Baby, Child and Family Support
Disability and Additional Needs
Raising a developmental concern, SEND support in education, autism and ADHD, long-term conditions, Education, Health and Care Plans, equipment and adaptations, benefits and support for parent carers.
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You do not need a diagnosis to ask for support
Support in education and at home is based on a child’s needs, not on having a label. A nursery or school should put help in place as soon as a need is identified, and a GP or health visitor can refer for assessment at any stage.
Systems differ across the UK. England and Wales use Education, Health and Care Plans and Individual Development Plans, Scotland uses Additional Support Needs, and Northern Ireland has its own statementing process. Ask your council which process applies where you live.
Practical first steps
- Write down what you have noticed, with dates and examples. It makes every conversation easier.
- Ask your GP or health visitor for a referral, and ask what the waiting time is.
- Ask the nursery or school to involve their SEND lead, and request a meeting in writing.
- Ask your council for a children’s social care or disabled children’s team assessment where daily care is affected.
- Ask for a carer’s assessment for yourself. It is separate from your child’s assessment.
- Keep every letter, report and email in one folder, and follow up telephone calls in writing.
Choose the help you need
Open the section that matches your situation
Each heading row below is a button and opens the information underneath it.
SEND and developmental concerns
- Most support is provided by the nursery or school itself, without a formal plan.
- Ask what is already being put in place, how it will be reviewed and who is responsible.
- Reasonable adjustments are a legal duty for schools, not a favour.
- Specialist services may include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or community paediatrics.
- Ask for the local offer, which lists services in your area for children with additional needs.
- Free, independent advice about your rights is available from national charities.
Autism and ADHD
- Assessment normally starts with a GP, health visitor or school referral to a specialist team.
- Waiting lists are often long. Ask for support in the meantime, because help does not depend on a diagnosis.
- Ask school about adjustments such as movement breaks, quiet spaces, visual timetables and clear routines.
- Parent programmes and peer support groups are often the most practical help available quickly.
- Sleep, anxiety, sensory difficulties and eating difficulties can all be addressed alongside assessment.
- We do not diagnose conditions or discuss medication doses. Those conversations belong with your specialist team.
Physical disabilities and long-term conditions
- Ask for a named contact or key worker to coordinate appointments across services.
- Ask for a written care plan that nursery, school and family carers can all follow.
- Schools can administer medicines and support medical needs with a plan in place.
- Ask about short breaks, respite and holiday provision through your council.
- Condition-specific charities usually provide the clearest practical information and family contact.
- Plan ahead for the move from children’s to adult services, which begins in the teenage years.
Education, Health and Care Plans
- An EHCP is a legal document in England setting out a child’s needs and the support that must be provided.
- A parent, young person or school can request an assessment; you do not need the school’s permission.
- Request it in writing, keep a copy and note the date, because statutory time limits apply.
- You can appeal a refusal to assess, a refusal to issue a plan, or the contents of a plan.
- Free, independent legal advice is available, and you do not need to pay a private adviser.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use their own equivalent processes with different names and timescales.
Equipment, adaptations and mobility
- Ask for an occupational therapy assessment through your GP or council for equipment at home.
- Councils can provide equipment and, through a Disabled Facilities Grant, larger adaptations such as ramps, stairlifts and adapted bathrooms.
- Wheelchairs and specialist seating are provided through the NHS wheelchair service.
- Continence products, feeding equipment and specialist car seats may be available through health services.
- Children receiving the higher rate mobility component of DLA may be eligible for a Motability vehicle from age three.
- Grant-giving charities can help with items statutory services do not fund. Apply early, because decisions take time.
Benefits and financial support
- Disability Living Allowance for children can be claimed for extra care or mobility needs, based on needs rather than diagnosis.
- Scotland has its own Child Disability Payment, administered separately.
- Carer’s Allowance may be available to an adult providing substantial care, subject to earnings and other rules.
- Universal Credit can include extra amounts for a disabled child.
- Ask about Council Tax reductions, help with transport, free school transport and blue badges.
- Free help completing forms is available from Citizens Advice and disability charities. Take it up — the forms are long and evidence matters.
Support for parents and carers
- You have a right to a carer’s assessment in your own right. Ask your council for one.
- Ask about short breaks, sitting services, holiday schemes and direct payments.
- Local parent carer forums and peer groups know your area’s services better than anyone.
- Tell your GP how you are coping. Parent carers have higher rates of exhaustion, anxiety and low mood.
- Ask your employer about flexible working, unpaid parental leave and time off for dependants.
- Siblings often need support too; some councils and charities run young carer and sibling groups.
Trusted UK organisations
- GOV.UK – special educational needs (opens in a new tab)
- IPSEA – independent SEND legal advice (opens in a new tab)
- Contact – for families with disabled children (opens in a new tab)
- Scope (opens in a new tab)
- Mencap (opens in a new tab)
- National Autistic Society (opens in a new tab)
- Family Fund (opens in a new tab)
- NHS – children’s development (opens in a new tab)
Important information
Sixpence Support UK provides general information and signposting only. We do not diagnose conditions, assess needs or decide entitlement, and we never give medicine doses. Benefit, education and social care rules differ across the UK and change over time, so always check the current official guidance for your area.