equipment, a non-medical helper, or travel costs.
Apply for Disabled Students' Allowances
GOV.UK
Financial help for students whose disability, mental health condition or long-term illness affects their studies.
Apply for help getting to school (SEND transport)
Calderdale Transport Operations Team
Transport help - independent travel training, a bus pass, payment for parents to transport their own child, a travel escort, or taxi/specialist transport - for children whose nearest school is more than 2-3 miles away, or where transport is specified in an EHC Plan.
Apply for NHS Continuing Healthcare for your child
West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
For children with long-term complex health needs who may qualify for free health and social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS.
Apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
GOV.UK
Help with extra living costs if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing everyday tasks or getting around.
Ask the NHS to fund a treatment that isn't routinely available (Individual Funding Request)
West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
An Individual Funding Request (IFR) asks the NHS to pay for a treatment that isn't routinely commissioned - made through your GP, who has to evidence how the child or young person would benefit, against national and West Yorkshire ICB policies.
Book an adventure activity weekend for a blind or partially sighted child
The Outlook Trust
Activity weekend breaks (sailing, rock climbing, tandem cycling, zip lining, kayaking and more) for blind and partially sighted children and young people, from £60 including accommodation, food and transport.
Borrow a Reading Well book on your child's condition from the library
Reading Well
Free, recommended books available through public libraries to help children, young people and families understand and manage mental health, wellbeing and specific health conditions.
Borrow specialist equipment for your home
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Free loan of specialist equipment to help you and your family live more independently at home - walking aids, specialist beds, mattresses, lifting equipment and seating, for bathing, moving, household and nursing tasks. A partnership between Calderdale Council and the NHS.
Buy a Max Card for free or discounted days out
Unique Ways
The Max Card is the UK's leading discount card for foster families and families of children with additional needs - use it at venues across the UK for free or discounted admission. Calderdale parents and carers can buy one for £6 through Unique Ways.
Buy a Radar key for independent access to locked public toilets
Disability Rights UK
Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme (NKS) locks can be found in shopping centres, pubs, cafes, department stores, and bus and train stations in most parts of the country - the key is VAT-free for individuals.
Call the National Sleep Helpline for practical advice
National Sleep Helpline (The Sleep Charity)
A free helpline for practical guidance on sleep problems, including children's sleep issues, bedtime anxiety and sleep hygiene. Calls at standard rates; not a crisis or medical advice service.
Check if a school or college is on the Section 41 approved list
Independent Specialist Schools & Colleges (Section 41 list)
Search the government's official register of independent special schools and specialist colleges approved for naming in an EHC plan, to check whether a setting you're considering is on the list.
Choose your own autism or ADHD assessment provider (Right to Choose)
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
Once a GP or professional refers your child for an Autism and/or ADHD assessment, you have a right to choose which assessment provider carries it out rather than using the default local service - this page explains how that choice works across West Yorkshire.
Claim back travel costs to your child's NHS appointments
Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS)
If you or your child get a qualifying low-income benefit, you can claim back reasonable standard-class travel costs to and from NHS appointments through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.
Claim back your travel costs for a hospital or NHS appointment
GOV.UK
Refund of reasonable travel costs to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist treatment or tests, if you or your child are on certain benefits or a low income (the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme). Ask NHS staff for a claim form at your appointment.
Claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for your child
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for Children
DLA is a tax-free benefit for children under 16 who need extra looking after or have walking difficulties because of a disability. Call the helpline to request a claim form - phoning first means it's date-stamped, which can help backdate your payment.
Claim the mobility part of PIP for your young person
Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment
Extra money for young people aged 16+ who need help getting around due to a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability - paid at a standard or enhanced rate depending on assessed need, and can be used towards a Motability vehicle.
Drop in for mental health support - no referral needed
Noah's Ark Centre
Drop-in mental health support and advice for young people aged 11-25, without a referral from a doctor or school - for anyone who may not meet the threshold for NHS support.
Find a Changing Places accessible toilet near you
Changing Places
Search the national Changing Places map to find fully accessible toilets - with a hoist, adult-sized changing bench and space for carers - before you travel.
Find a charitable grant for disability-related costs
Disability Grants
Search a free directory of charitable trusts and organisations that give grants to disabled people and their families, for things like equipment, mobility costs and holidays.
Find a driving instructor experienced with disabled learners
Disability Driving Instructors
Search a free national directory of independent driving instructors experienced in specialist tuition and adapted vehicles, for disabled people learning to drive for the first time or returning after an accident or illness.
Find a job with an inclusive employer through Evenbreak
Evenbreak
A free job board for disabled jobseekers, listing vacancies from vetted, inclusive employers, plus career resources and training to support your job search.
Find day activities and short breaks
Elmar Home Care Limited
Individually costed packages of activities that build independence and wellbeing, giving parents and carers a break.
Find disability and mobility resources online
ABLEize · National
A large UK-wide directory of disability, special needs and mobility resources, built by a wheelchair-using founder.
Find financial help available if you're disabled
GOV.UK
An overview of disability and sickness benefits, vehicle and transport support, housing help, TV licence discount, VAT relief and compensation for work-related illness or injury.
Find help and support for your disabled child through Sky Badger
Sky Badger
A free 24/7 helpdesk and online platform connecting disabled children and their families - and the professionals supporting them - to relevant charities, grants, activities and services across the UK.
Find SEND policy resources from the Council for Disabled Children
Council for Disabled Children
The Council for Disabled Children publishes guidance, resources and best-practice information for professionals, and works with government to influence policy affecting disabled children and young people across England.
Get a coach in your pocket to manage anxiety and daily planning
Brain in Hand
Practical, personalised planning tools through an app plus human coaching support, for people 14+ with neurodivergent needs - helps with accessing education, work or leisure. Can be funded through Personal Budgets, PIP, Access to Work or Disabled Students' Allowance.
Get a dyslexia assessment
KMH Dyslexia Services · Town
Specialist diagnostic dyslexia assessments, including for students moving from college to university.
Get a dyslexia assessment or screener for your child at school
Sarah Binns Specialist Dyslexia Assessor
One-to-one dyslexia diagnostic assessments and screeners for school-aged children (primary and secondary), completed within the learner's own school environment.
Get a free cinema companion ticket (CEA Card)
Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA) Card
A card that lets a disabled cinema-goer bring a companion free of charge when they buy a full-price ticket, at around 90% of UK cinemas. Costs £6.50, valid for one year.
Get a full autism assessment through Caudwell Children
Caudwell Children
A NICE-aligned, multi-disciplinary autism assessment for children aged 4-11, accepted by schools and the NHS. Referral must come from a professional who knows the child (GP, paediatrician, school, SENCo, social worker) - families cannot self-refer.
Get a haircut, adapted for autism and additional needs
Chaps Barber Shop · Northowram and Shelf · HX3 7HH
A barber experienced in adapting his approach for people who find haircuts overwhelming.
Get a health and care passport for your child's appointments
NHS Health and Care Passport
A personalised document giving healthcare staff key information about your child's needs, communication style and reasonable adjustments - especially helpful for children with a learning disability or autism. Take it to every health appointment.
Get a hearing dog or advice on managing hearing loss
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
Information, signposting and support on managing hearing loss, plus trained Hearing Dogs, Sound Support Dogs and Companion Dogs.
Get a moving and handling assessment for your child at school
Specialist Inclusion Team (SIT)
Risk assessment for pupils who need physical support to move around, plus training for the school staff who support them - delivered by the Specialist Inclusion Team's Moving and Handling Team, working with parents, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Assessments and plans are reviewed at least annually, or sooner if needs change.
Get a paediatric outpatient appointment for your child
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Clinics for children and young people aged 0-16 with a range of conditions - including diabetes, asthma, endocrine conditions and allergies - seen by a multi-disciplinary team overseen by a paediatric consultant.
Get a place at a specialist online school (TCES National Online School)
TCES National Online School · SW19 4EE
A fully-online specialist school for pupils with an EHC plan, reached via referral rather than direct family contact.