Advice & Support
It's important that you are able to find the right information, advice and support to help you with your questions.
The following organisations and resources will give you an idea of where to go for specific advice and let you know what your rights in education, health and social activities.
1. Advocacy
Access to independent advocacy: an evidence review
This report from the Office for Disability Issues includes a chapter looking at advocacy for disabled young people in transition to adulthood.
Muscular Dystrophy Campaign - Advocacy and advice
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaigns team offer free advocacy, support and advice to anyone who is experiencing difficulties with their local services.
National Standards for the Provision of Children's Advocacy Services
The standards set out the core principles that children and young people can expect from professionals providing advocacy services.
2. Bullying and Disability-related harassment
ACE - Tackling Bullying
This page provides an introduction to tackling bullying at school.
Anti-bullying Alliance
The Anti-bullying Alliance is a coalition of organisations and individuals working together to stop bullying and create safe environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn.
Bullying Involving Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
This guidance is part of the government's anti-bullying strategy: Safe to Learn: Embedding anti-bullying work in schools.
Buylling Wrecks Lives
A report by Mencap about the experiences of bullying of children and young people with a learning disability.
Don't stick it, stop it!
Mencap's campaign to against the bullying of children and young people with learning disabilities.
Equality Advisory and Support Service
The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) providea information advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues to individuals in England, Scotland and Wales.
Hidden in plain sight - the inquiry final report
'Hidden in plain sight' is the final report of the EHRC's inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report uncovers that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively.
Stop Learning Disability Hate Crime Helpline
Stop Hate UK is a national organisation working to provide support to victims of Hate Crime.
Out in the open - Tackling disability related-harassment: A manifesto for change
In this follow-up to Hidden in plain sight, the EHRC summarise a wide range of formal responses from relevant organisations and set out their final recommendations.
3. Knowing Your Rights
A short guide to the equality duties for social care service users
Easy read guidance to the Equality Duties to support people with learning disabilities when engaging with public authorities to challenge institutional discrimination.
Care Act 2014: easy read guide
Easy read version of the Care Act 2014, produced by the Department of Health.
CLIC Sargent
Knowing your rights under the Equality Act 2010 when you have cancer.
Disabled Children: A Legal Handbook
Disabled children: a legal handbook is an authoritative yet accessible guide to the legal rights of disabled children and their families in England and Wales. It is available for free online.
Equality matters for children
This website has a wealth of information for both children and adults on children’s rights under equality law.
Fixers
Fixers is a movement of young people tackling issues they feel strongly about to make a difference to others.
Learning and your rights
This DirectGov webpage provides information on the Equality Act 2010 and how it has increased protection for disabled learners against unfair treatment.
Ours to own: Your human rights
This easy read booklet explains what human rights mean in the context of everyday life, how they have affected real people and why they are therefore so important.
SEND support: easy read guide
This guide has been written for children and young people to help understand how changes to SEND support will affect you and your family.
Young person's guide to the Children and Families
This resource is from the Department for Education is for young people who want to know more about the Children and Families Act 2014 and what it means for them.
4. Support - Local Areas
Cornwall Council
Website includes easy read information about services for people with learning disabilities.
Young Adult Network Devon
The Young Adult Network Devon is a group of disabled young adults in Devon, who came together to ensure Living Options Devon were involving young disabled people in its work and in local and national consultations. The young adult's network has 5 key themes. These are information, involvement, education, campaigning and peer support. For information, Please contact sarah.croft@livingoptionsdevon.org or 01392 459222
Families Acting for Change Essex (FACE)
Membership of FACE is free and gives access to current information and the chance to contribute to focus groups and consultations and to become more involved in any way that suits you and your family.
H.A.N.D. News
News and information for parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs in Hertfordshire.
Harrow4U
Information for disabled young people in Harrow.
Centre for Independent Living in Kent (CILK)
CILK was formed in April 2002 to support the positive promotion and uptake of Direct Payments and Independent Living for Disabled People living in Kent.
Manchester Learning Disability Partnership (MLDP)
MLDP provides health and social care services to help people attain a good quality of life.
The Information, Advice and Support Services Network (IASS Network)
This is a statutory service offering information advice and support to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs. Every Local Authority has a Service, find yours here.
Our Way
Our Way is a self advocacy group for disabled people in Wyre Forest.
5. Support - National
Action for Children
Action for Children provide specialist help for disabled children, young people and their families. Their disability services include residential and short break care, help dealing with challenging behaviour, specialist education and leisure opportunities, and programmes such as the Access to IT project.
Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)
ACE provide the information, support and high-quality advice that parents need to help their children at school, particularly where there are problems.
Carers Trust
The Carers Trust works to improve support, services and recognition for anyone caring for a family member or friend.
Challenging Behaviour FoundatioN (CBF)
CBF provide information and support to family carers and professionals caring for individuals with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.
Changing Faces
Changing Faces is a charity that supports children, young people and adults with disfigurement on the face or body.
Contact a Family
Contact a Family provides advice, information and support to families with disabled children. They also provide medical information on disabilities and rare disorders and details of support groups throughout the UK.
DIAL UK
A national network of over 120 local disability information and advice services run by and for disabled people. It provides information and advice on welfare benefits, community care, equipment, independent living, mobility and transport, discrimination, holidays and much more.
Dimensions
Dimensions supports people with learning disabilities and autism across England and Wales to live the lives they want.
Family Lives
You can talk to Family Lives about any family issue big or small via phone, email, online chat or face-to-face.
Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (FPLD)
FPLD works to promote the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families.
I CAN
I CAN offers parents and practitioners the opportunity to book a phone call to talk to a speech and language therapist. The call-back service provides expert information about speech, language and communication.
Info 4 Care Kids
This website is for looked-after children and young people. It is designed to help them know what care and support they can receive and what choices they have. The site also offers advice to those who are preparing to live on their own.
Livability
Christian disability charity that provides disabled and disadvantaged people with real choice about how they live their lives.
Mencap
Mencap provides information and support to people with learning disabilities and their families.
Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign offer free advocacy, support and advice to anyone who is experiencing difficulties with their local services.
National Autistic Society
The National Autistic Society provides information, services and support, and campaigns for a better world for people with autism and Asperger's syndrome and their families.
National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)
NDCS is dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people.
The Information, Advice and Support Services Network
IASSN supports and promotes the work of Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Services across England. Each area provides advice to families with children with special educational needs.
Remap
Remap is a national charity working through local groups of skilled volunteers to help disabled people achieve independence and a better quality of life. Remap make or modify equipment when nothing suitable is available through mainstream sources. Items are tailor-made to be suitable for individual needs and to make a real difference to people’s ability to rise to a particular challenge and achieve something not otherwise possible for them.
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
RNIB is the leading charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people with sight loss.
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Young People's page
Are you under 25? On these webpages you'll find information on a wide range of issues that are important to blind and partially sighted young people.
Scope
Scope is a charity that supports disabled people and their families.
The Autism Directory
The Autism Directory provides signposts families to information about autism.
6. Support - Scotland
Autism Network Scotland
Provides a Scottish hub for reliable information to individuals, to families/carers and to professionals.
Lead Scotland
Lead Scotland, (Specialists in Linking Education and Disability), is a voluntary organisation set up to widen access to learning for disabled young people and adults and carers across Scotland.
Parenting across Scotland
This website contains information and support for families in Scotland. This link takes you to their webpage on transition.
Scottish Autism
Scottish Autism is an autism charity that exists to help those diagnosed with autism to lead full and enriched lives and become valuable members of the community they live in.
Speak Out Advocacy Project
Speak Out is an advocacy project which is managed by Ace Advocacy and funded by South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire. Speak Out aims to help people with learning disabilities to speak up for them-selves so that they can participate in decisions about their lives. If a person cannot speak up for themselves, Speak Out will provide a spokesperson who will express that person's opinions as if they were his or her own.
The Scottish Child Law Centre
The Scottish Child Law Centre is the only Law Centre in Scotland that works exclusively for children and young people. They provide services throughout the whole of Scotland.
Values Into Action Scotland
Rights, choice and control for people with learning difficulties and individuals on the autistic spectrum.
7. Support - Northern Ireland
Parents Carers Council for Disability Northern Ireland
The Parents Carers Council for Disability was established in Northern Ireland to advocate on behalf of parents/carers, their children, young people and adults with disabilities and their families promoting an understanding of their unique needs.
8. Bereavement
STARS
STARS offers support to children and young people who have experienced the death of an important person in their lives and those who know that someone important to them is going to die. They produced a presentation for frontline workers outlining how best to support young people with SEN and disabilities who are bereaved.
Childhood Bereavement Network
The Childhood Bereavement Network is the hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK. Advocating for bereaved children, young people and those supporting them; influencing policy, supporting professionals to find and share the knowledge and resources they need to deliver accessible bereavement care; and signposting families and professionals to sources of bereavement support.