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Spotlight on SENDIASS advisers - introducing Lara
Published
SENDIASS (SEND Information Advice and Support Service) Gloucestershire provides free, confidential and impartial ADVICE and support on matters relating to children and young people (0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. Young people 16+ can also access the service by themselves.
In every newsletter, we will be focusing on one member of the hardworking experts at SENDIASS, who provide confidential, impartial advice and support on SEND – for free.
We introduce the newest member of the team, Lara.
Lara has recently joined the SENDIASS team, bringing almost 20 years’ experience of working in schools and with children and young people. During her career, Lara has held a range of roles including SENCo and school leadership positions within Gloucestershire and has significant experience of working with children with a range of needs.
Lara has also contributed to decision‑making processes beyond school settings, including sitting on Independent Review Panels for exclusions and on special school panels. This experience has given her a strong understanding of SEND systems and the challenges families may face when navigating them.
As a mum of two children, Lara is committed to person‑centred, inclusive support and values working in partnership with families to ensure they feel informed, listened to and empowered.
Outside of work, Lara enjoys keeping active, particularly walking on the hills and playing netball.
More about SENDIASS - like every local authority, Gloucestershire has to provide such a service that is free, easy to access and confidential.
SENDIASS is accountable and legally obliged to have regard to the minimum standards based on the requirements relating to support that SENDIAS services must provide, as set out in the Children and Families Act (CFA) 2014, the SEND Code of Practice.
This means that the information, advice and support that SENDIASS offers is firmly based in the law and the SEND Code of Practice. SENDIASS Gloucestershire provides unbiased information and advice about the local authority’s policies and procedures and about the policy and practice in local schools and other settings.
You will be speaking to an Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA)-trained adviser with many years of previous professional experience in SEND.
SENDIASS can offer advice on topics including how schools can support children with SEND, the Gloucestershire Graduated Pathway, the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process and more. The service can help you understand and/or complete official documents and help you to prepare for, and even accompany you to, meetings, appeals and tribunals, as well as signpost you to other organisations that may be able to help.
SENDIASS - Expert, confidential, impartial advice and support on SEND – for free.
For more information, please visit the SENDIASS record on Gloucestershire's Local Offer website, Support for Families with SEND.
