SEND support groups and events
Introduction
Looking after a child with special educational needs and/or disabilities can feel lonely and isolating at times. You can often feel that you are going through a maze of special educational needs and health assessments.
Life at home can be very difficult but also rewarding. It can be really good to talk with other parents and get advice from those who have been, or are going through, similar situations.
Local SEND support organisations and groups
Local support organisations include:
- ASD Helping Hands (opens new window) - support for families who have a child with an Autistic spectrum disorder
- Autism Anglia
- Norfolk SENDIASS (SEND information, advice and support service)
- Norfolk SEN Network
- SENsational families - for families with a child with SEND
- Nansa (the Norfolk and Norwich SEND Association) (opens new window)
- West Norfolk Autism Group
Support groups are ideal:
- To meet other parents and carers in a similar situation
- For friendship and opportunities to socialise
- To share information
Find other local support groups
Search the Norfolk Community Directory
Contact, the national SEND charity, can also signpost you to local groups.
National SEND support organisations and groups
National support organisations include:
- Contact - for families with a child who is disabled
- Carers Trust - for parent carers
- Carers UK - for parent carers
- Down's Syndrome UK
- IASS Network - information, advice and support services
- IPSEA - independent parental special educational advice
- MENCAP - for families with a child who has learning disabilities
- Mind - mental health charity
- National Autistic Society
- Nip in the Bud - films and fact sheets about mental health and neurodiversity
- Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC)
- SWAN UK (Syndromes Without a Name) - for families with a child with a rare genetic condition
Support groups are ideal
- To meet other parents and carers in a similar situation
- For friendship and opportunities to socialise
- To share information
Find other national support organisations and groups
Search the Norfolk Community Directory
Contact, the national SEND charity, can also signpost you to national groups.
Making Sense of SEND
Making Sense of SEND are free events for parents/carers who have a child with SEND. They are also for professionals who work with them.
Each event has between 15-20 information stands. They'll give you the chance to:
- Visit information stands to learn about local services and support
- Listen to a talk on a specialist subject
- Ask questions
- Share ideas
Next event
- Date: Thursday 22 May 2025
- Time: 10am-12 noon
- Place: Bawdeswell Village Hall, Bawdeswell
- Talk(s): Three different talks on the theme of 'transition' covering early years through to adulthood.
Go to Eventbrite to book your free place
Services attending this event
We (SEND Local Offer) will be there alongside:
- Norfolk SEND information advice and support service (SEND IASS): give SEND information, advice and support to children, young people, and parent/carers
- Family Voice Norfolk: Norfolk's parent/carer forum who work with families and service providers. They help improve outcomes for children and young people living with SEND.
- Family Information Service: gives information about local services and support for children including funded early education and childcare, home learning and related services in Norfolk
- ASD Helping Hands: offers guidance, practical advice and support to people affected by autism and those who support them
- DRAGONS: young people with disabilities who help ensure opportunities in Norfolk are accessible and that young people enjoy their services
- Norfolk and Waveney children and young person's health services: children's health information and advice and the delivery of speech and language services
- Early Childhood and Family Service (ECFS): together with the Community and Partnerships teams can offer you extra support to meet the individual needs of your family.
- Help You Choose: the information, advice and careers guidance website for young people in Norfolk, including young people with SEND.
- Community Dental Services CiC: specialist dental care services for people with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties and severe anxiety, covering Norfolk and Waveney
- Dyslexia outreach service (DOS): provide services to all schools and key stages. They offer advice and support, teaching strategies and inset training, as well as workshops and courses for parent carers
- Supported internships: often the first step into the world of work for a young person with an EHCP. Supported internships help bolster skills, and help young people to secure permanent, paid jobs.
- Young Carers Matter: offering support and advice for young carers, their families and the professionals who support them.
- WaterCare: offers free practical and financial support to carers of SEND children and young adults through tailored adjustments to ensure you can access Anglian Water services.
- School and College Transport (SEND): learn about school and college transport for children and young people with SEND in Norfolk
- City, Paston and Easton Colleges: get help to explore the SEND provision and support on offer at a selection of our further education colleges.
- Participation team: works with youth groups and schools to give children and young people with SEND opportunities to get involved in activities and have their experiences and views heard. Runs the Article 12 participation group.
- Travel independence training across Norfolk (TITAN): help young people with SEND get skills for safe independent travel
- Learning disability health checks: helping young people with a learning disability aged 14 or over get a yearly health check
- Direct Payment Support Service: provides information, advice and guidance, help with finding a personal assistant carer, employment support, personal assistant carer training and payment services
- Healthwatch Norfolk: making sure NHS leaders and other decision-makers hear your voice
Future events
- Friday 27 June 2025, 10am-12pm and 1-3pm (County Hall, Norwich)
- Thursday 18 September 2025, 10am-12pm (Charles Burrell Centre, Thetford)
- Tuesday 25 November 2025, 10am-12pm (Great Yarmouth Town Hall)
- Wednesday 21 January 2026, 1-3pm (Sheringham Community Centre)
- March 2026 is to be confirmed (TBC)
- May 2026 is TBC
- July 2026 is TBC
SEND support events for families
We share information about support events for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities on our social media channels.
Facebook www.facebook.com/sendnorfolk
Other events you might be interested in
- SENsational families support groups (opens new window)
- Norfolk Portage Service fortnightly parent/carer group
Facebook SEND support groups
In Spring 2021, we spoke to parent carers to find out where they found useful information and guidance to support them.
Many parent carers mentioned they were members of Facebook groups. They found these online groups useful to speak to other parent carers virtually who are in similar situations.
These are some of the Facebook groups mentioned:
- Disability Network Norfolk Group
- Parents of children with Down's Syndrome
- Slice of Advice support network for parents carers of children with Autism
Parents also mentioned they found Facebook pages of groups and organisations a useful source of information.
These are some of the Facebook pages mentioned:
- Autism Anglia
- Norfolk SENDIASS
- Norfolk SEND Local Offer
- Newbold Hope supports families of violent children who also have an additional need.
Contact workshops and events for families
Contact is a charity for families with disabled children that provides support through information and advice, a listening ear and workshops and events.
Find out about the range of workshops, information sessions and online events on offer, where you can meet families like yours.
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