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Get help for children or young people with additional needs (SEND)

Find out what support and services are available in Bath and North East Somerset for children and young people under 25 years old, who have additional needs, using our Local Offer (Live Well B&NES) website.

Talk to your child's key worker

Talk to your setting (for example, nursery, school, college) if you feel that your child might need some extra support. Most settings have trained staff who can identify and support children and young people's additional needs. They will have a member of staff responsible for SEND, called the 'Special Educational Needs Coordinator', or 'SENCo', who should help plan the best course of action.

Actions this plan could include

This plan could include the following actions:

  • Making more focused observations of your child
  • Checking developmental milestones against developmental expectations
  • Putting into place some targeted opportunities or activities
  • Contacting the relevant local authority team for further advice and guidance (for example, Area SENCos, Educational Psychology, or SEND Team)
  • Referring to partner agencies such as Speech and Language Therapy

Four stages of action

All settings should adopt a graduated approach with four stages of action:

  • Assess
  • Plan
  • Do
  • Review

Who settings work with

Most settings work closely with a range of other services to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care. They work with the following services:

  • Relevant local authority teams for further advice and guidance (Area SENCos, Educational Psychology, or SEND Team)
  • Health services and specialist health services (for example, Health Visiting, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Paediatrics and Sensory Support)
  • Children’s Centres

These requirements are set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) on GOV.UK, as well as in the SEND Code of Practice (chapter five).

What is a Local Offer?

A Local Offer is about the help and support we offer to children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Our Rainbow Resource website provides all of our information about what help and support is available in Bath and North East Somerset.

Find Local Offer information on Live Well B&NES

Our Local Offer provides the following information for children, young people and their families:

  • Benefits and funding
  • Education
  • Health and care needs assessments and plans
  • Health
  • Social care
  • Preparing for adulthood (14 years plus)
  • Advice and support
  • Mediation and complaints
  • Events, activities and groups
  • SEND home to school transport
  • Schools, further education and sources of support for children and young people with SEND