Wolverhampton Information, Advice and Support Service (WIASS) helps families navigate complex SEND related processes such as Education, Health and Care Plans, school placements, appeals and more.
- Free impartial information, advice and support on matters relating to a child or young person’s special educational needs or disability from birth to 25 years.
- View training events and newsletters which share drop in sessions, workshops, coffee mornings and more.
- View community events like the SEND Surgery, for parents and carers to drop in during this time to sessions held every Tuesday, during term time between 1:00pm to 4:30pm. At Cherry Street SEND and Sensory Hub, Wolverhampton, WV3 0QW.
Contact
Parent Support Offer - Has a range of support available for parents which includes:
• Training events
• Workshops
• Coffee mornings
• Drop-in sessions
• Useful websites, services and resources
Please view SEND Early Identification and Support Services - Parent Support Offer section to see what’s on depending on need.
Educational Psychology Service - offer a free remote consultation service to parents/carers living in Wolverhampton, and also to parents/carers of children or young people in the care of Wolverhampton Local Authority. They could offer emotional wellbeing support, mental health advice for you and your family, SEND related advice about your child’s life known as transition.
Carer Support Team - specialise in supporting carers of all ages including parent carers, young carers (up to the age of 18 who help care for someone within their family) and adult carers. The team offer:
- regular support groups
- emotional wellbeing care
- events and activities
- an informative newsletter about support available to carers
A carer assessment will be done to talk about your caring role and the impact it has on your life. The team will then be able to work through a plan to support you in your caring role.
Contact
The Start for Life Offer provides information in one place, to help families to identify the support and services that will help them give their babies the best possible start in life.
Visit Start for Life Offer to find out more.
Useful apps
DadPad® is a free guide for new and existing dads living in Wolverhampton, with advice on becoming a dad, what to expect, and details of local support groups and service providers.
Visit DadPad to find out more.
The Healthy Child Wolves app is packed with tips, advice and signposting to support families, from pregnancy to getting a child ready for school and everything in between. The app is free to download from Google Play or the App Store.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
Local services to visit
Cherry Street SEND and Sensory Hub – offers a space for families of children and young people with SEND where they can access SEND support from education, health and social care services.
They also offer SEND related activities such as SEND Friendly Stay and Play, parent carer support groups, drop-in sessions, workshops, HY5! Youth form meetings, SEND Parent Health Workshops and more.
Please note that Cherry Street SEND and Sensory Hub is not a Family Hub and does not offer walk-in support. All sessions must be booked in advance. For more information visit the Cherry Street SEND and Sensory Hub.
Family Hubs - is a place where children, young people and their families can go to access services from their local area. Family hubs offer a wide range of activities, with weekly timetables. These include:
- regular stay and play sessions for parents, carers and their children
- breastfeeding support groups
- coffee mornings
- child development clinics
- SEND Parent Health Workshops
- parental support sessions and more.
There are 8 Family Hubs across the city that also offer support and SEND workshops to families with children aged 0-18, or 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Family Hubs services will also be delivered through other sites across Bilston.
Information leaflet about the Family Hubs
Family hubs will be open from Monday to Friday, with some services offered at evenings and weekends.
Visit Family Hubs to find out more.
Parent support groups
There are support groups that can help parent and carers within Wolverhampton area to feel connected to others in similar circumstances.
Professionals maybe invited to discuss their services and to advise about further support you can get. The groups are run by either parent carers, local charities or national organisations.
They are a great way of socialising and sharing views. Below are some of the support groups offered to parent and carers.
School coffee mornings - Some schools may run coffee mornings which are a good way for schools to communicate with their SEND parents and carers in a relaxed informal environment. It's also an opportunity for parents and carers to ask questions, share experiences and find out what is happening in school. To find out about your school’s offer please speak with the school.
SEND Wolves Parent Voices - We would like to introduce you to the new parent carer forum, SEND Wolves Parent Voices. The new forum has been created to ensure that the voices of children with SEND are heard. They are holding a Coffee Morning for parents and carers to attend to introduce their new forum. To find out more view News - SEND Wolves Parent Voices.
Parent & Carer support group Walsall, Wolverhampton & surrounding areas - They are a voluntary parent led group who are all parent and carers of children with special educational needs or are related to a child with special educational needs/disabilities. Offering the following; Peer support online meetings and in person meetings, activities, social events, food parcel service and more.
Friendly Faces Disability Support CIC is a disability services and support organisation dedicated to empowering disabled individuals, families and carers.
SEND supported activities - City of Wolverhampton Council
SEND supported activities - Community
Autism / ADHD support