If your child has a health or developmental condition that is impacting on their everyday life, this is often referred to as an additional need. This may have been present from birth or these may have become more obvious as your child has grown up.

Your child's additional needs could be developmental, physical, learning, behavioural or sensory. Their needs might be easily met with a regular plan of care or a creative approach to their management. Some additional needs may continue throughout life and as a family there will be times you may require support from a number of services.

All children should have access to the right services, at the right time, to make sure they can reach their full potential. We work together with other agencies to ensure that the right professionals are involved at the right time to meet the needs of you and your child.

As an NHS organisation we have a duty to notify the Local Authority if we become aware a child or young person may have a special educational need.

Health organisations have responsibilities to work in partnership with education settings and local authorities, to support children and young people 0-25 years who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

To better support children and young people with SEND, their parents, carers and families, all local authorities have developed a Local Offer. The Local Offer brings together useful information across education, health and social care. It details information, advice and guidance and a range of local service providers who support children and young people with SEND, including our services provided by the Trust.

To find out more about our Local Offer’s, visit the Herefordshire County Council SEND Local Offer webpages.  You can also view the special educational needs strategy and charter in the further information section below.  

Executive lead at Wye Valley NHS Trust for SEND

• Lucy Flanagan, chief nursing officer

Further information and resources

• Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) strategy 2023-26
• SEND co-production in Herefordshire
• Autism West Midlands - Support for Autistic Young People
• Brain in Hand - Digital tools for 14-18 year old autistic young people in Herefordshire and Worcestershire
• NHS England - Special educational needs and disability (SEND)