SSIF Seminar - Support Plans and Support Whilst Waiting for EHCNA or EHCP

Irvana Davies • January 6, 2025

SSIF invite ParentCarers of Children with SEND to our third Seminar this year. ‘Support Plans, ISPs, Support Whilst Waiting for EHCNA and EHCP’ is the third in a series of valuable an informative events for ParentCarers that will run throughout the year.


This seminar is aimed at ParentCarers who are not sure of the support and information available to them and their families whilst they are waiting for an Education and Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) or an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP).


We will aim to answer questions such as:


  • What is an Individual Support Plan (ISP), and who is it for?
  • What are Reasonable Adjustments and can I expect them to be made for my child?
  • What is the SEN Register? What is SEN Support?
  • What can I do to support my child or young person at home?
  • Are there any workshops or webinars I can access?


We have a panel of professionals from the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Team, Health and Education, who will talk about what support is available and how to find it. They will also bust some common myths.


We are inviting ParentCarers to submit any questions they have for the panel by email, by Monday 20th January 2025, via email, to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk


There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in a co-production session to develop a useful route map/flow chart of the Support Whilst Waiting process.


Book your ticket here.


March 11, 2026
Have you signed up to the monthly SEND Newsletter yet? 📩 The SEND Newsletter is a monthly e-newsletter from the Southend SEND Partnership, bringing together organisations and services that support children and young people with SEND and their families in Southend. It’s designed to keep you up to date with local information, opportunities and support available to families. We contribute to the newsletter each month too, so it’s a great way to see what we’re sharing alongside updates from other local services. Subscribe here:
March 9, 2026
Event details SEND Information Day Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) and the SEND Local Offer Team are pleased to announce the second Southend SEND Information Day on Tuesday 16 June 2026. This is a free event for the Southend SEND community. It is open to parent carers or family members of children or young people with SEND, and professionals. Venue: Southend Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER Time: 9.30am to 2.30pm Hold the date - further information to follow soon! For a taste of what to expect at the event in June, read about the 2025 SEND Information Day and watch videos here . Pre-register for the event! You can just drop-in on the day, but why not make things easier and pre-register?! Get advance information about the event direct to your inbox, so you can plan your visit and make the most of your time.
March 4, 2026
As Southend’s Parent Carer Forum, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF), we encourage you to share your experiences — your voice really matters in shaping support for our children and young people. We’re hosting informal drop-in sessions at Southend Civic Centre during the consultation period specifically to gather your feedback and thoughts on the proposed changes, so we can reflect the real views of parent carers in our response. Please come along to share your views or ask any questions — we’d love to see you there. The SEND Partnership is also hosting an information Event and will present an overview of the key proposed changes, highlight the areas the government is consulting on, and empower parent carers with the information needed to share their views with confidence. The SEND Partnership will require pre-booking tickets and you can do that here, tickets .
An advertisement for a coffee and chat event
March 2, 2026
One of our favourite Events is our regular monthly coffee morning, where Parent Carers can get together to share their experiences. Every month we have the Local Offer team with us and invite 1 or 2 additional special guests from for example Health, Social Care, Education and more, to offer guidance and advice. *Please note that the coffee mornings for 2026 will temporarily be held at the Civic Centre and will again return to SAVS in September 2026* Come along and chat to other ParentCarers, get advice from one of our SEND support service guests and enjoy a hot drink with something sweet. Booking is not required.