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I'm a Young Person

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I'm a Young Person

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This page is for young people with special educational needs or a disability, with or without a diagnosis or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

 

Please scroll down the page, where you will find helpful resources, information, and support.

 

 

Who are IASS and how can we help you?

Waltham Forest SEND IASS provide free, impartial and confidential information, advice and support on anything related to your SEND needs in education, health and social care.

We offer support to SEND young people aged 16-25 years. If you are under 16 your can ask your parent carer to contact us and we will speak to both of you.

 

The helpful short video below will explain what the Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) can do for you (3:05 minutes)

Who we help?

  • Are you aged 25 or under?
  • Are you disabled or do you have special educational needs?

Special educational needsare when you need extra support to learn things.The law says that you can get information, advice and support.

What we can help with?

You can come to us if you want some help with getting the right kind of:

  • Support at school, college or training
  • Health services
  • Care and support

Most people who are 16 years old or more and have finished Year 11 can make their own decisions about their school or support.

Your parents or carers

If you would like a parent or carer to help, then that is OK. It is up to you. If you are under 16 years old, then we will need to talk to your parents or carers before we make any decisions.

What does impartial mean:

 

Impartial means: ‘not favouring one person or group more than another; fair; unbiased’

By this we mean that we act separately, with no influence or control from either the local authority or the Clinical Commissioning Group in our area. This means:

  • we will not tell you what to do
  • we will not take sides
  • we will give you the information and support you need to make your own choices.

What does confidential mean:

 

Confidential means that you do not tell other people. Everything that we talk about in our meetings will be kept private. This means:

  • When you talk to us we will not tell other people what you said. We will keep it private.
  • We will not share your information with other people outside the IASS service, including parents, teachers or social workers.
  • Sometimes we may think it is a good idea to talk to other people about what you tell us, like your parents, teachers or doctors
  • We will always ask you if this is ok first. You can say yes or no

Telling someone else what you said:

 

There are a few times when we will have to tell someone else what you said:

  • We sometimes tell our managers so they can check that we are doing a good job.
  • We will write information about our meetings on our computers.
  • Only people we work with will see this information.
  • We will also have to tell someone if we are worried that someone is being hurt or might be hurt.
  • If this happens, then we will talk to you about it first

 

What We Do

 

  • Talk to you about how to get extra support from your school or college ( this is called SEN Support )
  • Provide advice about how to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan
  • Support you on exclusions
  • Answer your questions related to any Education, Social Care and Health support you may be receiving
  • Help you to prepare for meetings and ensure your opinions are heard
  • Explain your options when you turn 16
  • Explain your options when you turn 18
  • Discuss with you your rights in education, training & employment up to 25 years of age
  • Signpost you to local supportive organisations

We will not

 

  • Contact other people on your behalf without your consent
  • Pass your information on to other organisations without your consent
  • Make decisions on your behalf
  • Attend meetings for you

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Our main aims are to provide you with the skills and knowledge to feel confident that your voice is being heard, and to understand what you need to do and when. We do that by giving you clear, straightforward information about your options.

Information, Advice and Support services can help you with questions about:

  • School, college or training
  • Getting the right healthcare
  • Getting the right support at home, school or in the workplace

The advisers are friendly and will always do their best to help you.

The short video below has been made by young people to answer some frequently asked questions on how the Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS)can help. (6.30 minutes)

Contact us

 

The SENDIASS service can help you. Our friendly team have lots of information about your rights, the support you should get and what to do if you have problems getting the support you need. We will listen and help you to get your views across. We have lots of ways to get in contact with us click here to find out more.

We want to hear from you. If you are not happy with our support, then please tell us how we can make it better!

National organisations

 

IASS Network for Children and Young People https://cyp.iassnetwork.org.uk/

Preparing for Adulthood https://www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/

IPSEA https://www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/young-people-aged-16-25