Introduction

Professionals who support children

As a professional involved with the care of a child, before you contact us, take a moment to consider whether you are the most appropriate person to use the Inclusion Advice Line.

If your query is about a specific child, check that you have to hand all the relevant information about them.

You can either contact the Inclusion Advice Line by calling 0300 123 2224 from 9am to 5pm, or by completing this online form at any time:

What happens when you phone our advice line

To contact us, please use our online form above. If you choose to phone us, you can do so on 0300 123 2224. You will be asked a series of questions by our advisors. Please allow time for this and provide as much information as possible, so we can support you in the best way.

If you are calling about a specific child or young person, please ensure you have to hand their name, date of birth, and all relevant information. You will be asked to provide brief details about the current situation and what action has already been taken. In particular regarding the Somerset Graduated Response Tool and any involvements or advice from external professionals.

We aim to provide the support and guidance you need at the time you call. For more complex queries and concerns, we may forward your query to our Specialist Advisor or our Inclusion Advisory Teachers for a call back, where a more in-depth discussion can happen and a plan agreed for the next steps.

Useful links for more information and support

For professionals who are new to the SENCO role, the following links offer help:

• SENCO Induction Pack, Whole School SEND website
• SENCO Induction Conferences and Workshops on the Support Services for Education website
• SENCO Network meetings – Somerset SEND Network groups on our website
• SENCO Support from A2I advisory teachers – request by email accesstoinclusion@somerset.gov.uk

For professionals working in a pre-school or nursery setting:

• Support Services for Education website for Early Years SEND Service, Early Years Area SENCos and Inclusion Advisors.
• Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool on our website
• Email: InclusionSENsupportservices@somerset.gov.uk
• Early year 0 to 5 Autism and ADHD assessment pathway on our website – Autism assessments for 0 to 5 year olds (pre-school).

If you have problems accessing the SEND portal, you can find more help at the SEND Professional Portal on the Professional Choices website.

For further information, read more about our Somerset Graduated Response Tool, school age and early years or information about Early Help assessment and the Professional Choices website.