The SEND Consultancy HUB
The Hub is for everyone to access.
Round peg square hole always springs to mind and if we keep on forcing the round pegs to squeeze themselves into the hole - we will continue to create masking and resilience for the wrong reasons and high levels of anxiety both in school and in the work place. We have to stop this and look at the hole and consider how we change it so the peg slips into place and feels like it fits.
The Hub was created to as a result of years of frustration seeing parents, and experiencing it as a parent, of getting the right support for our children. I cannot tell you how many times the Hub nearly happened in the last 15 years, but it never felt quite right.
The Hub finally came to exist in March 2024 after meeting Jazz at a parent support group, who wanted the same thing as myself - support to be in place for each child that meets their needs, better communication and relationships between parents and their Local Authorities and Schools, bringing health care professionals together who "get it" and increasing education and awareness around Neurodivergence in particular.
IF you are using the Hub to gain an EHCP and need professional reports then we have an agreement with Windsorian OT Practice if you are local, to expedite professional assessments for OT and SaLT whenever possible as a priority despite their long waiting lists. They will help whenever they can.
Over a year in, we have a small team of EHCP specialists, who are parents themselves, who are Neurodivergent themselves and who have fought the system themselves. We are making progress. Having a team means that firstly the Hub can compassionately support staff who are Neurodivergent - which is important to me - and if they need to take a break they can, as they all share cases and work together behind the scenes and can hand over cases to each other if the need arises. No burnout here. Reliance on advocacy companies based on one person is challenging as most of the advocates are carers themselves and may have to pause if they have to increase their support to their family.
We are getting the support children need, we are ensuring that EHCP's are fit for purpose, we are meeting with schools to discuss how support might look for children without an EHCP, we are meeting local authorities who are trusting our judgement and listening and acting lawfully as a result.
We have plans for workshops to educate parents on anything EHCP related but also to help awareness with misunderstood PDA etc. Hopefully by 2026 these will be up and running.
We offer FREE termly drop ins so we can share knowledge with parents direct. These are online and can be accessed by anyone in the country.
We have a social worker who wants to advocate for families and ensure that process is being followed and help them understand what is needed to follow social care plans. Written communication following a social care review should be positive, and identifying needs and what support will help, not blaming parents and using negative language.
We have a DLA and PIP specialist who is just amazing and has worked doing this for many years. Affordable help and also monthly free drop ins.
We are providing training and workshops for corporates. New territory for us, but as some of our children are now becoming young adults we follow their journey and want to ensure companies big and small have affirming interview processes and recruitment that supports Neurodivergent adults, we want to ensure policies are Neurodivergent positive, we want to ensure Senior Leadership teams have the awareness and understanding of how to support Neurodivergent employees and as a result drive their businesses forward. We have a parent offering free support to other parents the Hub is working with to explore their own challenges and celebrate their strengths and achievements.
We want to support the university students too going forward so it's on our agenda to ensure they too get the support needed (DSA is much easier then EHCP) BUT there can still be problems at uni especially when the student struggles to advocate for themselves and the "pesky parents" can't always get involved.
We also want to provide support for ensuring your child can get Access arrangements in schools and universities.
I want the Hub to be a supportive place to work and I want the Hub to be a centre of activity for all things that support parents and children with SEN.
We have much to do and much to learn as ever, but one step at a time, I know we can make a huge impact on everyday life for people who need understanding/support/adjustments to thrive. Nobody should not feel like the peg being pushed into the hole we just can't get comfortable in.