IPSEA is a registered charity (established in 1983) offering free and independent advice to parents of children with special educational needs in England and Wales.
Advice offered includes:
- on local authorities legal duties to assess and provide for children with special educational needs
- on exclusions of children with special needs or disabilities
- on actions or inaction by local authorities or schools which discriminate against children with disabilities.
IPSEA is a volunteer-based organisation and many of the volunteers providing telephone advice and tribunal support are themselves parents of children with special educational needs who have been helped by IPSEA in the past.
Services provided include:
- helplines
- written information on the website and in print
- advice, support and representation (when needed) in appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal
- disability discrimination advice and training in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission
We also campaign for improvements in the help given to children by schools and government.